Character Shaping And The Catcher In The Rye
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Schools shouldnt have the responsibility to shape a students character. Shaping ones character should belong solely to the parents. Many schools say they shape their students character, but they shouldnt. They should merely offer an environment that could lead to good character; not force it upon their students. Whether it is J.D. Salingers Pency Prep or Curtis Sittenfelds Groton School in Massachusetts, the only thing a school should be doing is create a safe learning environment and help their students out when they make poor decisions that effect school life.
In the story The Catcher in the Rye Holden talks about what happened to him and why he had to go to a “rest” home. While telling his story though he gives a great example of the private school promise, page 2 “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.” Hes saying schools arent doing what they claim they are doing. On page 5 he goes on to say though ” Im quite a heavy smoker, for one thing-that is I used to be. They made me cut it out.” Pencey in Holdens view doesnt do any molding but they still make an attempt on stopping some of his habits. Pency is forcing the good character on Holden and as book goes on the reader realizes that it doesnt work for he continues to smoke.
Holden wasnt the only person who had a problem with private boarding schools. Curtis Sittenfeld in a piece written for the New York Times on her experience in going to a private school as an adolescent and her opinions because of them. She states “Now at readings, Im asked if Id send my own child away to school, and I say no.” She talks about how boarding schools lead teenagers away from their parents and only have fellow teenagers to influence their decisions. She also states, “There is on every boarding school campus some variation on the