Method of Collecting Data Holden’s Rebellion Against School

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3.2. Technique of Collecting Data

In analyzing the novel, the most important data collecting procedure that someone can do is by reading the novel more than once. By analyzing the novel means that we understand not only the mere story but also the whole contain that the author wants to expose. By reading the novel several times the writer of this thesis expects to find the most precise statement from the novel to support the idea about rebellion. The first step dealing with the novel is reading it several times in order to understand not only the story, but also the meaning of the text in terms of word, phrase, sentence, and clause as chosen in the text. The next step is to select the text by classifying them through quotations. They are written as proof to strengthen idea of the analysis. The selection of the text is related to context of rebellion which is done by the main character. In reference to this, the sense of rebellion is limited to what the main character says, what he has done, and what other characters say about him.

3.3. Method of Collecting Data

In the analysis of rebellion that is reflected in the novel The Catcher in The Rye by J.D. Sallinger. An elaboration of research design should be arranged to support the statement that will be written in this thesis. Based on that reason, the simplification of method is urgently needed. The research design that will be coherently available in analyzing certain data from the novel to support this analysis is descriptive qualitative method. 23 By using this method the writer will describe and analyze certain data and give interpretation about it. The data is not the whole text but certain quotation and paragraph from the novel. The interpretation based on descriptive qualitative method toward this quotation, sentence and paragraph should be coherent with the term rebellion which is the focus of this thesis and should be able to support the author of this thesis in summarizing conclusion in the last chapter. The chart of the method can be summarized in the pattern below : Researcher Primary Data Source: J.D. Sallinger’s novel The Catcher in The Rye Data: Quotations Selected from the text of the Novel. Descriptive Qualitative Method: Interpret and Analyze the Quotations Conclusion 24 CHAPTER IV REBELLION AGAINST EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION IN J. D SALINGER’S NOVEL THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

4.1. Holden’s Rebellion Against School

Holden Caulfield is the name of the main character in the novel entitled The Catcher in the Rye. He becomes the focus of the analysis because the story is viewed from his perspective. Holden’s perspective contains delicate form of teenage attitude where they sometimes become the creation of their society or school in this case. Holden’s perspective about his school generates his rebellion against school that he regards as one of the shattered product of social needs that tend to create classification. Holden as the main character rebels upon his school as his way to reject the impact that it gives upon the students. He shows his rebellion by not attending the school’s classes and important events in his school, intentionally failing in his lesson, opposing his teacher and finally ends up of leaving the school. One of Holden rebellion that can be seen through the novel is his action by not attending the school’s classes. Holden refuses to attend the classes that have been scheduled in his school. He prefers to be absent from the class because of his disappointment about the failure of the teacher and his classmate to build the spirit of equality while studying. Holden rebels by not attending most of the classes in his school because he does not like the situation in the class. Either the teacher or the students have been blinded by their arrogance to discriminate other in studying process. This condition has produced a situation where certain people hold dominance toward others. School class from what Holden sees has become the place for smart 25 people to dominate another student and push them to the corner. In Holden’s point of view, the school class does not work as place for students to learn but it has changed into a narrower scope of discrimination where students are treated differently. The school class in Pencey School is the place where smart people show off their knowledge and humiliate the other who are considered as incapable in studying. They did this discriminative action in order to gain mark and compliance from teacher. People who are regarded as incapable students will be treated as jokes and even the teachers who were supposed to treat students fairly, never hear their opinion. Oh, sure I like somebody to stick to the point and all. But I dont like them to stick too much to the point. I dont know. I guess I dont like it when somebody sticks to the point all the time. The boys that got the best marks in Oral Expression were the ones that stuck to the point all the time--I admit it. But there was this one boy, Richard Kinsella. He didnt stick to the point too much, and they were always yelling Digression at him. It was terrible, because in the first place, he was a very nervous guy --I mean he was a very nervous guy--and his lips were always shaking whenever it was his time to make a speech, and you could hardly hear him if you were sitting way in the back of the room. When his lips sort of quit shaking a little bit, though, I liked his speeches better than anybody elses. He practically flunked the course, though, too. He got a D plus because they kept yelling Digression at him all the time For instance, he made this speech about this farm his father bought in Vermont. They kept yelling Digression at him the whole time he was making it, and this teacher, Mr. Vinson, gave him an F on it because he hadnt told what kind of animals and vegetables and stuff grew on the farm and all. p.99. The character of students in Pencey has been transformed to be discriminative. They all become discriminative because the teachers as their role education model have lost their sense in educating the morality for the student. From the quotation above it can be seen a clear discrimination in the Oral Speech class where one of the students named Richard Kinsella becomes the victim of bullying in his class because he tells a speech about his village. It can be seen from Holden’s statement that 26 students on that class always try to criticize his speech. They never agreed with Richard Kinsella’s statement. The teacher who sees this situation does not even try to sentence the students who try to oppress his friend during the studying process. In contrast, the teacher is agreeing with the smart students by giving Richard an F mark. From this phenomena, it can be seen whether teacher always sided on the smart students. This situation has adjusted discrimination where the one who had power and influence will always win against the weak. Other aspect that makes the character of Richard Kinsella is being attacked by other students is because his rural background. People in this class do not like his background as a child who is raised in the low class community. Beside of his incapability as a student, his background also becomes the reason why he is being bullied. The clear stratification and discrimination is happened in most of the class that Holden attended. In addition to this fault, the teacher fails to fix this wrong conception. Holden’s action by not attending each class is one of his ways to refuse the wrong conception of stratification and discrimination that most of the students in the classroom adapt. This phenomena of discriminating people in the classroom does not suit with Holden’s ideology as someone who believe that classroom suppose to be a decent and comfort place for students to learn, not only theoretical subject but also moral value from the teacher. He refuses the concept of discrimination that most of his classmate applies because it changes them to be immoral. Holden’s action by not attending the class is one of his rejection toward the wrong value applied in his classroom. From Holden’s perspective classroom in Pencey never become a place for student to learn. Attending the class is equal with wasting the time since it never 27 become a place that supports the students’ to understand the knowledge either in theoretically and morally. Holden’s rebellion that can be seen through analyzing the novel is his action by not attending important occasion in his school. Holden refuses to attend important occasion in his school as one of his way to reject school. He dismisses the parents- teacher meeting which more look like flattering occasion. The purpose of people to attend this occasion is only to show their grandeur and to show off their material wealth. Holden dislike this kind of thing, because this activity is prevalently show human hypocrisy and their egoistic nature to discriminate people base on their economic background. In certain occasion in his school, Holden sees that people who come from wealthy background will gather with the other wealthy family and other who come from the unwealthy family will be put aside. They will be ignored since they are regarded as the people who come from the lower background. They are ignored and looked down on. Holden does not want to attend the important occasion in his school because he sees hypocrisy is prevalent throughout this occasion. Each people tend to gather in-group and tell about their supremacy and wealth. From Holden’s view, important school occasion like this is the way for teacher to build relation with parents whom they consider to be beneficial in their social life. Holden does not like this situation, because it triggers teacher tendency in classifying their student. Holden decides to dismiss the school’s occasion. He does not like the way of teacher praising certain students in front of their parents to get sympathy from their wealthy family. In the novel, the writer shows Holden’s rebellion through his failure in several lessons. This action done by Holden can be considered as one of his action to rebel. It 28 can be seen from Holden’s conversation with one of his teacher named Mr. Spencer. Mr. Spencer is Holden’s history teacher. He visits Mr. Spencer in order to say discord before he left Pencey Prep, the school that he attends. Mr. Spencer cares about Holden’s education since he is well acquainted with Holden’s parents. Mr. Spencer starts asking Holden about his lesson and his failure in several subjects. Holden answers his teacher’s question by giving a justification if he knew what he did and it is not necessary to worry about him since he is old enough in taking responsibility of his decision. Whats the matter with you, boy? old Spencer said. He said it pretty tough, too, for him. How many subjects did you carry this term? Five, sir. Five. And how many are you failing in? Four. I flunked you in history because you knew absolutely nothing. I know that, sir. Boy, I know it. You couldnt help it. Id like to put some sense in that head of yours, boy. Im trying to help you. Im trying to help you, if I can. Look, sir. Dont worry about me, I said. I mean it. Ill be all right. Im just going through a phase right now. Everybody goes through phases and all, dont they? p.6 Holden fails in most of the lesson that he takes. This thing is one of the biggest scandals in the school because most of the students of Pencey Prep is smart and come from the high family background. Their parents want them to attend this school in order to gain credit as high-class students. It is general that parents who put their children in an elite educational institution like Pencey School wants their children to be clever. By intentionally failing his lesson, Holden clearly rebels upon his school. He wants to show the school that not everybody in the school can be shaped, as a person who discriminate other based on their economical background. Holden’s action by intentionally flunking his lesson subject can be considered as one of 29 Holden’s form of rebellion. He is denying the standard of being a smart student from Pencey school because he thinks smart students from Pencey School is immoral. He intentionally fails in most of the subject to show his rejection toward the school’s immoral value. He wants to make the schools embarrass through his action. He refuses to be like other students in his school who are able to perform the image of smart high-class student but tend to discriminate other. He rebels against the school and its discriminative standards. Holden’s rebellion can also be seen through his statement that always opposes his teacher. Holden does not like most of his teacher since they are one of the aspects that cause his rebellion against school. They have broken Holden’s trust upon school because they never teach the students in Pencey School about the real moral values and equality. Holden ignores his teacher instruction of being a good student. He does not belief his teacher are capable to help him become a good student because the teacher himself is not a good person. They are human who obsessed with power and material wealth. They tend to discriminate their students base on their family background in order to gain advantage from their parents. Holden always opposes his teacher statement when they give him advice as one of his way to rebel against their hypocrisy that have broken the school. Why, may I ask? Why? Oh, well its a long story, sir. I mean its pretty complicated. I didnt feel like going into the whole thing with him. He wouldnt have understood it anyway. It wasnt up his alley at all. One of the biggest reasons I left was because I was surrounded by phonies. Thats all. They were coming in the goddam window. For instance, they had this headmaster, Mr. Haas, that was the phoniest bastard I ever met in my life. Ten times worse than old Thurmer. On Sundays, for instance, old Haas went around shaking hands with everybodys parents when they drove up to school. Hed be charming as hell and all. Except if some boy had little old funny-looking parents. You shouldve seen the way 30 he did with my roommates parents. I mean if a boys mother was sort of fat or corny-looking or something, and if somebodys father was one of those guys that wear those suits with very big shoulders and corny black-and-white shoes, then old Hans would just shake hands with them and give them a phony smile and then hed go talk, for maybe a half an hour, with somebody elses parents. I cant stand that stuff. It drives me crazy. It makes me so depressed I go crazy. I hated that. Old Spencer asked me something then, but I didnt hear him. I was thinking about old Haas. What, sir? I said. Do you have any particular qualms about leaving Pencey? Oh, I have a few qualms, all right. Sure. . . but not too many. Not yet, anyway. I guess it hasnt really hit me yet. It takes things a while to hit me p.7 Holden’s decision by leaving the school is his final decision in showing his rebellion against the education institution. Holden cannot stand the school and its failure since it does not work like what it has to be. The teachers never try to justify their mistake in educating the students and the students never try to learn to reduce discrimination. Hypocrisy develops among the member of the school since it is the only way they can be approved by their colleagues. This situation has made the main character revolts and decide to rebel against the school which end up by Holden leaves Pencey. Holden’s decision by leaving his school is a form of rebellion against school, which function as institution rather than educational medium for the students. The school has failed to teach morality among the students and doesn’t help the students to overcome their crisis. The teacher is also major factor why Holden decide to rebel. As one of the important element that moves the school’s system teacher has failed to guide the students. The teachers also tend to discriminate the students. They put them in the compartmentalization of the smart, the rich, the strong and the weak students. His rebellion by leaving the school is his dissatisfaction toward school and teacher who doesn’t try to fix the broken system back into the right track. In addition, teacher 31 uses the system in the school to gain their own advantage. Their love upon the students is conditional since they treat the student base on their economic background.

4.2. Holden’s Dissatisfaction Toward School