Holden feels that adults attempt to keep up a facade of happiness through small talk, and he feels that all of society is based in surface encounters. There are sections in the book where he partakes in the "phoniness" he is trying to eradicate, such as when he goes to the bar and attempts to order a drink, or when he orders a prostitute to his room, but never follows through with it. He has moments where he becomes the thing he despises so much, and yet he continues to defend his actions. Holden lives a life of luxury and social privilege, but he is ready to throw that all away and run off to the countryside to live with his "deaf and blind wife" so that he can escape the clutches of this "phony" society. He is prepared to leave behind a life that many people would dream of and at no point appreciates the privilege he has. These memes all resonate the fact that Holden thinks there are nothing but phonies when you enter adulthood, but at the same time shame him for tossing away such an opportunity to live a life of high social status and free of financial hardship.
Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteEven though you posted about the wrong text, your memes really capture the nature of the assignment. The memes you selected to adapt for Holden all reinforce the notion of white privilege/ first-world problems that you criticize in your reflection. So, nice job on this assignment. You may do the meme assignment again in the semester with the correct text since it seems like a good fit for you and it seems a shame to waste it on the wrong week's text.