Paper #2 (Holden in ten years) and Analysis

Audrey Higa
11:30
Mrs.Shigemitsu
In The Park
I was exhausted from running so I walked over to one of those worn down benches. I could feel the cool breeze blowing in my face and the smell of muggy grass was overwhelming. I was sweating and panting when I heard someone say, "Phoebe, is that you?"
I looked up at once and saw that it was Holden. He was standing there with Jane and their little boy Allie. Allie was only 5 years old. He looked exactly like our brother Allie. He had the most radiant red hair you had ever seen and was very smart. He was such a sweet little boy. When I was over at their house for Christmas, he would always hold my hand and show me his drawing of the entire family. He even asked me to model for his drawings. He was left-handed just like old Allie. Anyway, I wiped the sweat off my face and said, "Holden is that you? Hi! How have you been and how did you know I was here?"
He replied, "Ah, I've been good. You told me that you were on summer vacation and I was in town, so I called up mom to see where you were. She told me she didn't know your whereabouts, but I kind of got a hint that you would be in the park. It was your usual hang out spot when you were younger."
"Yeah. I remember the old times. I just came here to jog a little bit and see if anything changed around here."
Over the years, the city wasn't just the only thing that had changed. Holden had also changed so much. I remember talking to him about everything: girls, school, and books. When we would talk, he would say "goddam" and I would always ask him to stop swearing. But now, he never swears. Probably having little Allie around whipped him into a more father-like manner. He would always think everyone was so phony and stupid. He thought everything was pointless after Allie died. So he always got expelled from all of the schools he attended, but this all changed.
Not only did little Allie help Holden change, but also Holden changed himself. In some ways, I think he realized what was going on. A long time ago, he used to talk to me about his problems. He used to tell me, "I just don't know what I think about everything."
Over the years though, through his encounters with people, and with the help of Jane, he put himself together.
For some reason, from his experiences the week after he was expelled from Pencey Prep, everything began to make sense to him. When I talked to him about that week, he told me a lot of things had happened to him. He met strange people and realized that only some of the people he had met in his life were "true phonies". Like for instance, he told me about this one girl, Sunny I think. He wasn't specific of how he met her, but he said she was the phoniest person he had ever met. She was a really spooky kid. He said she was a prostitute, but she seemed his age. She didn't even sound like a prostitute at all though. When she would talk to him, she would say, "like fun you are," instead of saying something like, "cut the crap". He also told me about these nuns that he had met. They were so modest to him. They discussed books such as Romeo and Juliet, and when one of them smiled, it killed him. They weren't "phony" in his eyes.
I don't think that's the only thing that made him change his mind. The biggest influence was probably Jane. I remember how he used to describe her. He used to say she was "muckle-mouthed" and how she loved to read books and poetry. She was the only one he had ever shown Allie's baseball mitt to; she was the only one who would appreciate it. Jane and Holden were inseparable. When they were at home, they would always be holding hands or talking in some way. They weren't like those couples that act like they "love" each other, and then when they reach home, start ignoring each other. Jane was always concerned about Holden, especially about how he acted. While they were dating, Jane would always tell Holden about what was phony in her mind, and how it was different from Holden's "phony". She told him he just couldn't think people were phony. He had to know them, and truly know them, to believe that they were "phony". That started to bug him, but after a while, he understood what she was talking about. After that, he wasn't the same Holden I used to know. He was even better.
Not only did Jane help Holden change, but Holden changed himself. In some ways, I think he realized what was going on. A long time ago, he used to talk to me about his problems. He used to tell me, "I just don't know what I think about everything."
Over the years though, through his encounters with people, and with the help of Jane, put himself together.
"Phoebe, would you like to come to eat lunch with us?"
I quickly stood up and answered, "Yeah! I would love that! But can I meet you guys after I take a quick shower? I really don't feel like have lunch with sweat all over myself."
Jane picks up Allie and says, "That's fine. How about we wait for you at the house."
We started towards the house when I felt something warm on my hand. I looked down to see a hand grasping mine. I looked up and saw Holden. He smiled and then said, "It's nice to see you again little sis. It's been a long time."
I thought exactly the same.
"It's nice to see you again Holden."
Analysis
During this paper, I decided to put Phoebe as the narrator because she knew Holden the most. I needed someone who knew Holden from the inside out so that I could discuss situations such as what happened between Holden and Sunny. I also needed to describe the people he liked such as Jane and Allie in his mind.
I decided to make him married to Jane because of the connections he had with her. It seemed that she was the only person to have truly understanded him other than Phoebe. In the book, chapter 11, she was also the only person that Holden thought was not "phony" at all and the only person that he could relate to the most compared to others. Since I wanted Holden to become mature, and not so childish, I thought it would be perfect if Holden were married to Jane. Holden would most likely change for Jane and over the years, when they would be dating, I could talk about situations in where Jane starts gradually attempting to change Holden. This is exactly what happened in my story.
Allie, Holden and Jane's child, was meant to be named and look similar to Allie, Holden's younger brother, to represent how Holden could love. In the book, chapter 5, you can tell that Holden had a lot of love for his little brother, and when he died, all of Holden's thoughts were messed up. He couldn’t think right. However, when Jane gave birth to a baby boy, and named him Allie, it was a situation in where Holden could change. Allie, his child, looked similar to his brother Allie, so it was like a second chance to love his little brother. That is why I decided to make his child similar to his brother Allie.
In this story, I wanted Holden to change. When he was a teen, he was immature and stupid. However, when he had grown up, it meant that he had time to grow up. He realizes and looks back on all the times that he has been "phony" himself. This is what snaps him into the character in my story.