What if Holden didn't change?
However, the tone of Holden in the final page that hinted that he remaining unchanged started to remind me of the movie The Big Lebowski that I watched recently with some friends. Though Holden shows a few shreds of change in the last few sentences, we still have no clue if he continued on with growing out of his old ways, if he completed his coming-of-age. In the event that he didn't, The Big Lebowski argues that there is comfort in knowing he doesn't change. At the very end of The Big Lebowski, Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski is back at the bowling alley like always even after going through intense stress and chaos in the previous few days, including his close friend's death. He delivers the famous line "the dude abides" after being kindly told to take it easy by a stranger dressed as a cowboy. The stranger turns to the camera and begins to say "I don't know about you, but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there, the Dude, takin' her easy for all us sinners." Seeing The Dude go almost completely unchanged back to his normal routine after all the things that happened could be comforting, knowing that at any time there's someone out there doing their own thing with confidence. I can feel similarly about Holden here. He wasn't the best kid, but he was a cool kid to me, and even if he didn't complete his coming-of-age it's great knowing that Holden will always be the interesting and full of life just as we knew him to be.
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| The Dude abides. |
While neither of them changed I think the difference is that el Duderino did not need to change. Holden is in need of drastic change of course so that he does not ruin his life. I don't take as much comfort in knowing Holden is just out there and unchanged. I don't like the parallel but I can see why you could like Holden remaining largely the same.
ReplyDeleteTrue, maybe comfortable isn't the right word, but I mean Holden's a cool guy and it's nice knowing that he won't stop being cool anytime soon. You could also argue that His Dudeness was in need of change, as he could have avoided a lot if he had approached things smarter or had restrained his friend better. In the end one of his friends died because of what happened. At the end of the movie I'm not reassured that he won't get into danger again. The same applies for Holden.
DeleteI'm amazed that you didn't choose to title this post "Holden Abides." Wow, I haven't contemplated _The Big Lebowski_ as a coming-of-age (or ironic post-coming-of-age) film before, but I do have a short list of Holden's cinematic descendants that I often share in class (when we have more time in a week). There is definitely a Holden-Spencer vibe in the scenes with "the big Lebowski" (although the Dude speaks his mind a little more freely than Holden is willing to)--but the "gold bricker" Lebowski's contempt for the Dude's status as a "bum" is a great example of "adult" hypocrisy (while the Dude doesn't even know if it's a weekday or not), as we later learn that his whole persona as a wealthy and powerful man is a facade.
ReplyDeleteAnd I suppose, following The Stranger, that I too take some comfort in knowing Holden is out there, complaining about phony actors and ranting about how boring guys always like to talk about their cars, taking 'er easy for the rest of us. There maybe is a role for him as an adult that won't require him to change his attitude completely. Some of my favorite comedians and writers have some rather negative views of human society at times, and Holden is gifted at articulating those views in funny and memorable ways.
This is a really interesting analysis you present. I've never watched The Big Lebowski so I only know what you mentioned in your post, but I can see how the two are similar. In terms of Holden, I do wish he could change and become a better person, but I do feel some comfort knowing that at least he hasn't gotten worse. That might not be the right way to say it, but the path Holden was going down suggested that he would just get progressively worse and that something very bad would happen to him. The fact that he went home and he mentioned that he is going to another school in the fall gives me some hope that eventually, Holden will mature and become a better person. For now though, I'm content knowing Holden still has some of the characteristics that make him unique (even if those might not be the best opinions of society and other people).
ReplyDeleteI think I agree with your comparison here, where The Dude and Holden both remain admantly true to their natures, though Holden does show a few signs of changing. However, I would not say that I am comforted by that fact. To be honest, I found both of their lives quite depressing. They drifted meaninglessly through life - Holden unable to find anybody to connect with, and The Dude being unphased by any change to his life, like it doesn't matter at all.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed by the comparison here, and I agree that they both have pretty similar arcs (if you believe that Holden has yet to come of age). But I would argue (as some already have) that Holden needs to come of age, while The Dude does not. For one, el Duderino is an adult who has full control of both his mind and his surroundings (except for the rug mishap, but he had that under wraps pretty quick) , and he uses that control to do... well... nothing. He does nothing. Meanwhile, Holden is still an awkward hormonal teenager using all his pent-up frustration to deflect all criticism towards others, refusing to believe that he needs to get his life together until one little moment at the end. In my opinion, one of these lifestyles is perfectly healthy, and the other is not.
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