the Catcher in the Rye lessons

      The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger is a novel about Holden Caulfield, a 17 year old who once again was kicked out of his high school because of his horrible grades. Having a fight with a roommate and then hating the environment he leaves Pencey two days earlier right then. He stays in a hotel for those two days and meets with old friend and meets new people. He then plans on running away and he tells his loved sister about it. He then convinces himself to stay thought how bad things were. by this Salinger is also teaching to not give up on ourselves not just for your own good but by the others around us.

      At the beginning to the end of the book Holden was feeling "depressed" and lonely because he practically didn't have close friends but accountancies. He didn't really find an interest in life and everything was turning out the way he planned it. He was planning to discover new things.

      When he told his younger sister about his plans to run away and she asked him if she can join. He obviously didn't let her come. She got pretty upset but they got to talk things out with each other. He practically decided to not leave because of her, He didn't give up because his sister needed him.

      He ended up going to a different high school in september and was getting "help". Although things weren't that great he still had another chance to fix things. The same way Holden didn't give up on himself mainly for his sister, the author shows us we shouldn't give up on ourselves especially if it affects someone we love.

Character Analysis From "the Catcher in the Rye"

      In the Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, the main character, Holden Caulfield is a 17 year old who once again got kicked out of the school he was going to, due to his horrible grades. He has a very strong anger against practically everything. He's a very stubborn person and just looks for the easy way out of things. 

     When speaking to Mr.Spencer, his history teacher, he tried to understand him and help him: "Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one has to play according to the rules...What's the matter with you boy?". Just because he didn't really like the environment they where in (medicine-smelling room, Mr. Spencer in a chair in a robe, and weak) he completely once again avoided the conversation. "I didn't feel like going through the whole thing with him. He wouldn't  have understood it anyway... but i just couldn't hang there any longer, the way we were on the opposite sides of the pole, and the way he kept missing the bed whenever he chucked something at it, and his sad old bathrobe with his chest showing, and that grippy smell of Vicks Nose Drops all over the place."

      Caulfield is also always looking for the easy way out of things. Caulfield would once again just go to another school, he didn't really make a big deal of him getting kicked out of Pencey, his recent school. The school he went to was " Surrounded by phonies" so he just quit. When spencer asked him if he cared for his future he said yes but "Not too much". Spencer then answered "You will when it's too late." When he wanted to leave he simply said he'll be okay and left. 

      Over all, Holden was incredibly stubborn because of his continuos mistakes and the way he dodges conflicts with out facing them. Throughout the book i can connect to him in some parts by the way we're treated by other and our similar opinions.

Response to Maus by Art Spiegelman.

       The graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman is about a jewish survivor from Hitlers Europe, Vladek Spiegelman and his son, Art, a cartoonist as they discuss Vladeks and his wife, Anjas survival from World War One. In the boo, they way that the Nazis treated Jews was completely  unethical.

       Soldiers as said by Vldaeks father "Made us sing prayers while they laughed and beat us... and before letting us go, they cut off our beards." This is cruelty, they where practically laughing at their religion and forcing them to go against their culture (the long beards).

       The children where abused. They where separated from their families. As stated in the book most of the kids where around 2 or 3 years old. In the book, when this was happening and the children screamed, the soldiers swinged them from the legs against the wall until they could no longer scream.

       They separated families, from unable to work and the "useful" Jews. They first separated the elderly promising they will keep them in safe homes but instead gassed them in concentration camps. They then separated families with too many kids or Jews without work cards. Most Jews where put in concentration camps anyways and killed. 

       All in all, everything that was done to the Jewish was really harsh and cruel. I was filled with anger when I read how miserable people where and the way they were horribly treated. 

The theme of Betrayal in "Maus"

      The Graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman is about a Jewish survivor from Hitler's Europe, Vladek Spiegelman, and his son Art,  a cartoonist, as they discuss Vladek and his wife, Anjas survival of World War Two. In the book the theme of betrayal plays a very big role in Maus and usually brought up because of survival.

       Jews were either working with Nazis or hidden from Nazis in order to survive. In order to do this some had to betray or or be betrayed. For example when Vladek , Anja, and Anja's Family where hiding in the attic an informer found them. He was a Jew himself. They where planning on killing him but instead they took pity on him because he convinced them that he was on of them. They even gave him food when letting him go, and he still decided to give them away to the Nazis. This shows that in order to survive, and stay on the Nazis good side, had to betray Vladek and his family.

 

       Something similar happened when Vladek paid a lady to hide him and Anja in her house. Although he was generous with her and paid her well, when she got the thought that the Germans were going to inspect her house, she kicked them them both out. This was dangerous, especially because, it was sudden and at night when it was most likely for them to be caught. Showing that for the lady to survive ( and not get in trouble with Germans an most likely get shot) she had to kick Vladeck and Anja out of her house.

       Even family had to be betrayed in order to survive. A cousin of Vladeck, Jacov, also worked for Nazis. When Vladeck asked him for help to keep him from jail, he responded "There's nothing I can do!"Betraying him because if the Nazis found out, Jacov would be in danger himself. Until Vladeck offered him gold, then he decided to help. 

      Not just Vladeck and Anja, but other Jews trying to get to safety betrayed who they stood for, their religion. To go out, Vladeck and Anja wore pig masks, or pretended to be Polish. They did this mainly to survive and not get caught as they walked on the streets.

      Betrayal in Maus was a very harsh theme but mainly done for survival. People won't do a favor unless it benefits them somehow.