The song "Truth" by Serena Ryder represents Holden's fantasies about escaping from the world. Holden repeatedly fantasizes about a haven from the world, first when he is with Sally Hayes. He says "How would you like to get the hell out of here...we'll stay in these cabin camps...we could live somewhere with a brook and all..." (132) This quote shows his frustration with society and tendency to dream about what is realistically an unattainable goal. In the song "Truth", Serena Ryder sings "Went to the river to lie/Found my body on the ground/Found my home up in the sky." This reminds me of Holden going to places from his past - the museum and his old school - expecting to find the innocence he remembered. However, in both places "Fuck you" is written on the walls, he finds his "body on the ground", a symbol for death or complete lack of faith in the "home" that society provides. As Holden says, "It's hopeless, anyway. If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn't rub out even half the "Fuck you" signs in the world." (202) In response to this realization, Holden begins to imagine a new home for himself. "I'd build me a little cabin somewhere with the dough I made and live there for the rest of my life...I'd want it to be sunny as hell all the time", (199) he says. "I'd have this rule that nobody could do anything phony when they visited me. " (205) Holden is creating an ideal life for himself, a fantastical haven for everything he sees as good, a "home up in the sky". Holden Caulfield and the song "Truth" by Serena Ryder both express fantasies about havens away from society.
YouTube link (I could only find one video of this song, and it's a live performance and kind of hard to understand, so here are the lyrics)
I like the line you chose. I think the line “searching for a reason to escape” also adds to they way Holden sees life. This line portrays the way Holden wants to run away from his problems instead of facing them. Like you said Holden wants to imagine himself in his “home in the sky” rather than realizing he is all alone.
ReplyDeleteI like the song choice and the placement. I think the best fitting line for Holden is "home in the sky" because, like you said, Holden was always dreaming about having his own perfect world. Also adding to Sofia's point, I like the idea you brought up of Holden wanting to only see his home as a perfect place, than realizing and accepting that he would be all alone. I also liked the analysis of the line "found my body on the ground" in relation to the "fuck you" writings on the wall. I agree that the slurs give Holden reason to believe that society is corrupt and innocence is being taken away from young children.
ReplyDelete