Reading Response #2
Please answer both of the following questions:
1) What do you think the red hunting hat means to Holden? As clues, think about when he buys it (right after he leaves the foils on the train) and when he chooses to wear it. Use the details from the story to back up your answer.
2) Why do you think Holden never goes downstairs to say hello to Jane? Use details from the story to back up your answer.
1) What do you think the red hunting hat means to Holden? As clues, think about when he buys it (right after he leaves the foils on the train) and when he chooses to wear it. Use the details from the story to back up your answer.
2) Why do you think Holden never goes downstairs to say hello to Jane? Use details from the story to back up your answer.
posted by Mary at 11:45 AM
27 Comments:
Part 1
Holden was bringing the lacrosse stuff to the big game in New York. To get to the game Holden had to use the colossal Metro system in New York. While he was on the train with all the stuff he was looking at a map to see which stop to get off at. When he found where he was and got off he was to concentrated on getting off on the right stop that he completely forgot about the reason he was there in the first place, to bring the gearv too the game. After he relized this he was walking around in New York when he passed by a store with a red hunting hat in the window for only a dollor. He had to get it. He needed to get to make himself feel better about leaving all the gear on the Metro. This tells us that when he is feeling bad about himself he will buy something. He likes to wear the hat while he reads and when no won is around in his room.
Holden likes the red hunting hat because it helps him think of the New York trip because the other part-in which he left the fencing material on the metro. I think Holden did not go downstairs because he was embarrassed. He probably felt likea failure because Stradlater had such a "ideal" life. He didn't want to show his face in front of her.
Holden does not go down to see jane because he was scared of her. At first he really wanted to see her but the more he thought about it he decided he would prefere to be safe up in his dorm.
The red hunting hat means a lot to Holden because when he was in New York as the manager of the team he left all of the equitment on the train which obviously wasn't so much fun for him so he bought this red hunting hat that was probably the part of the trip that wasn't bad and made it worth while. Holden wheres the hat when he needs luck or feels down and times like that. When Holden found out that his roomate was going on a date with Jane and that she was down stairs Holden went crazy. He remembered being her neighbor and hanging out with her and playing chekcers with her and things like that. He was probably nervous to go down because maybe he had a crush on her for a long time and he hadn't seen her in a while. Another possible reason he didn't go down to see her would be that he hadn't seen her in a very long time so he didn't want it to be super akward, which it probbaly would be after seeing some one for the first time in a long time.
Holden had bought the red hunting hat to make himself feel better after he had left the foils on the bus. Whenever he talked about this hat, he said how much of a great deal it was, how intrigued he was by the long peak, and even how he liked wearing it. Holden felt very bad when he had left the foils on the bus and he found this hat. He probably thought people wouldnt recognize him and yell at him for it.
Holden does not go downstairs to see Jane because of the fact that he hadn't seen her in so long. He might have also been nervous or worried that she had tried to ignore him all this time. Holden heard Jane say that she was going to another school, not Pencey Prep. Holden may have thought that Jane just didn't want Holden to talk to her or see her there.
I think that to Holden the hat is a condolence for leaving the foils on the bus. Often, when somebody makes a bad mistake, they either try to comfort themselves or other people try to comfort them. Here, I think he gets the hat to take hs mind off of what he did wrong.
I think Holden never goes to see Jane because he does not want to let her know that he got kicked out of three schools and just flunked a fourth. When she last saw him, he was the nice boy who she would play checkers with. Now, she would see him as some high scool drop-out who has no future. This is further proven because he asks Stradlater not to tell her how he got kicked out.
For my hat picture, click on the web link below.
To me the hat to Holden is a way to cover his face, to remove himself from people, he usually likes to kind of hide in it because of its huge peak and big brim (I got what I think is a good pic of it, and I assume it has a big brim) whenever he puts it on he seems to drift away and a big dialouge of thought occurs in the book, or he is interupted, but he never willingly speaks to anyone while wearing his hat
I think Holden didnt go down to talk to jane because he really just didnt feel like it. Holden seems to have close to no will, when he wants to do somthing he will, and if he doesnt...well he wont. If he did go down to talk to Jane he would end up in a huge conversation and probably wouldnt be able to leave, maybe there are other reasons that we haven't learned, but what I do no, is that he doesnt feel like it, and Holdan has to want to do somthing in order to do it.
The red hunting hat that Holden brought in New York is many things.
One of the things about the hat is that he thought it looked good and he could afford it. It could aslo have been a momento of the school Pencey. The third reason is that it could have softend the pain of loseing the fencing stuff on the subway. "I saw it in the of this sports store when we got out of the subway,just afteri noticedI'd lost all the goddam foils." page 17. Holden never went down to see Jane because he was never in the mood, that is what he said. "I'm not in the mood right now, I said. I wasn't either.You have to be in the mood for those things." page 33
Holden's new red hunting hat is very important to him for many reasons. One reason is that his hat stands for comfort and warmth. Normally, there is no heat in his dorm room. This means that he is usually freezing. The hat can provide him with warmth, comfort, and contentment. He buys it right after he leaves the fencing equipment on the train to New York for a fencing match. From what we've read so far, Holden gives off a vibe that part of the reason why he bought and wore the hat was to show that he didn't care what people thought about what he looked like in the hat and mainly, just to tell others that he didn't care what they thought about him. However, this is odd, because so far, it has not shown Holden wear the hat anywhere, but the confinement of his room, where no one else is. This is a little ironical. Although Holden has the chance to, he does not say hello to Jane, his old friend. This is weird because he shows a lot of enthusiasm towards her. Perhaps he does not see her because he knows that Stradler is a better-looking person than he is, and he does not want to look bad in front of Jane. Another reason is that he might be scared of what Jane will think of him if she is sees him again after a long time. One last reason why he did not go down may be that he was nervous that she was not going to remember him.
1) I think that his red hunting hat is very unique and different. I think that his hat is unique and different from most because it has earflaps on it and most people don’t usually wear these kinds of hats. I think that when he wears his hat it puts him in a stage where he doesn’t care about things that he does or the things that happen around him. But I generally thin that he wears the hat when he doesn’t care about the things that he does. For instance, when he had just bought the hat when he forgot the foils for his fencing tournament on the train. I feel that he bought the hat because he felt as though he did not care that he left the foils on the train. Also, when he was in the room with Stradlater and had his hat on, he just jumped on Stradlater’s back and put him in the full nelson and did not care if he (Stradlater) would hurt himself with his razor or anything. I also think that Holden thinks of the hat in a way that makes him different. I think that he might also wear the hat as a symbol that he wants to be away from the people at Pencey Prep and that he wants to be or even stay different from the people there(at Pencey Prep).
2) I don’t think that Holden ever went downstairs to say hello to Jane because he didn’t know how she would react to him greeting her. For instance, he kept asking Stradlater, “How’d she happen to mention me?” , “How’d she happen to mention me?”. I think that Holden really wanted to know was she thinking about me? Or does she really want to see me? I don’t think that he wanted to go downstairs to greet her because he did not want to get a bad reaction from her.
Question 1. I think that the red hunting hat means a lot to Holden. He wears it and it seems like he is proud of it. Holden likes the way the hat looks on him with the peak swung all the way around the back, which is a corny look and he admits that he likes it that way. Holden wore this hat when he returned from his room after visiting Mr. Spencer when he began to read Out of Africa on a comfy chair in his room alone. Holden might wear the hat when he wants to relax and be alone. He also might wear the hat when he wants to look nice for someone or just for the sake for looking nice. Holden really seems to like the hat because he is still wearing it when he goes with Stradlater for a shave. Holden might be proud of it because it only cost a dollar and he loves it so much.
Question 2. I think that one of the reasons that Holden does not go downstairs to go say hi to Jane is because he is embarrassed. Holden is about to leave Pencey for flunking four out of 5 subjects and to tell a girl that would be humiliating for him. Also, Holden can’t stop thinking about how ironical it is that his roommate is going out with his old neighbor. When Stradlater tells Holden that he is going out with Jane, Holden can barley believe it, much less keep his mind off it.
I think that reason that Holden got the hat at the time he did is because he wanted to show his indifference to his mistake. If he stresses out about making the mistake, then it will look like he was trying to not lose them and lost them, but if he doesnt care then he wasn't even trying to not lose them, so he didn't fail.
I think that Holden is not very self confident. That is why he does not want to talk to her. I think that one of the reasons he is not confident is because of his grades, and the fact nobody is confident in him.
I think that the red hunting hat makes Holden feel sophisticated and more appealing. He buys it after leaving the foils on the train and he wears it when he is thinking about leaving and when he is thinking about visiting Jane. I think that he wears it when he is sad or confused. I think he didn’t visit Jane because he knew that Stradlater would charm her and win her over and he probably thought he would be forgotten and that she would be unimpressed with him compared to Stradlater. I think he should have visited her.
When Holden bought the red hunting hat,he had just cost Pencey a fencing match by leaving all of their equipment on the subway. Considering Holden is the captain, this was not a wise thing to do because he let the team down. Out of all of them, he was supposed to be the most responsible,the one to lead the team. When he dissapointed evryone, the team blamed him. I think this was what led to Holden buying the hunting hat. We've seen numerous times that Holden likes to fool around, and the hunting hat is his way to stop the pressures of life, to just be crazy and joke with people and have some fun. The problem is he can't stop having fun and takes it too far. For instance, when Ackley came in he kept acting as though he was the blinded wife of Ackley in a false voice. That's a bit too personal. Who would ever joke of someone not being able to see? The hunting hat channels these jokes for him through his body language. Who would ever wear a red hunting hat at a prep school? No one, unless you want to make someone laugh or to pull a joke.
Holden,I think, is very surprised and agitated that Jane was going to go out with Stradlater. He thought she was his friend, not Stradlater's. I think he was kind of jealous that Stradlater was dating Jane, and not him. Holden didn't want to be known as her boyfriend's friend. Holden is constantly mentioning throughout the night how mad he is that Jane is going out with him. He keeps talking about how they met,how they played checkers, their friendship. He knows he secretly has a crush on her, and wants Stradlater out of the picture. Stradlater couldn't even remember her name, and Holden spent summers with her. Holden didn't go downstairs to see Jane because he didn't want Stradlater to see that he like her and tease him. Holden is just worried it will seem odd that he is roommates with her date who doesn't know her but his roommate does. It would seem awkward and give away too much information about his true thoughts. Stradlater can also be a jokster, for instance when he kept giving Holden little puches on the cheek and wouldn't stop for 5-10 minutes.Stradlater wouldn't leave Holden alone for days.
Holden wore a red hunting hat, which he bought in New York City, to improve his self image because he had just caused the fencing team to lose their match. The hat helped him to over come his failure to the fencing team. He puts on the hat when he returns to his room because he admits it looks corny and he doesn’t want anyone to criticize him. He wore the hat with the “old peak swung way around the back”, admittedly he looked good in it that way. The “hat” seemed to be his security blanket when he was feeling anxious just like when a baby caries it “security blanket” every where it goes. Holden is embarrassed to say hello to Jane in the downstairs annex because he was afraid she might ask about his expulsion from school he also seemed to care about Jane going on a date with Stradlater. He was jealous of Stradlater sate with Jane because he said he was handsome.
I think that the red hat to Holden means that he is mad at someone. He bought it in New York rite after he lost all the foils. He told Ackley that it is his people hunting hat. So I think that he wears it when he is mad at someone.
I think that Holden never goes down stairs say hello to Jane because he has not seen her in such a long time. He used to play checkers with her when they lived next door. But Holden mite be afraid that she has changed since he last saw her. Or maybe she didn’t like him any more. There are many possibilities.
Holden uses his red hunting hat to shield himself from other people. He uses the hunting aspect of the hat to envision himself shooting other people. It is a symbol of his anti-social behavior. “‘This is a people shooting hat,’ I said. ‘I shoot people with this hat.” (p. 30). He is using it as a defense mechanism.
Holden is worried about seeing Jane because he thinks Jane will see what has become of him. He likes Jane enough to realize that she would not like to see him fail out of Pencey. “Don’t tell her I go kicked out, willya” (p. 43). He clearly likes Jane, and is afraid how she would respond if Holden saw her. As he does many times, he tries to shield himself by being isolated.
Holden's red hunting cap means a lot to him because he put in on right as he was reading. In some ways Holden's hat represents the faliure he experienced when he lost the fencing equipment. It also seemed like it helped him think and concentrate. Another thing that hat might be used for is as a cushion to help calm himself down or feel better about himself.
Holden never went downstairs to greet Jane because he claims he is not in the type of mood to go down and see here. Mabye he was in a bad mood because of what had happened to him on the subway in New York. He seemed to want to just sit in his room undisturbed reading his book. Sometimes you are just in the mood where you do not want to meet someone and that was the kind of mood Holden was probably in.
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I think Holden buys the hat because it makes him feel good about himself. Also it was a pick-me-up after he screwed up the day. It seems like it was some sort of a personal joke with himself. Seeing as he wore it a funny way and used it to annoy Ackley Kid. Maybe he was just trying to turn the situation around into a success, like finding the hat for only a dollar, a bargain.
The moral reason he would not go downstairs to see Jane is because she was on a date. However I think there were more reasons than that. He could have been afraid to tell her of his failure at school or maybe he does not want to see her now because he is afraid the memories he had will change. That Jane will not be the same one he played chess with and that idea scares him.
Right now in the book, Holden is feeling very self-conscious. He's been expelled from lots of schools, he left the equipment for fencing on the train, and he thinks that Stradlater is better than him. He probably bought the hat to make him feel better about himself, to draw attention to himself, since it's bright red. He didn't go down to see Jane also because he was self-conscious. He's had a big day of blame, he doesn't need more drama.
The hat is becoming sort of a trademark for Holden. I mean I used to wear my hats religiously and it would get me into all kinds of trouble. But for Holden, it's not just becoming a trademark but something that says i know i'm in a position that I don't want to be in, as sort of a hiding place. When he lost the foils he bought the hat and sort of hid in it. Also when when Ackley was in his room and he wanted him to leave he put his hat on so he could get away from the guy. I could be completely wrong about this but it sort of seems like a security blanket.
Holden never goes down to speak to Jane for several reasons. One of them being he has all these memories of her and his own opinions and if he were to see her, he could find that she had changed and those memories were not accurate any more. If he did not see her, she would be however he imagined or remembered her as. Another reason he could have chosen not to go see her is because he was nervous. Seeing people that you haven't seen in a long time can be emotionally draining and isn't always easy.
Josh
wasnt it fencing stuff he was incharge of...not lax stuff?
1) What do you think the red hunting hat means to Holden? As clues, think about when he buys it (right after he leaves the foils on the train) and when he chooses to wear it. Use the details from the story to back up your answer.
2) Why do you think Holden never goes downstairs to say hello to Jane? Use details from the story to back up your answer.
1. I think he bought the red hunting hat beacuse he wanted to cheer-up after he left the things in the merto. He wanted to have at least something and then he bought the hat.
2. I think he didn't go downstairs beacuse he didn't want to see Stradlater and Jane togheter. He would see it like a big failure if Jane should choose Strandlater insted of him. Not beacuse Holden serious love her but anyway.
I think the red hunting hat is a shelter. When he loses the foils on the subway, he feels like he's had a bad trip and the hunting hat makes him think of good things that happen. He also uses it when Ackley kid walks in the room so he doesn't have to pay as much attention to Ackley. The hat helps him horse around.
Holden doesn't go downstairs to say hi to Jane because he's too shy to go down there. It is easy to infer that his going down there would make the scene awkward for Jane and her date.
I think that Forman(Sarah F) and Sarah both made good points about the "security blanket." That was a very unique way of thinking about the hat.
To Jack
Do we know Holden put it "right on"? Where is it in the text?
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