Q.#7 A POLL on Holden Caulfield

[Steve Gibbs]

Holden is obviously having some problems growing up. How serious do you think his problems are relative to you, your friends, and the world you are growing up in yourself.

[tcollins]

In my opinion, i think holden has some bad problems, but it isn't like he is forced to live on the street or anything like that. he is just a teenager having issues with life. He comes from a rich family and is going to PREP schools. His life can't be that bad...

[kennyferr]

Holden is a troubled kid but he has been given all the opportunities to succeed. Its not like he has been deprived of anything. He just doesn't asses himself

[puzapalooza]

Holden comes from a rich family and i think that his parents have high expectations for him. They provide him with excellent education opportunites and they seem to think Holden has no reason not to succeed. What they don't realize is, Holden isn't happy. He obviously doesn't like those private schools full of phonies, so his parents need to talk to Holden and figure out a place of education that Holden will do best in. I think Holden is frusterated and lost. He needs a sense of direction and trying to go off on his own is not the answer.
I think his world is different than mine. I think parents in the 1950s disiplined their kids way more with harsher punishments than parents do now. So back then he would be an embarrassment to his family. But if a kid today were to act like Holden, that kid would go unnoticed and the parents probably wouldn't care as much. They would be dissappointed but they wouldn't do much about it. I don't relate to Holden at all. I am a motivated person and try to succeed in every place I am put. There is always something that is good everyplace you go. Not every student at those prep schools is a phony. A lot of my friends and people I know are motivated too. I also think that more people are working harder in school since the economy is bad. If they don't, they are going to have to survive on minimum wage their whole life. We don't have time to wander around the streets of New York, drinking in clubs, or wondering where ducks go in the winter. We have to go to school or our life as an adult will be pathetic.

[abude11]

I think Holden has more problems than most but they're just personal. They're not too bad for it all results in negative views on other people.

[miles]

I dont think his problems are bad at all. Theyre just things some people go through, me and my friends havent gone through most of them but I think it ill end at some point. I think he could have it a lot worst.

[lagrimas]

Holden is not much different then me, personally. we both have issues and we're finding ways to deal with it. i do think his problems are more severe than mine, but not much different. he just doesn't really know how to deal with his feelings in a better way, like less flat out anger for example.
compared to most of the people in this world though, he is no different. people's experiences can place them in Holden's shoes easily. they may not show it, but there are people who think the same way he does and act the same way he does because they are still learning. The situations that you are put in and deal with, shape you. i think that's what we're supposed to be seeing. first we recognize how Holden deals with things and then later on we'll see how he's changed. . MAYBE.

[tcollins]

Miss Lagrimas,
Since you say his problems are similar to yours, what piece of advice would you give him to deal with these issues?

[Steve Gibbs]

Hi, all,
You guys are showing some powerful insights into this story and this character. I hope you are beginning to understand why this book is one of the hallmarks of great American literature. Character development is key to good story telling. Sanlinger shows his amazing talents in this his first book.

[tropygrl]

i think his problems are weird. but at the same time he is just like any other teenager.no one understands him. he is obviously insecure about things thats why he criticizes people alot and says all these bad words that dont even need to be said.one problem he had was that he changed from one subject to another all the time when he talked to people. i do that all the time so i think it is normal.

[reyes92]

i dont think Holden is a mad man. He certainly has his moments and some of his problems are a little more serious than what i or my friends are dealing with today but there not catastrophic. Alot of teens get kicked out of school, rebellion is not an uncommon thing. Sure not everyone when they get kicked out of school will go to New York and stay in a hotel and get beat up and go through all that Holden is but its also a story. i think his problem with growing up is something we all go through and he is just handling it differenly than a normal teen would.

[agent35]

he does have problems but they are not that bad except for the prostitute and the fact that he isolates himself from everybody

[ochosiete]

his problems are pretty serious compared to me and my friends because we dont have to many problems but what holden does is he doesnt care and that will hurt him later in life

[bendover]

i think holden has problems with his development. i agree with tim in that he was put into a private school. he has ruined every oppurtunity that his family has given him to become succesful

[ashleyh]

i believe holden has been given everything his whole life given the best schools the nicest things and he is very spoiled .
He needs to grow up but likes to rebel agienst any type of authority