Extent to which this is an original or experimental rebellion
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May 22nd, 2008 at 3:29 pm
EXTENT TO WHICH THIS IS AN ORIGINAL OR EXPERIMENTAL REBELLION.
“I said no, there wouldn’t be marvelous places to go to after I went to college and all. Open your ears. It’d be entirely different. We’d have to go downstairs in elevators with suitcases and stuff. We’d have to phone up every¬body and tell ‘em good-by and send ‘em postcards from hotels and all. And I’d be working in some office, making a lot of dough, and riding to work in cabs and Madison Avenue buses, and reading newspapers, and playing bridge all the time, and going to the movies and seeing a lot of stupid shorts and coming attractions and newsreels. Newsreels. Christ almighty. There’s always a dumb horse race, and some dame breaking a bottle over a ship, and some chimpanzee riding a goddamn bicycle with pants on. It wouldn’t be the same at all. You don’t see what I mean at all.”
In this passage Holden is talking about his escape plan with Sally Hayes. He is hating Sally right now for not agreeing with his plan.This is an experimental case of rebellion as Holden has never mentioned running away or attempted it either.He wants to get out and leave but Sally doesn’t want to go with him.He is rebelling against his future;what could happen if he stayed in New York and went to another school and actually worked hard, or if he did run away,what possibilities could occur from his irresponsible behaviour against conformity!
This is not original as many adolescents run away , but he wants others to feel pain(his family) as well as himself when he leaves. At this point he has reached rock bottom. He is unable to hold a substantial conversation with Sally,verbally abusing her because of her decisions. He is versing reality and what is right. The step he is about to take (or is planning to take) will lead to a great impact on his life.