Jake Parsons
Mrs. Parkinson
English III
13 November 2015
Vignettes
for Days
J.D. Salinger makes use of vignettes throughout his
novel, Catcher in the Rye by having Holden tell short stories about moments
of his life as he remembers past events. These often provide snippets of
characterization for Holden and show what kind of person he actually is. For
example, in chapter 15 Holden tells us about his feelings on cheap suitcases
and of his roommate at Elkton Hills. His roommate, Dick Slagle, has cheap
suitcases that he would always keep under his bed so that others wouldn’t look
at his next to Holden’s leather suitcases. Holden feels pity for him so he
decides to ease his struggle. “What I did, I finally put my suitcases under my
bed, instead of the rack, so that old Slagle wouldn’t get a ----- inferiority
complex about it.” (Salinger 141).
This short vignette reveals to us that Holden actually
cares about other people and he is willing to make sacrifices in order to accommodate
their needs. You might be thinking, “Sacrifice? He put his suitcases under his
bed it’s not like he donated a kidney or anything.” And you’d be right. It is a
small gesture to move one’s suitcases but at fancy prep schools like Elkton, it’s
a big deal. Holden gives up a symbol of his social standing to the other students
in order to make Dick Slagle feel more comfortable around others. This shows he
does not care how others view him but he is willing to give up his standings so
that people who do care how others view them can advance their own standing.
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