That quick episode inside the Catcher will highly recommend its place in that it this new advice of modern Western laughs
/. He determines, “If you had a million decades to do it in the, your wouldn’t scrub aside actually half the newest ‘Fuck You’ cues inside the the nation. There is no way.” Holden is actually thus alongside realizing the fresh new futility of any take to to-be a catcher throughout the rye: the youngsters dont, all over the world since it is, feel protected against the fresh crazy cliff. While you are wishing during the Urban Art gallery for Phoebe, Holden descends on Egyptian tomb, in which the guy discovers they “nice and you can silent” – up to he notices this new obscenity once again, scrawled in the red-colored crayon, “in cup an element of the wall surface.” He then imagines his personal tombstone, displaying lower than their own identity this new revolting terminology of your own obscenity. At this point, Holden’s headache and his fantasy, his revulsion in the business with his dream out of demise, come together about picture of his tombstone and then he discovers himself confronting brand new important minute regarding decision – life-or-death; the country along with their obscenities or committing suicide with all its denials. The image of your tombstone bearing the obscenity signifies that suicide by itself might be a form of greatest capitulation towards terrible physicality away from lifestyle, an ironic engagement of your tissue from the really second regarding abdication of your skin. Passing ergo will get maybe not a gesture off defiance however, out of call it quits. Holden feels each other vomiting and you will dizziness, in which he in fact entry out briefly, and you may falls to your floor, a last slip one spotted scratches the termination of the newest lineage. When he appears, the guy feels best; the drama are prior, the option forever symbolically produced, new sluggish ascent begun. Phoebe’s spontaneous kindness shown within her willingness to hightail it that have him confirms their decision to keep, being in it, in order to rejoin the human battle. Throughout the closure profiles of one’s unique, when he watches Phoebe, within her bluish coat, go around and you will doing on the carrousel, Holden becomes scared one as she holds to your silver band, she’ll slip, however, he restrains himself: “The item that have kids try, if they want to just take into silver band, you have got to allow them to take action, rather than state one thing. Once they drop off, 17
Examples are Wright Morris’ Service when you look at the Solitary Forest (1960), Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 (1961), and you can Ken Kesey’s You to Travelled along side Cuckoo’s Nest (1962)
they fall off, but it’s crappy for folks who state almost anything to her or him.” Gone now is the latest dream about as being the catcher from the rye. Whether from the areas regarding rye, otherwise on circular carrousel, pupils need in the course of time fall, because Holden keeps dropped. Holden are going to be delighted – “thus really delighted” – now regarding the degree that Phoebe is actually kept from the secret a.nd limitless community of carrousel when you look at the a suspended condition out-of best and you will impenetrable innocence; and his awesome happiness shall be intensified and you may made poignant on mature sense that state is momentary, that tunes will stop in addition to secret system crack, your fall, finally, cannot be lived. (It can be worth noting, parenthetically, this one from Salinger’s favourite poets, Rilke, has actually a good poem entitled “The latest Carrousel,” where there was a good “little blue lady,” along with that the carrousel “circles and you will turns and contains no goal.”) For everyone the seriousness, Catcher from the Rye is among the funniest books inside American books, and much has been said relating its laughs on the native American community, and especially so you’re able to Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. Perhaps regarding equal pros using its connections to for the last is actually the character regarding Catcher in the growth of the fresh new post-The second world war “black” laughs, the new jokes who’s got occasional components of irresponsibility, cruelty, depression, and you may insanity. Immediately after making the Antolini flat, since the Holden are drifting in an effective daze about the roads, he happens abreast of a small vignette one seems to summarize the new odd incongruities of contemporary lifetime when he provides discovered it: ” . . . We passed both of these males that have been unloading which larger Christmas time forest away from a truck. One to child kept stating to the other son, ‘Hold this new sonuvabitch upwards\ Hold it right up, to possess Chrissake!’ It certainly was an attractive means to fix mention a good Christmas tree. It absolutely was sorts of comedy, no matter if, in the a poor ways, and i started to 18