MiriamRock

MastersPortfolio
AppendixC,Artifact15

AnastasiaCloseReading,Stages46

Passage
Iwentdownbyadifferentstaircase,andIsawanotherFuckyouonthewall.Itriedtorubit
offwithmyhandagain,butthisonewasscratchedon,withaknifeorsomething.Itwouldnt
comeoff.Itshopeless,anyway.Ifyouhadamillionyearstodoitin,youcouldntevenrubout
evenhalftheFuckyousignsintheworld.Itsimpossible.(pg202)

Stage4:Grammar,PunctuationandTense
Punctuation
ThesentencethatistheshortestItsimpossibleactsasaconclusionarystatementto
Holdensthoughtsaboutthegraffiti.
Salingersusesquotationmarksaroundthephrasefuckyouandhecapitalizesthefto
makeitseemlessconversational.ToHolden,thisisntjustaphrasethathasbeen
casuallysprayedontoawall.Itcouldverywellbeanopportunityforhimtopreserve
theguiltlessnessthatchildrenPhoebesagehave.Itsrelatedtothesymbolicimageof
Holdencatchingchildrenwhofallovercliffsafterplayinginthefieldsofrye.
Grammar
ThecapitalizationofthefinthewordfuckcouldeitherbeSalingergivinganidea
ofhowheimaginedthegraffititobewrittenoritcouldbeusedtomakeitstandout
moreinhisreadersmentalimages.
Thepronouns,Iandyousuggestthatthisisaoneononeconversationwitheither
HoldenandhimselforHoldenandusreaders,(althoughweregoingtoknowwhathes
sayingineithersituation).Thisisalsosupportedbythefactthattherearenoproper
nounsornamestosuggestthatHoldenistalkingtoanyoneelse.
Tense
Thesentencesinthispassageareinthepasttenseuntilthesecondtolastsentence.If
youhadamillionyearstodoitin,youcouldntevenruboutevenhalftheFuckyou
signsintheworld.Atthatpoint,thetensebecomesconditional.
ThesentencesItshopeless.andItsimpossible.areinthepresenttensetosuggest
thatthisishowHoldencurrentlyfeels.ItcouldbeSalingerswayofsayingthatHolden
knows,ayearorsoaftertheeventsmentionedinthebook,thatprotectingothersfrom
growingupandbecomingawareoftheirsexualityoranythingelseassociatedwith
adulthoodissimplyimpossible.

Stage5:ThemesUnderstandingofNovel
LossofChildhoodInnocence
Thethemeshighlightedinthispassageandreiteratedinotherpartsofthe
novelisthepreservationandlossofchildhoodinnocenceandmore
specifically,anadolescentsexposuretosexualmaturity.
Knowingthesethemesgivesthereaderachancetomaketheconnection
betweenthetitleofthebookandHoldensmisinterpretationofRobertBurns's
poemCominthrotheRye.
InabilitytoMoveonfromPast
Holdentimeandtimeagain,exhibitsstrangebehaviorthatsuggestthathecant
moveforwardwithoutmovingonanactingasifAlliehaspassedaway.
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However,itseemsthatHolden,contrarytowhateveryoneelsebelieves,thinks
hecantmoveonorevenlivewithoutmentioningAllie,orthinkingaboutAllie
orholdinghisoldmitten.Thepassagefrompage198being,EverytimeIgotto
theendofablockIdmakebelieveIwastalkingtomybrotherAllie.Idsayto
him,Alliedontletmedisappear...depictshiswayofusingAllietocomfort
himselfbecauseofhissuddenfearofneverbeingseenbyanyoneagain.
However,thisisquitestrangesincehelatertalksofmovingfarawayfromhis
familyintoacabinandnotseeingthemagainuntilhesmaybethirtyfiveand
oneofhisfamilymembersisatdeathsdoor.Thisleadsmetobelievethathes
notjustafraidofdeathorphysicallydisappearingbutmaybehesafraidof
turningintosomeonethatAlliewouldntrecognizeifwereeverabletoseehim
again.EveryoneelsehementionsseemstohavechangedsinceAlliesdeath.
Phoebesolderandsmartercomparedtotheyoungerandlesscognizanttoddler
Alliemayhaveknown,D.B.sgoneoffandbecomesomeHollywoodwriterthat
Holdenresentsinsomeway.ItseemsthatHoldenistheonlyoneislifetrying
toholdontowhoheusedtobe.
Knowledgeofthisthemeallowsthereaderstogetanideaofhowbadlyaffected
HoldenwasbyAlliesdeath.

Stage6:PassageNovel
Character/Narrator
Thispassage,inparticular,isarguablytheonewherethegapbetweenHolden
thesixteenyearoldsoutlookonlifeandthatofHoldentheseventeenyearold
ismademoreobvious.Itoperatesasawayforreaderstocompareandcontrast
HoldenthenarratortoHoldenthecharacter,withoutrelyingsolelyon
pre-conceivednotionsandbiasestheymayhavehadwhenreadingabout
Holdeninthefirstfewchapters.
Plot
Asnotoriousasthisnovelisforhavingahaphazardplot,ifoneatall,this
passagedoesntofferanymoreorganizationthanmostothers.Itcanbereadas
anisolatedeventoraunitofpassagesthatbuildupHoldenscharacterand
bridgethegapbetweentheboyfailedPenceytotheboywhosetoldthisstory
repeatedlywhilelockedupinasanitarium.
Support/ComplicationsofPreviousThemes
ThebeliefthatHoldenhasmaturedwithinoneyearisnotentirelyreinforced
byHoldensself-descriptionmadeearlyinthenovel.Forexamplehesays,I
wassixteenthen,andI'mseventeennow,andsometimesIactlikeI'mabout
thirteen.(p.9)InthiswayweunderstandthatHoldenstillharborssome
immaturity,sointhiswaythispassagemayconfusethereader.However,ifthe
aforementionedquoteissupplementedwithhisthisquote,SometimesIacta
lotolderthanIam-Ireallydo-butpeoplenevernoticeit.Peoplenevernotice
anything,onethathighlightshisannoyanceatpeoplesinabilitytoseemhim
athisbest,then,itisstillpossibletosaythatHoldeniscapableofgrowingup,
justnotinthewaysthateveryoneelseseemstowanthimto.(p.9)
AuthorsReasoning
J.D.smainpurposeinusingthispassageseemstobetodeepenHoldens
characterdevelopment.ItsanexampleofHoldensobsessionwithcurses,but
thenitshowshowhedoesntwanttogrowupandhowhealwaystalksabout
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howthingsareironicbutdoesntnoticetheironyinhim,theonewhocursesso
often,cleaningoffensivegraffiti.