Literary Analysis : The Left Side Journal Essay

Lastly some of the main characters fail to evaluate exactly what they are doing in different scenarios. In chapter fourteen pages 113-115 Maurice and the prostitute take advantage of Holden knowing the he was down and depressed at the time. What they failed to realize was that they don’t know how that can affect him emotional. In chapter seventeen page 148 the carelessly set up date with Holden and Sally shows that he was being lazy and messing up his chances and he ended up getting md because he didn't get his

A common theme in many great works of literature is that of forgiveness. Through studying some of these classics, we can learn the lesson that forgiving others, lets you to let go of hate and anger, and to draw nearer to God; this helps people to be happier and to obtain peace, even in terrible circumstances. First, in Left to Tell, Immaculée was able to find comfort and peace, when she found it in her heart to forgive. Second, in Blood Brothers, Elias found comfort and strength in the understanding that Christ loves and forgives all. Third, in Les Miserables, we see the results of being selfless and choosing to forgive. In this essay, we will examine this fundamental theme in the books Left to Tell by Immaculée Ilibagiza, Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour, and Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.

Throughout the novel, Holden attempts to find the true from of himself as he struggles with the social interactions around him. Due to the struggle and confusion that arouses from it,

When Holden comes home, he stops and buys "Little Shirley Beans" record for Phoebe (p 114). Even though it breaks, he still gives it to her. She loves it just as much as if it were not broken. Holden remembers Allie by his baseball mitt with the poems on it (p. 39). When Holden tried to bring meaning into the adult way of things, he was outcast. After he told Maurice to send up a prostitute, he did not score with her but he tried to talk to her (p. 95).  He tried to make something meaningful out of it but Sunny did not understand. It does not matter if Stradlater gave Jane the time on their date, but whatever they did meant absolutely nothing to either one of them. Stradlater could not even get her name right (p.31). The three girls Holden meets in the bar may be the worst of all. They could care less about anybody, but would die to get with a movie star (p. 72). These memories show thought and love which are a lot stronger than these empty sexual conquests.

This character is going to tell it like it is, and he does. The most powerful emotional standpoint in the story is when Holden goes to his sister’s elementary school to deliver her a note. While he is there, he discovers two words scribbled on the wall. “Fuck you.” Most people would look at that and think nothing of it. Some would bow their heads in shame at the person who thought it was funny. Others might laugh. Not Holden. He did not think about the normal persons response to the note. He thought about the child’s response. About how a little kid is going to see that seemingly meaningless phrase and wonder what it means; about how some dirty kid would explain what it meant; and about the person who wrote it and how they are destroying the childhood of everyone who reads the ‘harmless’ graffiti. This section takes the reader to the door of Holden’s mind. It is at this point that one truly understands his emotions.

In the beginning of the story we get to meet a character named Holden. A character with a weird personality. The number of readers who have been able to identify with Holden and make him their hero is something that I think is weird. Holden has a discontent and a vivid way of expressing life which makes him resonate powerfully with readers who come from backgrounds completely different from his. It is tempting to inhabit his point of view and just deduce what is wrong with him. The obvious signs that we see in Holden are troubled and unreliable narrator are manifold. He fails out of four schools, he manifests complete apathy towards his future therefore he is hospitalized and gets check ups by a psychoanalyst for an unspecified complaint.

Speaks to me: I seriously like Holden now. At the beginning of the book I hated him. After a few chapters, I begin to like him. But now, I truly like and respect him. At the beginning of the novel, I can only make an opinion from what I see; however,

On page 61, in chapter 8, Holden just got in the taxi and heading to his hotel. He says in a desperate way, “would you care for a cocktail.” The diction choices can infer that his maturity level is higher than the people in his age group. The author has purposely crafted the narrator in this way to show that he had no other option but to grow up fast. He continues to develop as a character, on page 68, in chapter 9, Holden thinks to himself, “I didn’t care much i was too depressed to care whether I had a good view or not.” The reader can infer that the main character is starting to reveal his true self. The author craft in this way to make the reader have sympathy for the narrator. On page 68, in chapter 10, Holden thinks to himself, “ I danced with them all - the whole three of them-one at a time.”The diction choices can infer that the narrator treats the three women like trash by fooling around with them and have no respect for them. The author has purposely crafted in this way to show that he is isolated from the world because he has not been interacting with others in such a long time. On page 87, in chapter 11, the narrator flashback to his childhood, “anyway, I was telling you about that afternoon Jane and I came close to necking.”The diction choices can infer that he starts to reveal the other side of himself, the real him is someone who actually cares about people who he loves.

Rather, he is saddened by her sitting in his room in her slip. He imagines her buying the dress she has just taken off and realizes that she is a real person and not just a toy to be used for his pleasure. Holden's desire to understand and feel for other people stops him. Holden also admits to being a coward, but the reader realizes he is just a scared boy trying to act like a man in an adult world. Even so, he doesn't flinch in the face of danger when threatened by bullies, such as his roommate Stradlater or the pimp, Maurice. Much more important than his physical courage is the moral tenacity with which he clings to his beliefs in the face of a hostile society. (Lettis, 5)

Understanding characters are never finished. Even if you dig deeper than the surface meaning there will always be more to the story or the characters. In this case we are trying to understand Holden, a 16 year-old teenager who criticizes everyone and is always complaining about something. Most people will think because he is just an angry teenager who thinks he is the best but our problem is to figure out if that is really everything. At the surface you will see him just as another teenager who hates everything but the way he criticizes and what he says makes me wonder if thats it.

HOME: Holden is easily frustrated and gets upset easily. He has feelings of guilt towards his failures in school, which he masks with a nonchalant attitude. He is extremely broken up over the death of his brother. Holden shows the desire to communicate on a deep level with other, but he doesn’t seem to know quite how. He finds it easier to confide in strangers and does not trust people easily. He pushes people away and can be very rude when irritated. Holden’s mother is still grieving the death of her youngest son and often times cannot sleep at night. Holden’s Father is very concerned with his appearances, being a lawyer.

Although Holden’s madness may be dismissed as the irrational actions of a misguided teenager, his alienation reveals the harshness of reality and the consequences of emotional trauma. As a result of Allie’s death, Holden loses his childlike naivety and is exposed to life’s adversities. He becomes “confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior” (208) to the point where he purposefully irritates others in an attempt to avoid social interaction. When Holden is at a bar with his former schoolmate Carl Luce, Luce immediately mentions how Holden’s “mind is immature” (163) and suggests that Holden needs a psychoanalyst. However, Luce makes no attempt to sympathize with him, let alone help him cope with his madness. Luce’s insincerity mirrors that of the society; the adult world does not even remotely care about Holden’s emotional turmoil. Even though society’s indifference leads to his longing for human

At this point, I was struggling to understand the ending and why Holden wouldn’t tell us what happened after him. I was curious of what will happen in the last chapter and I expected so much, but the ending was honestly really disappointing. Not only for me, but everyone else who has read this book. It can be inferred, but I wish I had clarification from Holden himself what had happened. Again, I still focused on finding major themes. One of the examples of the theme of immaturity is the curse words on the wall. I focused more on that because it supported the idea that Holden doesn’t want to grow up. However, I think there is something more to it where Holden finally realized that he can’t not grow up, but he is still upset that there are these curse words around Phoebe’s school, knowing that little kids wonder what those words mean. Again, I did not sympathize with Holden because he doesn’t seem interested at all about changing his unhealthy lifestyle. Wherever he is, whether in a psych ward or hospital, it is evident that he still doesn’t apply himself to the real world to try to get better.

My strengths in doing this journal is that I really analyzed every sentence and I jotted down in question form every change I saw in Salinger’s style of writing and the story’s plot in general. I feel that my questions are also a strength in which I cover some broad aspects and also story specific questions. At this point, I struggled with writing a literary analysis about how this chapter relates to my life or life because it is only the first chapter and there are still many confusing points that are left unanswered. In the next text, I was more mindful of Holden’s character development and sees how he grows as a person or try to find out more about his personality because he did not give a good impression from the first line of the book. I don’t feel sympathetic for Holden when he says he got kicked out of school. I don’t feel this way because he seems like he doesn’t even care and what’s the point of feeling sympathetic for someone if they don’t even care about their own problems? From class discussion, I learned that he is in some type of psych ward and this might explain why he transitions from subject to subject randomly because maybe he has some type of mental illness.

He drinks, he smokes and rebel against both his teachers and adults. Holden is a very negative person and is constantly trashing other people, if not he is lying to them. He likes calling people ‘phonies’, even tough he acts like a phony himself. And this is his hefty scare, he is terrified of growing up, yet he realises it is time for his body is changing and turning him into a man. Holden has had an uncomplicated life if you disregard away from his brother’s death. He comes from a good family, has never lacked anything and has agreeable opportunities. An instead of using this to his advantage, he gets sucked down into a pessimistic and sad vortex. He never feels at home anyplace or feels a strong connection to people. Rebelling is an ordinary thing to go through in your adolescence and Holden has it bad. He is indeed a ‘rebel without a