Holden Caulfield, J.D. Salinger’s "The Catcher in the Rye," might just be one of the most annoying and irritating characters of all. But, no matter how annoying one could find him, there is no denying that the issues that Holden has are relatable, and it is one with many other teenagers. When there is something that is relatable to newer generations, it is appealing and comforting to the audience. Teenagers are able to find solace in the fact that they are not truly alone in their struggles. A great example of that would be Olivia Rodrigo’s music. Her lyricism and voice bring to mind the feeling of being a teenager and the many struggles that they go through. Rodrigo’s music has elevated her to one of the biggest pop stars in modern times,
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Rodrigo’s song discusses the struggle of knowing the speaker’s place in society, especially as a young adult, and facing the consequences of the actions they have taken. In the song, Rodrigo adds her own twist to the saying "you’ve made your bed; now lie in it" to convey the struggles that she currently has. This saying and Rodrigo’s twist could all be applied to Holden Caulfield. Rodrigo’s hit song, ‘Making the Bed’, is a representation of Holden and his actions within the story. This verse talks about Rodrigo’s unhappiness with her current position in life. To start off the song, the lyrics go straight into her issues: “Want it, so I got it, did it, so it's done Another thing I ruined I used to do for fun Another piece of plastic I could just throw away” (Rodrigo). She has almost everything but no longer finds any joy in it, where the things she owns and used to enjoy were based on being in a materialistic world. There are multiple things that she owns that are deemed big deals, but when she truly thinks about them, they are merely things that can get pushed away as if they never …show more content…
In this song, Rodrigo uses this phrase as a way to talk about her fame and how she is upset at the state of her life, but she has to face it no matter how she feels. Not only that, but she also talks about pulling the blanket as a way to deflect (Genius). This correlates to Holden, as he is notorious for being unable to take accountability. The earliest example is right at the beginning of the novel, where he does not blame himself for losing the foils for the fencing team when they were in New York (3). Rodrigo’s imagery within her lyrics encapsulates the ideas and actions that Holden commits, without being literal. The final part of the chorus follows: “Every good thing has turned into somethin' I dread And I'm playin' the victim so well in my head But it's me who's been makin' the bed” (Rodrigo). In this final part, Rodrigo follows through with the discussion of her inability to take accountability for the events in her life and how she does not view things as going well. Phoebe calls Holden out and forces him to face the fact that he does not know what he likes (171–172). Holden complains about phonies the whole time throughout the book, which really just takes the joy out of everything. Similar to the lyrics, he acts as if he is the victim as well. An example of that would be when Holden tries to get
Rodrigo’s song discusses the struggle of knowing the speaker’s place in society, especially as a young adult, and facing the consequences of the actions they have taken. In the song, Rodrigo adds her own twist to the saying "you’ve made your bed; now lie in it" to convey the struggles that she currently has. This saying and Rodrigo’s twist could all be applied to Holden Caulfield. Rodrigo’s hit song, ‘Making the Bed’, is a representation of Holden and his actions within the story. This verse talks about Rodrigo’s unhappiness with her current position in life. To start off the song, the lyrics go straight into her issues: “Want it, so I got it, did it, so it's done Another thing I ruined I used to do for fun Another piece of plastic I could just throw away” (Rodrigo). She has almost everything but no longer finds any joy in it, where the things she owns and used to enjoy were based on being in a materialistic world. There are multiple things that she owns that are deemed big deals, but when she truly thinks about them, they are merely things that can get pushed away as if they never …show more content…
In this song, Rodrigo uses this phrase as a way to talk about her fame and how she is upset at the state of her life, but she has to face it no matter how she feels. Not only that, but she also talks about pulling the blanket as a way to deflect (Genius). This correlates to Holden, as he is notorious for being unable to take accountability. The earliest example is right at the beginning of the novel, where he does not blame himself for losing the foils for the fencing team when they were in New York (3). Rodrigo’s imagery within her lyrics encapsulates the ideas and actions that Holden commits, without being literal. The final part of the chorus follows: “Every good thing has turned into somethin' I dread And I'm playin' the victim so well in my head But it's me who's been makin' the bed” (Rodrigo). In this final part, Rodrigo follows through with the discussion of her inability to take accountability for the events in her life and how she does not view things as going well. Phoebe calls Holden out and forces him to face the fact that he does not know what he likes (171–172). Holden complains about phonies the whole time throughout the book, which really just takes the joy out of everything. Similar to the lyrics, he acts as if he is the victim as well. An example of that would be when Holden tries to get