Full Answer
What did Holden say about old Jane Gallagher?
'All of a sudden, on my way out to the lobby, I got old Jane Gallagher on the brain again. I got her on, and I couldn't get her off.' (Holden)
Who is Jane Gallagher in the catcher in the Rye?
Jane Gallagher is one of two possible love interests of the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, in the J.D. Salinger novel, ''The Catcher in the Rye''. In this lesson, we will learn more about Jane.
What does Holden tell Stradlater about his memories of Jane?
As Stradlater prepares for this date, Holden tells him about his fond memories of Jane, explaining that Jane’s parents are divorced and that she lives with her mother and alcoholic stepfather. Later in the novel, Holden tells a story about trying to make Jane feel better after a seemingly meaningless exchange with her stepfather made her cry.
What does Holden's fixation with the Ducks symbolize?
Holden's fixation on the ducks is also a symbol of his struggle with change and growing up. He wants things to stay the same, but the ducks prove that one must adapt to the environment, that one has to change in order to survive. At the same time, the ducks offer hope: though they disappear each winter, they always reappear.
Who is Jane Gallagher and what does she mean to Holden?
Jane Gallagher A girl with whom Holden spent a lot of time one summer, when their families stayed in neighboring summer houses in Maine. Jane never actually appears in The Catcher in the Rye, but she is extremely important to Holden, because she is one of the few girls whom he both respects and finds attractive.
What type of character is Jane Gallagher?
Jane Gallagher Holden likes to remember Jane as a sensitive, innocent girl with a unique approach to checkers. She is Stradlater's date Saturday evening, which bothers Holden. Ward Stradlater Holden's roommate at Pencey is handsome but vain and a boorish womanizer.
What is the symbolism in Catcher in the Rye?
The red hunting hat is one of the most recognizable symbols from twentieth-century American literature. It is inseparable from our image of Holden, with good reason: it is a symbol of his uniqueness and individuality. The hat is outlandish, and it shows that Holden desires to be different from everyone around him.
How does Holden describe Jane?
Holden describes Jane as being funny, not strictly beautiful (but he liked the way she looked), and muckle-mouthed. He also said she never completely closed her mouth, especially when she was playing golf or reading a book, which she did very often since she enjoyed reading and poetry books.
Is Jane a likeable protagonist?
With that in mind, Jane is particularly likable protagonist because she is not an idealized figure; her personal and physical faults make her seem more realistic and allow readers to relate to her more closely.
Is Jane Gallagher pretty?
Is Jane Gallagher pretty? Holden's mother does not think Jane is pretty. But Holden says that he just liked the way she looked, that's all.
What does Holden's smoking symbolize?
Holden's cigarettes This represents the grief and longing Holden feels over his brother's death. These serve to make Holden feel and seem older, tough and more mature than he is.
What are some themes and symbols in The Catcher in the Rye?
Themes in Catcher in the RyeSelf-alienating for the purpose of self-protection.Growing pains and loss of innocence.Adulthood is “Phony”Inability to take action.Maintaining appearances and performing happiness.
What disorders does Holden Caulfield have?
Caulfield may be seen as suffering from a variety of mental illnesses including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This mental state could be a result of a variety of factors, including the death of his younger brother Allie, as well as witnessing the gruesome scene of a classmate's death.
Is Holden obsessed with Jane?
Holden loves Jane's idiosyncrasies. He loves it that she played golf with her eyes closed and once lost eight balls in a single round. He loves it that she is "muckle-mouthed," sending her lips in all directions when she is excited about something she is telling him.
Why did Jane cry Catcher in the Rye?
Holden and Jane became close—Jane was the only person to whom Holden ever showed Allie's baseball glove. One day, Jane's alcoholic stepfather came out to the porch where Holden and Jane were playing checkers and asked Jane for cigarettes; Jane refused to answer him, and, when he left, she began to cry.
Is Holden in love with Jane?
Jane is one of the few people who Holden speaks about positively; he is in love with her but can't connect with his feelings enough to realize and is too immature to call her. Just like how he sees Phoebe, Holden sees Jane with a sense of purity and innocence.
Is Jane a dynamic character?
She is a static, or flat, character as she does not change much throughout the novel.
Is Jane the protagonist?
Because the novel follows Jane's coming-of-age and her quest for home and belonging, Jane is the protagonist of Jane Eyre. The novel opens with Jane as an orphan with no financial means, and she is at the mercy of those with greater social and financial power.
What personality is Patrick Jane?
easy-going, playful, and completely sure of his own abilities, Patrick's sunny disposition masks the incredible guilt that accompanied losing his family. His time as a fake psychic has made him a master manipulator – although he's put his days as a con man behind him and now seeks to only use his talent for good.
Does Holden call Jane Gallagher?
Holden does not call Jane Gallagher because he says he is not in the mood (an excuse he has used before).
Who is Jane Gallagher?
Jane Gallagher is an enigma to Holden Caulfield. She is the girl that he can't stop thinking about, but that he never seems in the mood to talk to. She is a girl that Holden actually likes and respects.
What does Holden notice about Jane?
One day, previous to the main events of the novel, Holden notices tension between Jane and her alcoholic step-father. Jane says her stepfather never made a pass at her, but when Holden asks her what is going on, she cries. He starts kissing her whole face, but she never lets him kiss her on the mouth.
Why did Holden leave school?
Part of the reason Holden left school and went to New York to spend a few days on his own, before returning home for winter break, is because of a fight that broke out between Holden and Stradlater about Stradlater's date ...
What do Jane and Holden like?
Both Holden and Jane like to read and she is the kind of person that Holden can talk to about personal things. Holden sincerely enjoys her company, not because she is the most beautiful girl her knows or because he just wants to make out with her, but because he really and truly likes her personality.
What did Holden and her friends play in the summer?
Throughout the summer, they played checkers, tennis, and golf nearly every day. Holden helped her out in golf quite a bit. Before this, she had lost a lot of balls by keeping her eyes closed when she took a swing.
Who does Holden talk to about Allie?
Holden respects her taste in books and feels comfortable enough with Jane that he talks to her about Allie, Holden' s deceased brother. Holden doesn't talk to anyone outside his family about Allie.
Is Jane as beautiful as Sally?
While not as beautiful as Sally, there is something special about Jane that makes even her flaws seem endearing. She always keeps her mouth open and when she plays checkers, and she never moves her kings off the back row.
Why does Holden not call Jane?
He continually mentions that he is not in the mood to call Jane and even refuses to meet her in the lobby. Holden's refusal to call Jane or meet up with her reveals his lack of self-confidence and immaturity. Holden is not aware that Jane is probably the only person who could help him and he chooses to spend time with shallow, selfish individuals, who are dismissive and annoyed with him. Holden may avoid Jane because he is embarrassed about being expelled from Pencey or he could be hesitant because he does not know how to express his feelings to her.
Why doesn't Holden reach out to Jane?
Holden does not reach out to Jane and go down and see her, because he says he is not in the "mood" right at that stage. Perhaps he feels embarrassed or ashamed because he has just been kicked out of his school. He certainly asks Stradlater not to tell her about it. Whatever his reasons, it is interesting to reflect that Jane might have been one of the few people that Holden could actually have told about some of the deep unresolved issues that were going on inside of him. He refuses however to cry out for help until he has a breakdown.
What does Holden think of Jane Gallagher?
Holden idolizes the innocence and purity of childhood, and he remembers playing checkers with Jane Gallagher as a period of time when life was not a game with such high stakes (like Thurmer suggested). Jane did not play to win, she simply played for the joy of it; this is something that Holden admires. He is still immature and would rather play a game of checkers with a girl than go on a date with her because then things might become complicated. (Chapter 4)
Why does Holden wear the red hunting hat?
Holden purchases it right after he makes a major mistake (leaving the fencing equipment on the subway) and so when he puts the hat on, he feels separated from his teammates who are ostracizing him.
What does the white symbol mean?
White is a traditional symbol of innocence and purity. When Holden sees the snow, he packs a snowball, however he does not throw it at anything because Holden does not want to shatter the peacefulness and he does not want to disturb or change anything. Holden is afraid of change; the most significant change in his life thus far was losing his brother, now he avoids change. (Chapter 5)
Why is Holden so focused on the ducks?
Nevertheless, Holden is too concentrated on the idea that the ducks have to adapt in order to stay alive, so he remains unable to see the flaws in his thinking. In turn, the ducks become an embodiment of the tunnel-vision Holden gets when he starts to obsess about change and the future.
What do the colored dots and icons indicate in Chapter 2?
The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. Chapter 2. ...that he doesn’t even have to focus on what he’s saying, so he thinks about the ducks that congregate in a lagoon in Central Park, wondering where they go during the winter. (full context) Chapter 9.
What does the ducks in the lagoon represent?
The Ducks in the Lagoon in Central Park. Holden ’s fixation on the ducks in the Central Park lagoon represents his fear of change. When he worries about where the ducks go during the wintertime, he finds himself unsettled by the idea that they have to alter their lives in order to survive.
