Why did stradlater and holden fight

Holden seems to harbor a disgust for any type of sexuality, whether Ackley's obviously false boasts or Stradlater's successful seductions. At this point Salinger leaves ambiguous the actual reason why Holden would be concerned about Jane Gallagher in particular, for the only information Holden gives about Jane is that they would often play checkers together. Holden finally reaches a breaking point in this chapter by leaving Pencey early, with no concrete plan for what he will do.

In many ways this is typical of Holden's established patterns of behavior: impulsive, selfish and aimless. His final insult to his fellow students shows that Holden believes himself to be in some major respect different from the other Pencey students, possessing a greater, more acute intelligence.

An innate sense of superiority, however unfounded, separates Holden from the other students, for he believes himself to be more honorable and 'deep' than the vapid and self-centered Stradlater and more refined than the piggish Ackley. Yet Holden demonstrates qualities similar to those of his peers; he suffers from a self-imposed delusion that he is different and misunderstood and chooses to leave Pencey for an uncertain future.

At this point, then, we're not quite sure whether Holden is a protagonist or antagonist in terms of how we should relate to him. Perhaps the better term for him is 'anti-hero,' meaning we sympathize with him because of his failures as a protagonist. Setting is also crucial here as we see Holden move from the world of his boarding school out into the real world.

In his mind, it is the priggish and boorish world of the school that is holding him back from truly being a fulfilled and happy person. Now as we move out into the real world, we'll begin to get a sense of whether Holden can get past his own walls in order to grow and access his feelings.

Indeed, the book seems to hit a key crossroads here -- is the book a 'critical mimesis of bourgeois life in the Eastern United States,' as some critics call it? Salzman 2. Or is the book an exploration of Holden's own hypocrisy? In Chapter 8, Holden bolsters his earlier claim that he is an excellent liar, as his conversation with Mrs.

Morrow contains nothing but falsehoods. The only statement that he makes to Mrs. Morrow that contains any truth is that he is a student at Pencey; otherwise, all of his statements are deliberately misleading. He tells Mrs.

Morrow exactly what she wants to hear about her son, humoring her own sense of vanity and self-absorption by making her believe that her son, whom Holden loathes, is one of the most honorable and decent students at Pencey. These lies reveal the complete contempt that Holden holds for Mrs.

Morrow and, by extension, all authority figures. He lies in order to mock Mrs. Morrow's sense of delusion while relishing the false view that she has of her son. Holden claims a sense of superiority over Mrs. Morrow, for he believes that he can see clearly Ernest Morrow's personality, while she has a false, idealized portrait of her son.

Whatever her delusions, however, Holden treats Mrs. Morrow horribly. He views her either as a target for ridicule or a sexual object, as he flirts with her and even offers to buy her a drink. This chapter is indicative of Holden's state of mind.

He takes a trait that demonstrates a typical teenage immaturity, in this case lying and flatter adults, and moves it to an unbearable extreme; his lies become more shameless and outlandish, revealing the disturbing disconnect between Holden's psyche and reality. In the first part of Chapter 9, Salinger demonstrates that Holden has absolutely no purpose for his actions. He wavers between decisions, whether the decision involves whom he should call when he arrives or where he should go.

Holden approaches these decisions haphazardly, almost reaching his home address before realizing that he wants to avoid his parents. His decision-making process, however, does reveal Holden's particular preoccupations. He has a fixation with Jane Gallagher that reaches beyond what the original mentions of her would indicate. Antolini really make a pass at Holden?

Why does Holden run away from Pencey? Does Holden have sex with Sunny, the prostitute? What happens to Holden after his date with Sally Hayes and his meeting with Carl Luce both end badly? What is the setting for The Catcher in the Rye? Does Holden have a mental illness? Why does Holden wear the red hunting hat? How does Holden feel about Jane? Why is Holden obsessed with the ducks at the Central Park Lagoon? Where is Holden as he narrates the story? Does Holden kill himself? Salinger and The Catcher in the Rye Background.

Stradlater and Holden simply exist on two entirely separate planes and cannot understand each other. The fight between the two boys is the first peak in the rising action of the novel and serves as a mini-climax.

Up to this point, Holden has done a lot of talking and a lot of thinking, but he has not participated in much action, even in his flashbacks. In this scene, he literally erupts into a rage, revealing that his emotions are not in check and that he lies to himself about not caring for anything. When he is mysterious about what has happened on the date, Holden cannot hold back and loses total control.

When he attacks Stradlater, the reader knows he does not stand a chance against this fit athlete. Holden is destined, as always, to come out on the losing side of the battle. It is significant to note that as a narrator Holden appears to be very honest in this scene, making the reader trust him.

He certainly has the opportunity to paint any picture that he wants, but he seems to be very realistic in his portrayal of the fight.

She is successful in school, her best course being spelling. She is the one who corrects Holden concerning the words to the Robert Burns poem that is the source of the novel's title. Dislike : Holden hates Stradlater because he does not care about other people's feelings. Like : Holden likes anything that reminds him of childhood innocence.

What does Holden like about the way Jane plays checkers? He liked her innocence, and the way she protected "King" when they play chess. One reason why he doesn't call Jane is because Holden has this image of Jane being this young girl who keeps all her kings in the back row and she's young and authentic.

Holden clearly has feelings for Jane because he tried to call her a couple of times when he had nothing to do. Why does Holden leave Ernie's? Holden leaves Ernie's because Lillian is becoming annoying. He would rather leave then spend more time talking to her.

Holden becomes unimpressed with him and leaves. Holden is "nervous" about Stradlater going out with Jane because he knows Stradlater all too well.

He is quite sure that Stradlater will do his best to seduce Jane, as he does with every girl he takes out on a date. Holden uses the term "nervous," but actually he feels jealous, possessive, and protective. Although Stradlater is good looking , Holden thinks he's is a slob because he shaves with a dirty razor. He's also careless of other people's feelings. Jane was upset because her stepfather was abusing her.