The very first time Holden thinks about ducks is when he is talking with Mr. Spencer. After getting kicked out of Pencey, Holden feels like he needs some sort of guidance, so he decides to go visit Mr. Spencer, his history teacher, one last time. Instead of giving him guidance that he desperately seeks, Mr. Spencer starts talking about how he should start to apply himself. Holden realizes that he isn’t ready to have a serious conversation about his life, so he refrains from discussing why he chooses not to try in school and starts to think about the ducks. “The funny thing is, though, I was sort of thinking of something else while I shot the bull… I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over. I was wondering
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Feeling more alone and depressed than usual, he again turns to the bottle to drown his sorrows. But even in his drunken state, he realizes that the ducks can provide him with an answer, so he goes searching for them in the middle of the night. Holden had “the the most terrific trouble finding that lagoon at night”(154). For the first time, Holden doesn’t take the easy way out and is actually trying to to learn by himself. He could have easily said he couldn’t find it and retreat back to his hotel, but he chooses to go on. This is the first time Holden actually seem determined to learn something. Holden is willing to face his problems by himself without any help from others. He realizes that he needs to mature, and growing up isn’t as scary as he had originally thought. He walks around the lake a few times, trying his hardest to find any signs of the ducks. When he doesn’t see any ducks, he tries harder and goes near the water’s edge to try to find them. He “damn near fell in once, in fact”(154).Which shows his determination to find the ducks and that he will not rest until he finds an answer to his question. His determination is a complete attitude change from before when he first asked about the ducks. When he was taking to Mr. Spencer, he had no determination to even stay in school, but now he will not even rest until he finds the ducks. At this point, Holden has changed and is ready to make good decisions. Although he doesn’t find the ducks, he has found his maturity and strength to do the right thing. After his visit to Central Park, he matures and decides to go home, a new beginning, only this time with making better
Feeling more alone and depressed than usual, he again turns to the bottle to drown his sorrows. But even in his drunken state, he realizes that the ducks can provide him with an answer, so he goes searching for them in the middle of the night. Holden had “the the most terrific trouble finding that lagoon at night”(154). For the first time, Holden doesn’t take the easy way out and is actually trying to to learn by himself. He could have easily said he couldn’t find it and retreat back to his hotel, but he chooses to go on. This is the first time Holden actually seem determined to learn something. Holden is willing to face his problems by himself without any help from others. He realizes that he needs to mature, and growing up isn’t as scary as he had originally thought. He walks around the lake a few times, trying his hardest to find any signs of the ducks. When he doesn’t see any ducks, he tries harder and goes near the water’s edge to try to find them. He “damn near fell in once, in fact”(154).Which shows his determination to find the ducks and that he will not rest until he finds an answer to his question. His determination is a complete attitude change from before when he first asked about the ducks. When he was taking to Mr. Spencer, he had no determination to even stay in school, but now he will not even rest until he finds the ducks. At this point, Holden has changed and is ready to make good decisions. Although he doesn’t find the ducks, he has found his maturity and strength to do the right thing. After his visit to Central Park, he matures and decides to go home, a new beginning, only this time with making better