As a final conclusion to The Catcher in the Rye as its own topic on this blog I want to go straight back to the beginning of the book, page 1 in fact, to this quote: “I’ll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy.” Now that the class has read the book and found out what Holden’s “madman stuff that happened” is (which in my opinion wasn’t that crazy) I’m wondering were exactly is “out here.” We know that geographically “out here” is in California, that’s not what I’m wondering. What is he doing taking it easy in California? I have a theory and I’d like to hear yours if you have any, but anyway here it is…I think Holden goes to a sanatorium in California after the story ends. For those of you that don’t know a sanatorium is an insane asylum, a Looney bin (and lots of other nasty names but I think you get the picture). There are a couple reasons I think this. First of all I think the things Holden says and does suggest it. Holden is always calling himself a “madman” and especially near the end of the book he seems to be losing is more and more to the point that he is literally talking to his dead brother scared out of his mind (literally) of disappearing. That’s at least a little crazy. Not to mention he considers suicide and often declares himself depressed, people have ended up in sanatoriums for short periods for that alone. Now I’m assuming his parents find out about some of this and they obviously have the money and the stuck up desire to get him the best help possible, so he goes to a psychiatrist at least one. This line in particular all the way at the end on page 213 makes me think that they went farther than sending him to a psychiatrist and sent him to a sanatorium, “especially this one psychoanalyst guy they have here.” First of all it says one guy like there are more than one and then “they have here” that means where ever he went they have psychiatrists (or as he calls them psychoanalysts) and probably more than one. The most probable place I can think of with more than one psychoanalyst is a sanatorium. It’s just what I got from the text and it was my theory from the beginning so unless someone comes up with something better I’m sticking to it. Tell me what you think, could I be right? Where is “out here”? Is Holden crazy?
I agree. Just... everything seems to point in that direction, even if the idea of an insane asylum (especially during Holden's life) uneases me. Hopefully, fictional or not, it'll help.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the book was Holden talking to a psychoanalyst? In retrospect, that could work. At least, in my head, haha. His writing resembles talking more than anything, all his "I don't remember"'s and "it really was"'s. Interesting.
That completely makes sense! And he definitely has some concentration problems, and he does act pretty crazy...I like that idea. And maybe Stefanie's right, too, that he's talking to a psychoanalyst! That makes me feel so much better about the story that you made it have a normal reason to be so strange.
ReplyDeleteAs a side note, I would break up this paragraph more into smaller sections to make it easier to read, but I think it's very studious that you found and quoted examples!
~M.J.
I totaly agree! I have thought this all throughout the book, with all of the clues that point to it. I think the idea of the book being Holden talking to a psychoanalyst is perfect! there are so many things that suggest it. great post!
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