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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
The story mainly focuses on rebellion from the main character named Holden Caulfield. Holden is a 17 years old teenager who criticizes his school in applying
elitism pattern in educational living. Elitism standard is common in school since it become the basic reason for improving the school’s image in society. However,
elitism standard also create abrupt impact toward school and its elements. It creates stratification among the students and destroys teachers’ moral value as an important
person who educates students. Holden confuses toward elitism social pattern implemented by school because by implementing it, the school will not able to
produce decent education for human during their learning process. Holden’s general distrust toward school that adapts stratifying elitism standards from society correlates
with his distrust for the classification in society. His attitude towards these educational institutions is his reflection of denying the values of classifying people,
which is general in society. Holden’s rebellion against his school is because he feels his school adapts the abrupt values of discrimination from society.
Holden dissatisfies toward school because it does not give favor for him to understand morality. Since society is really affected by social elitist standard such as
material success and wealth, school as its product also imposes those materialistic perspectives on its subject.
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Holden’s dissatisfaction against the academic institution becomes the breeding grounds for his rebellion against school. Holden finds the educational
institution as platform for constructing stratification ideas repressively uses the elitist standard from society. It is prevalent in the story that Holden describes the elitism
standard in his school provide nothing for students’ moral development. The representation of Pencey as glamorous educational institution contradicts with
Holden’s experience of having no use to attend it. Holden views educational standards as a violation of trust. It does not give solution to people in their youth
about understanding morality. In the other case people like Holden also doesn’t have capability in showing his attitude since he is a minority who becomes the victim of
this elitist based stratification standard.
Holden describes Pencey School as appalling environment largely because of the high-class people who attend the school like him applies the concept of elitism in
this institution. School implements standard upon their students. In Holden’s case, the standard is disdainful since it only gives one side advantage upon the institution.
Students or Holden in the other side suffer with the standards because it presses them to be someone they do not want to be.
“You probably heard of it. You’ve probably seen the ads, anyway. These advertise in about a thousand magazines, always showing some
hotshot person on a horse jumping over fence. Like as if all you ever did at Pencey was play Polo all the time. I never even once saw a
horse anywhere near the place” p.1.
From the quotation above it can be seen that Pencey sets an image of elitist prestigious school through the advertisement that shows “the hotshot guys playing
Polo”. This situation is very contrast with the fact that Holden experiences. He cannot understand the elitist standard that this school implements and question it
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purposes. He doesn’t find the image of the advertisement is useful because in fact, the school is fail in constructing the students’ identity. The image in the
advertisement doesn’t correspond with what Holden sees during attending the school. Not every student is able to play Polo as what it is pictured in the ads, and not much
of them are behaving like a man who regard an honor.
In Holden’s case, it can be seen that school really works as an institution that advertise and set an image of elitism in order to gain profit. The school wants to
emphasize their position as the education institution that can make each person who attends it become elitist and respectable. The image that the school prepares only
gives benefit upon the school that applies it, which is to keep their image and invite more parents to submit their children into this school.
From the explanation, it can be analyzed that parents require their children to attend school to let their children absorb the values of elitism from these institutions.
This condition is happening because parents also have certain intention. They want their children to give an elite image to the family so their family will be respected in
their social living. In the novel, Holden’s parents want him to absorb the concept of elitism from Pencey School. This makes Holden dissatisfies upon his parents because
his parents is involved in pushing him into the standard of elitism that he dislikes. Elitism standard from Holden’s view has created stratification in the school
environment.
Sometimes I cant even look at them, especially if theyre with some dopey guy thats telling them all about a goddam football game. On my
right, the conversation was even worse, though. On my right there was this very Joe Yale-looking guy, in a gray flannel suit and one of those
flitty -looking Tattersall vests. All those Ivy League bastards look alike. My father wants me to go to Yale, or maybe Princeton, but I swear, I
34 wouldnt go to one of those Ivy League colleges, if I was dying, for Gods
sake p.46.
He begins to questions his parents because they do not act like family who will give protection and support but like institution that set a standard upon him to
live. Holden’s parents want him to attend Pencey so he will get bigger opportunity in attending prestigious college. However, the standard that his parent have set, put
Holden in depressive stage. Along with the method of putting their children in prestigious school, there are particular intentions that the parents have upon their
kids. Parents want their kids to be successful so that they will get compliment from their work colleagues and children will increase the image of their family in social
class. If their children succeed, parents will proudly show their children off in important family occasion. In other case, parents will blame their children for their
inability in following parents’ order if they are not successful and will compare them with their colleagues’ children who are more successful. This standard of living from
parents clearly emphasizes whether parents is also involved in implementing the idea of stratification upon their children. It makes Holden confuses and dissatisfies toward
his parents because they also supports the hypocrisy and stratification, the thing that Holden hate the most.
Stop swearing. All right, name something else. Name something youd like to be. Like a scientist. Or a lawyer or something.
I couldnt be a scientist. Im no good in science. Well, a lawyer-- like Daddy and all.
Lawyers are all right, I guess--but it doesnt appeal to me, I said. I mean theyre all right if they go around saving innocent guys lives all
the time, and like that, but you dont do that kind of stuff if youre a lawyer. All you do is make a lot of dough and play golf and play
bridge and buy cars and drink Martinis and look like a hot-shot. And besides. Even if you did go around saving guys lives and all, how
would you know if you did it because you really wanted to save guys
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lives, or because you did it because what you really wanted to do was be a terrific lawyer, with everybody slapping you on the back and
congratulating you in court when the goddam trial was over, the reporters and everybody, the way it is in the dirty movies? How would
you know you werent being a phony? The trouble is, you wouldnt. Daddys going to kill you. Hes going to kill you, she said. p. 92-
93
Implementing the standard of living in the family actually is the farthest gap that can split a family. Parents who implements the standard in family is emphasizing
about conditional love that they give upon their children. Parents give love upon their children so the children will gain something into the family. From the other view,
conditional love from children sides put the situation where they have to fulfill family standard that have been set by their parents in order to gain love. This
situation clearly puts the children in difficult situation because conditional love that they parents show have split them with their parents. These conditional loves has
broken their trust upon their parents and make them being unable to be open to their own parents.
This familial standard puts the children in the situation where they have to afford better social class in society in order to get love from their family. Children
have to follow the instruction and control from their parents so that they can afford the standard of their family. This situation shows whether parental love is
conditional. Conditional love from parents toward their children provide situation where parents is taking control over their children. This situation contradicts with
youth’s necessity during their puberty where at this period they need someone who listens to their indecisions. They prefer to be heard about their opinion and their
personal view upon something. This conditional love puts the children in the state of lonesome. They are unable to show their opinion toward the closest environment
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they are living with family and school and they are forced to be someone they do not want. This situation creates insecurity from the children’s side, which is
represented by Holden Caulfield’s rebellion through the novel.
The feeling of insecurity tends to affect someone to avoid the thing that makes him insecure. In Holden’s case, he is denying accepting the standard of being
an elitist person that has been defined by his parents since his parents has broken his trust and force him to adapt the elitism and materialism that makes him insecure.
Holden prefers in running away from his family. He is also going from the living values that his family applies like attending prestigious school that has been set for
him. Children who reach the age of puberty are not meant to be forced to adapt certain standard which does not fit with their consciousness. Many of them reach the
borderline at which they can no longer be physically coerced. They all become better in some degree at fighting back or rebelling.
Holden’s decision by going away from school is largely a reaction to status and elitism standard of his parents. In specific, his action is a rejection of class
stratification. Teenage are attempting themselves from their parent’s social class. The rebellion is general action against high-class education as an elite system. Children as
Holden is dissatisfy toward his parents who sets him in the elitist standard. Parents who have traditionally had the position to determine schools for their children are
those of the middle and upper classes, educated and affluent, who have wide connection and resource to find the best education institution for their children. They
tend to be antagonistic and ignore the moral needs of their children.
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From Holden’s view, it can be analyzed that his parents is functioning like an institution because they set standard and value for him. The closest institution to a
youth’s identity is the family, and it is through the questioning of the family structure that many rebellions from teenage are also questioning their own identities. Largely
because the family is an immediate, determined source of identity for a child, the image is largely determined by familial standards, youth are commonly identified by
the fact that they must become better than their parents and their grandparents.
It is neither common nor reasonable for many young people to view these institutions like school not as helpful but harmful to them. The majority of them
began to resent their school as oppressive forces aimed at forcing them to fulfill the image of success people who lives in the highest classes of stratification in society.
Therefore, educational institution is a clear target for Holden to rebel.
The school implements elitism standard to gain courtesy and to emphasize its image in society. The implementation of elitism standard in the school shows
whether school is explicitly showing the effort of stratification. The standard sometimes tends to be controlling and strict because each student has to live within
the norms and values, which doesn’t fit with every student. In Holden’s case, he refuses the elitism standard in his school because it causes egoistic nature within the
students. The students become arrogant and individualist since they are lack of knowledge in controlling their ego.
This situation creates Holden’s dissatisfaction toward school. He does not see things in the school that reflect the nature of school as medium for helping the
students in overstepping their problematic phase in living. Instead of giving their
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students solutions, school has turned their student to be someone they are not. From this situation, other problem will happen toward the students namely crisis of
identity. Crisis identity is the issue relates with young people or teenage anxiousness. The issue emerges due to their consciousness upon their self and the phenomenon
that happen in the environment.
Pencey Prep is this school thats in Agerstown, Pennsylvania. You probably heard of it. Youve probably seen the ads, anyway.
They advertise in about a thousand magazines, always showing some hotshot guy on a horse jumping over a fence. Like as if all you ever
did at Pencey was play polo all the time. I never even once saw a horse anywhere near the place. And underneath the guy on the horses
picture, it always says: Since 1888 we have been molding boys into splendid, clear-thinking young men. Strictly for the birds. They dont
do any damn more molding at Pencey than they do at any other school. And I didnt know anybody there that was splendid and clear -
thinking and all p.1.
From the explanation, it can be seen whether Holden’s dissatisfaction upon his school is based on his own experience about school that fails to educate its
students. Holden dissatisfies toward the school since it does not help to educate the students about finding their true identity. Students who are lack in guidance will
assume the image of a Polo player from the advertisement as their identity. The identities that will make them get respectability in society and the image that will
make their parents proud. This situation has made the students to be self-identity determiner where they are trying to make the identity for their self. The criterion of
Pencey prep students in determining their image is Polo player from the school’s advertisement. This image emphasizes power and manliness toward every student.
The students tend to think if they follow the image of powerful and manliness that the image represents, they will get respect. Their position as self-identity determiner
who establishes their own identity will disintegrate their progression to be a man
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since the school does not educate them and give them a guidance to be a kind human being.
By determining their self-identities, the students are actually defective. They are able to follow the image but they are failing to learn the essence that the image
represents. This situation indirectly creates violation among the students, because each of them wants to get respect and being powerful. Some of them then try to
prove whether they are more powerful by bullying the other students. This situation creates stratification where the strong and popular students try to victimize other
students who are weaker than they are. They want to show their environment whether they have been succeed to be a strong person as the institution has created.
A strong and respectable person like a Polo player.
In Holden experience, school works as the institution which applying certain image and push their students to follow the standard and norms of elitism. This
situation emerges perplexity among the students who is under pressure but still wonder about their own identity. They cannot express their own self and have to
wear a mask to be someone they do not want. This condition makes a gap among the students between they who want to live within the standard and they who deny the
standard. Their confusion doesn’t find any solution since the teacher never gives explanation about why they have to be someone they don’t want to.
This issue is very close with puberty, the phase of human living that wonders about everything and needs guidance about the phenomena in social living. From the
explanation, it can be seen whether crisis identity among the students in Pencey
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School is obvious. Crisis identity does not only happen toward Holden Caulfield, but also toward the other students who get the education in this institution.
The teachers push the students to live on this elitist standard. Teachers’ force upon students is their method in gaining acknowledgement as a good high-class
teacher from society. The teachers differentiate the students based on their supremacy and advantageous, which students can bring upon them. This situation
makes the students under pressure. School as the education institution supposes to be a channel for its students to learn. Like in family case, Holden thinks whether school
is repressive. The teacher in this institution do not give a help upon the students. In addition, they apply conditional love to treat the students where the one who able to
follow the standard will be well accepted by school and colleagues.
Ed Banky was the basketball coach at Pencey. Old Stradlater was one of his pets, because he was the center on the team, and Ed Banky
always let him borrow his car when he wanted it. It wasnt allowed for students to borrow faculty guys cars, but all the athletic bastards stuck
together. In every school Ive gone to, all the athletic bastards stick together p.23.
Holden is representative of character who separates himself from his school. His rebellion is his less capability in articulating his own predicament. He essentially
lacks the capacity to conceptualize either his aesthetic experience or his inner conflicts about the institution that he attends. Holden’s rebellion is his representation
of his dissatisfaction. His decision by leaving the institution is a clear form of his dissatisfaction toward school as the education institution. Holden is a victim of
school’s failure that makes him doesn’t fit in any educational circumstances. His inability in showing his opinion is a clear form that he is oppressed by the school’s
elitism.
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Holden does not able to speak his mind although he knows that there are many things to change regard with the school’s failure. He is silenced by the norm
and value in society which tend to side on the institution.
What school do you go to? she asked me. She probably wanted to get off the subject of Romeo and Juliet.
I told her Pencey, and shed heard of it. She said it was a very good school. I let it pass, though p.60.
This condition results inner conflict within Holden’s consciousness. In one side, he knows if there are things to change related with society’s perspective about
his school. The elitist image of this school in society has made society think about Pencey as prestigious school obviously will bring kindness in every aspect of its
educational circumstances. In the other side, Holden does not able to speak his opinion whether the prestigious school that he attends is actually defective. He
cannot straighten the social perspective about Pencey School since the society has been doctrined by elitism standard where schools with high-prestige always provide
the best education for the students.
Coinciding with attitude against stratification, many youth who lives from Holden’s view experience social institutions like school as a product of creating a
label. The school is a form of organizational rules for showing prestige to enforce the elitist standards upon human. This suggests some of the basic elements of an
institutional theory where individuals pursue their own interests and maintain prestige to gain compliance. This way put particular changing of human quality to
view people from their background. Human is changing from kind human being into human who are obsessed with materialism. This nature then becomes the basic of
classification among human that happen in society.
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The rebellion action against education system largely originated from the fact that many youth are currently products of the elitist system from school and teachers.
Many youth are against the academic institution because they are confined by it. A movement of youth that questioning school as educational institution, proves the
changing in educational roles in giving knowledge. School’s role is more likely to be institutional, where everything is organized in order to gain particular advantage for
the teacher and the school’s image. The system is made not for providing justice upon the student but it is made so the students can be easier to be controlled. Instead
of giving knowledge, school is more likely to be a devilish institution, which creates hypocrite and polisher people.
The condition where schools push students to live in the elitism standard and in the spirit of discriminating other becomes the basic reason for the main character
to rebel against school. Holden finds whether the institution is creating the idea of stratification and discrimination among its students. School is a tool to emphasize
image and strengthen the students’ position in society. The image of Pencey as glamorous educational institution contradicts with the reality that the students must
face where they are forced to erase their virtue of kind human being. Students have to adapt with the school’s elitist standard, which push them to be hypocrite. Holden
views this situation as a violation of student’s trust upon the school. Schools have disobeyed its basic function to educate and guide the students to be a moral person.
The students are shaped to be hypocrite people. They have to be hypocrite because only this is the reason for them to be accepted by the schools and social
environment. The society has been influenced by the image of Pencey School as an elite school institution that produces elitist student so the students must perform the
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figure that they school has in order to get admission from their environment as the students from Pencey School.
“She asked me where I went to school now, and I told her Pencey, and she said Pencey was a very good school. Even if Id wanted to, I
wouldnt have had the strength to straighten her out. Besides, if she thought Pencey was a very good school, let her think it” p.108.
This condition relates with Holden Caulfield situation. Holden is strongly influenced by his environments. He is influenced by the family, school, and elitist
standard of living. It is not surprising that Holden experiences pressures because each of those environment. Holden rejects his school because he feels upset upon his
school. He cannot live under the elitist standard that creates stratification made by hypocrite people in his school. He chooses to run away from it by quit from his
school. This situation creates a dilemma within Holden’s conscious because his parents are eager to see him become a successful person by attending such
prestigious school. This situation dissatisfies Holden because his parents push him to live in social class, in his family social class. Holden’s dilemma is reasonable since
these two closest environments press him. He can no longer attend the school because he hates it. Keeping being under the educational institution makes Holden
depressed. In the other hand, Holden cannot go back to his home and meet his parents since his trust has been broken by his parents who want him to be a member
of hypocrite society.
4.3 The Failure of School
