The First Slice of Rye

I love The Catcher in the Rye. The main character, Holden, seems like a real person that is really talking to you. His outlooks on life are humorous, and his pessimistic approaches to people seem to be about correct. He may miss their good qualities, but I like how he identifies their flaws and is not fooled by their 'phoniness.'

Sometimes, my thoughts remind me a lot of the way Holden thinks. I can relate, in a way. Though most of the time I am basically absentminded, when I do actually let my thoughts run, they can be very similar. I do not distance myself from other people if they are the slightest bit 'phony' though. There would not be a lot of people for me to talk to if I did so. I mean, I am phony in some ways myself. Holden is even phony, as he depicts that he doesn't care about anything, really. But we can decipher that the reason he tries so hard at times to make it seem like he does not care is all a cover for the fact that deep down, he truly does.

Contrasting

Oprah's interpretation of Tuesdays with Morrie disappointed me.

First of all, the quality in the of the movie was lacking. The actor playing Morrie was nothing like the real Morrie we see on Nightline. Nor was he at all the way I see him when I read the book. The entire cast was slightly disappointing, in fact.

Next, we move on to the plot changes. In the book, Mitch is married, and has been married. But in the movie, there is a conflict between Mitch and his girlfriend over whether to even get married at all. The plot is pretty similar, but flashbacks are also lacking. Instead, the flashbacks are sometimes brought up awkwardly in conversation. It feels as if we are missing something about the relationship between Mitch and Morrie.

All in all, I think it is obvious that I really enjoy the book, and wish that either the movie had not yet been made, or done much, much better.

Tuesdays With Morrie--Video Response

I was astounded, firstly, by the intellect that Morrie exudes. You can see the insight in his eyes, and his thoughts are deep, and quick to roll off his tongue. He loves many, many people. You can tell that unlike most people, he does not wallow in the misery of his illness. He has accepted that his fate is his fate, and he is going to make the most of it.

People really do seem to be drawn to Morrie. For example, he insults Ted Koppel right off the bat, but Ted is not really upset by it. He is enlightened, and only asks Morrie why he thought him to be a narcissist. Morrie explains it to him thoroughly, and it is clear that he no longer thinks that now that he has met Ted. I enjoyed Ted's response to Morrie's judgement: "I am too ugly to be a narcissist." It was quite funny.