"Nobody'd be different. The only thing that would be different would be you."
In chapter 16, Holden looks for his sister, Phoebe. He finds out that Phoebe might have gone to the Museum of Natural History with her class, so he decides to walk there. On his way there, Holden thinks about when he used to go to the Museum with his class. He talks about how everything in the Museum always stayed the same, from the birds flying in the air to the Eskimo fishing. It is at this time that Holden says the quote I chose.
This quote isn't just about a museum, it's a quote about life itself. But, the museum is a great way to think about it. Every museum has moving exhibits, but the bulk of the exhibits stay the same and don't change. For example the Louvre, a museum in France, has all these famous paintings, like the Mona Lisa and Madonna on the Rocks. They don't ever take those paintings down and put something else up. The paintings are there year round. There are some parts of the Louvre that do change, but the bulk of the exhibits stay the same. Just like in life how the city you grow up in pretty much stays the same. Some places may open, some places may close, but all the houses are still there, and all the roads are still there. The only thing different about the city would be you if you came back 5 years later.
I think that this quote is significant to Holden because from the moment he leaves his school, He has gone back to his past. When he goes to New York, he goes to places he's gone before. Everything has stayed the same in these places, but Holden has a different experience because he himself had changed. For example, Holden tells us that Sally Hayes was phony as ever on their date, but before he never made her cry. The same can be said for Carl Luce. Carl wasn't really different than before, but Holden kept asking him questions he didn't want to answer. In both cases, Holden is the one who changed. Because he changed, the other people in his life had different reactions then he thought they would have. It is kind of hard to tell this because the book is written from Holden's perspective, but both times, Holden speaks first to start the chain of events.
I think you did a good job relating when Holden said and what he thinks to the life that we live, things that change, and things that don't change. I think Holden probably has changed a lot over the years he's been going to different schools and different places. But although he has probably changed a lot, I think that basic childish personality that he has has always been there. I think this is why Carl could recognize when they were starting to have a regular Holden Caulfield conversation.
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