Holden Caulfield’s desire to get after it and get into something, his loneliness, and lack of concern for the unimportant things that others think are important remind me of myself. (This probably opens me up to ridicule, comparing myself to Holden. But that’s the great thing about characters like this, it is wonderful when you can relate.) Something else that reminds me of myself is how easily Holden falls in love.
"She knocked me out. I mean it. I was about half in love with her by the time we sat down. That’s the thing about girls. Every time they do something pretty, even if they’re not much to look at or even if they’re sort of stupid, you fall half in love with them, and then you never know where the hell you are. Girls. Jesus Christ. They can drive you crazy. They really can."
- From Catcher and the Rye by J.D. Salinger
I fall so easily I can hear just a few moments of that song, Brandy, and begin to yearn for a bartender that is already in love with and spoken for by a sailor that is clearly a jerk as he barely comes around because he prefers the sea over my latest obsession. The bastard is probably a lot like Tom Brady, being from the Northeast and all.
One of my sons shares this ability to fall in love with me and Holden Caulfield. Legend has it that in his early days he would find love every time he visited the McDonald’s playground. He would end up holding hands with someone. No specific type or taste, he simply loved the companionship. Tall, short, younger, older, small, big, no preference on race or ethnicity.
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