Focusing on the Negatives

Is the world in black & white?

Is there good, is there bad?

What is wrong, what is right?

Can only one man decide,

whose life to spare, and who is to die?

Do will kill, do we maim?

Do we discriminate within our own kind?

Can we live with the choices we make?

Can we live with lives we take?

The world is full of negatives; negative affects, negative actions, negative words, negative attitude. And on top of all the negatives, there are flaws which when pointed out, can be negative. Holden Caulfield, is an expert at finding all of the small flaws in everyone, and when does that he makes them bigger than they are.

Imagine every little aspect of your being, all your flaws and redeeming qualities. Now take some critical and observant person like Holden, and no matter how many good qualities you have, every tiny flaw will be blown up to mask the accomplishments. Holden is like a jewel appraiser, he notices every small flaw. He hardly ever seems to find the good in people. Even Ernie, someone who he says is an amazing pianist, Holden calls out his lack of humility; how he's stuck up. And later in that chapter as he's sitting at his table, he mentally breaks down all the happy couples around him into pathetic phonies and ugly people.

Every time Holden begins to judge others, or chalks up and blows up every little flaw... you have to begin to wonder. Why does he do this? No wonder he seems such a pessimist if all he can see in others (excluding his younger siblings and Jane) are their flaws. He focuses so much on the negatives he's probably already missed plenty of good moments. I know Holden sees the world as more than black and white, but when he starts to get critically I start to wonder if every thing's clear cut to him. Then my next question is why? Is it force of habit? Could it go back to Allie, since his death he can't see the good in others? Is it from the overwhelming occurrence of phonies? Regardless, he focuses too much on the negatives.