In the next part of the book that I read, Holden decides to leave Pencey before he is actually set to leave. Since his parents don't know that he was kicked out of school, he decides to head to New York for a few days before he goes home. One part in particular that stood out to me was on his train ride from Pencey to New York, he sits next to a mother of a classmate of his. This mother seems to be completely oblivious to the fact that her son is, according to Holden, "the biggest bastard that ever went to Pencey" (pg 61). Most mother's try to see the best in their children, to the point of almost overlooking the not so great behavior in some cases. As Holden said, "Mothers are all slightly insane" (pg 62), they believe that their children can do no wrong to the point where no one would be able to convince them otherwise even with solid evidence.
Through this interaction with his classmate's mom on the train, the readers are given an idea of what the parents of students at Pencey think about the school. This particular mother is convinced that her son is having the best time, and is doing amazingly well. He might be, but it makes you wonder if Holden's parents have the same idea of what life at Pencey is like, and Holden is obviously not doing so well there.
Later on, Holden talks about his little sister, Phoebe. Every time he mentions her though, he says "old Phoebe." As he continues on to say that she is extremely smart, and was always listening and contributing to conversations between Holden and his brothers from the time she was really young, you come to see why it is that he says "old." She has an old soul, and acts older than her years.
This description of his sister, and his earlier description of his brother that died show that he loves his family a lot.
Through this interaction with his classmate's mom on the train, the readers are given an idea of what the parents of students at Pencey think about the school. This particular mother is convinced that her son is having the best time, and is doing amazingly well. He might be, but it makes you wonder if Holden's parents have the same idea of what life at Pencey is like, and Holden is obviously not doing so well there.
Later on, Holden talks about his little sister, Phoebe. Every time he mentions her though, he says "old Phoebe." As he continues on to say that she is extremely smart, and was always listening and contributing to conversations between Holden and his brothers from the time she was really young, you come to see why it is that he says "old." She has an old soul, and acts older than her years.
This description of his sister, and his earlier description of his brother that died show that he loves his family a lot.