Lauren Carbone

English III

Mr. Fiorini

 

The Catcher In the Rye

 

 

            Author J.D Salinger was extremely successful in portraying the troubled and outspoken character of Holden Caulfield and his vivid expressions towards life. Salinger’s book The Catcher and the Rye, presented the life of a boy and his struggles to over come the problems he finds within people, as well as the difficulties he is covering up deep within himself. The way the book was written brought multiple characteristics of Holden Caulfield to my attention. Salinger made it extremely clear to the readers what thoughts and opinions were processing in the mind of protagonist Holden Caulfield. These writing characteristics the author had brought into the reading experience of the book provide a greater depiction of the mindset and actions of its main character.

 Holden was seen as an agitated young man who took the frustrations he had for himself out on those who surround him. The frustrations towards people were shown as Holden would often speak of his hatred of “phoniness” and his agitation towards his roommates in Pency Prep. I found the author to be successful in portraying how Caulfield felt in situations throughout the book by making the speaker, Holden Caulfield, tell the story. He spoke as if he were writing his emotions in a journal therefore presenting each idea with intricate detail. This detail allowed the reader to pick up on minor characteristics of Holden that could later reveal more about his mindset. An observation I have found due to the descriptiveness of Salinger’s writing was that the character of Holden Caulfield was extremely observant. An event in the book the confirmed this thought for me was where he compared the behaviors of his two roommates Stradlater and Ackley. He speaks of the small things each character does in strong detail to contrast the hygiene habits of both roommates. Including minor details such as this one about the character, allows you to learn more personal aspects and behaviors of the people you are reading about.

In conclusion, the detailed writing style Salinger had used in The Catcher in the Rye had a very effective way of bringing more thoughts and idea of the main character into the story. Knowing more about Holden Caulfield provided a greater understanding for his disruptive and arrogant behavior as well as allowed readers to relate to him on a more personal level.

 

 

- I would like the creativity, organization, and the general understanding of the book to be focused on 

Lauren Carbone 11-2

English III

Mr. Fiorini

 

 The Death of a Salesman

 

In reading The Death of a Salesman by writer Arthur Miller, one of the most interesting aspects of the story I have come to find was the relationship between Willy and his son biff, as well as the possible intended symbolism. Willy often spoke of the disappointment he found in the manual labor farm jobs his thirty four-year-old son Biff has had. He found the job of Biff to be that of a slacker, which in his opinion made him less willing to obtain a steady career. After expressing his criticism that portrayed Willy’s obvious disappointment in his son’s career choice, he would contradict himself and completely turn his opinion in the opposite direction. He would then remark that Biff was anything but lazy and a hard worker. Taking a deeper look into the behavior of Willy, it is possible his contradictory was symbolism for two separate opinions, one showing his true feelings towards his son, who is working to earn a living and the other depicting disappointment within himself.

            When Willy shows disapproval of the way Biff is living his life, I found it to be a reflection upon the disappointment Willy has found in his current position. He can no longer provide for his family as the successful businessman he had once been. The character of Willy in both the movie and the book had presented a tremendous amount of anger and frustration towards money and anything pertaining to work. These outbursts would sometimes involve the work position of his son biff. I found that rather then actually having disapproval towards his son, he was using it as a cover to reveal the frustrations he has within himself for not fulfilling the position expected of him.

            In conclusion, I found a deeper meaning to the actions of Willy and the reasons he had for acting out in such an angry manner. I believe his life had taken a turn towards a negative direction and he had handled it by lashing out against those who had cared for him the most. Although Willy hadn’t successfully portrayed an image of someone who overcame a difficult time in their life, I still believe deep down he was proud of his son for who he is. This can also provide inspiration for the readers to be happy with the person they are regardless of the mistake they have made.