second post

The books ending was a bit odd compared to what the rest of it was like. The bulk of the book had a lot of just holden complaining about his situation and essentially how bad his life was. Then, in the last three chapters, it turned into a right of passage situation. First, Holden's former teacher Mr. Antolini tries to sympathize with Holden and get him to like school, so that he would realize more people understand his situation than he gives credit. Also, when he goes to the zoo with his sister and he begins to cry when he sees her on the carousel, it is demonstrating his right of passage, giving up childish things for adult behavior.

The thing that seemed most interesting in this book was all of the old terms from the forties that aren't used anymore, such to get a "bang" out of something, which is the same as getting a kick out of something or enjoying it. This site provides some really good examples of the way eople talked from the 1920s to the 1940's.

http://www.kimcox.org/slang.htm