Kiah Beachler

Ms. Fillman

CAP English

2 February 2020

A Broken Record: Reflection

When looking at the way Holden copes with the challenges he encounters in ​The Catcher

in the Rye ​by J.D. Salinger, I first took a step back to examine my own coping mechanisms. Like

Holden, I too have lost family members close to me. It is easy to let anger, fear, and anxiety

overcome one’s life when this happens, but there are much more beneficial ways to cope and

mourn. This is not in disregard of grief, however, and that sadness and negative emotions are

natural and should not be bottled up. They should be expressed, but healthily. When analyzing

The Catcher in the Rye​ I carefully chose quotes that displayed how Holden tries to cope with his

past, both good examples and bad. I certainly would have appreciated advice on how to cope,

though I am not sure how Holden would receive that advice if I gave it directly. So, in spirit of

the record Holden was planning to give Phoebe, I gave him a record that he could play that

would give him advice on how to cope.

Since I cannot physically record a record, I took a more artistic view of the project. On

the front of my record is a depiction of Holden’s dream, to be a catcher in the rye. The “cliff” is

made out of magazine clippings representing the transition to adulthood. At the bottom is the

blackness of adulthood, however they have a hopeful glow around them. The entire piece is

meant to connect to the back of the record, which has the “transcript” of advice that would play
on the record. This explains to him why his dream is not without good intention, however he

does not have to be afraid to grow up.

 Works Cited

Salinger, J.D. ​The Catcher in the Rye.​ Boston, Little, Brown and Company, 1951.