Breaking The Code To The Catcher In The Rye discussion

From page 2 in The Catcher in the Rye:

Where I want to start telling is the day I left Pencey Prep. Pencey Prep is this school that's in Agerstown, Pennsylvania. You probably heard of it. You've probably seen the ads, anyway. They advertise in about a thousand magazines, always showing some hotshot guy on a horse jumping over a fence. (1) 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 horse's picture, it always says: "Since 1888 we have been molding boys into splendid, clear-thinking young men." Strictly for the birds.

(1) http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equita...
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Show_h...

"In over fences classes (classes in which the horse and rider jump obstacles), the competitor rides over a course of at least six jumps (usually more). "

"A good show hunter must possess an excellent jumping form... The horse should not be lazy with its lower legs, but should tuck them under its forearm as it clears the fence, clearly bending its fetlocks and knees. The horse should not throw its body or legs to one side, but should stay perfectly straight over the fence. A good show hunter should show a great bascule, or roundness over a jump."

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polo

"Polo was at first a training game for cavalry units, usually the king's guard or other elite troops. It is known in the East as the Game of Kings."

To jump over fences:
http://dictionary.reverso.net/english...
To cause to leap over an obstacle,, as for a horse to jump over a hedge.

Fences are used to keep others out. Pencey Prep is an all boys school.  At Pencey they teach you how to avoid such obstacles. They are not really very clear-thinking or splendid as they say in their ad but they don't have to be, because they are entitled.
The ad would have you believe that the horses they will ride are thoroughbreds.  But what happens if you don't go to Pencey Prep.  What kind of horse might you get stuck with in the game of life?  Or if you are a girl? Or if you are not in the right cliche? Or you don't have the "right" temperment (Quiet chapter 3 about Harvard School  Undiversity)?
Or are not the right "class" to rule? .

This is answered in the last chapter (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
The Catcher in the Rye:

Yes." "Go ahead, then--I'll be on this bench right over here. I'll watch ya.".... she went and got on the carrousel. She walked all around it. I mean she walked once all the way around it. (It is round like a roulette wheel)Then she sat down on this big, brown, beat-up-looking old horse. Then the carrousel started, and I watched her go around and around. There were only about five or six other kids on the ride, and the song the carrousel was playing was "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes." It was playing it very jazzy and funny.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WbQuYgPr...

All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, (makes me think of )and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she'd fall off the goddam horse, but I didn't say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them. When the ride was over she got off her horse and came over to me. "You ride once, too, this time," she said. No, I'll just watch ya. I think I'll just watch," I said. I gave her some more of her dough. "Here. Get some more tickets

"Okay. Hurry up("irrational exuberance")Alan Greenspan, though, now. You're gonna miss your ride. You won't get your own horse (house, retirement) or anything."
"The thing's starting." She ran and bought her ticket and got back on the goddam carrousel just in time. Then she walked all the way around it till she got her own horse back. Then she got on it. She waved to me and I waved back. Boy, it began to rain like a bastard. In buckets, I swear to God. All the parents and mothers and everybody went over and stood right under the roof of the carrousel, so they wouldn't get soaked to the skin or anything, but I stuck around on the bench for quite a while. I got pretty soaking wet, especially my neck and my pants. My hunting hat really gave me quite a lot of protection, in a way; but I got soaked anyway. I didn't care, though. I felt so damn happy all of sudden, the way old Phoebe kept going around and around. I was damn near bawling, I felt so damn happy, if you want to know the truth. I don't know why. It was just that she looked so damn nice, the way she kept going around and around, in her blue coat  and all. God, I wish you could've been there.

I was just thinking about the Game Of Kings and how Jane kept all her Kings on the back row.

Any thoughts on this?

Holden Caulfield - Hold-ing. Caul - a veil that was supposed to bring luck and keep it's possessor from drowning.

In the stock market you want to floating sink.

Holden held Phoebe -Feeble's money.

He gave her her money so she could get on a carousel that looks like a roulette wheel. The wheel of fortune, plays the song "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". It is a confidence song. The market is a confidence game.

When there is a storm...everyone but Holden runs to the bank...I mean the stock market. But Holden just puts on the "people hunting hat". He laughs because he is going to make a killing in the war.

I couldn't have said it better! Not only did he wish to hide but he had to tell...without destroying himself or those he loved. Salinger was the prostitute for Hollywood...but he knew, because of his privileged education and circle of friends (at Valley Forge Academy and beyond) that the war was a charade. A shell game for people to hide the true cause of the war while they focused on the man Hitler. Seems every war must have a face. But without money, and lots of it, there could beno wars. A license to steal. War is a Racket: The Antiwar Classic by America's Most Decorated Soldier...

I never really cared about studying war. I thought that was a man's area of interest. I was interested in kids and education. This is why i read TCITR. A friend heard my huge complaint about how i hated school and suggested that i read it. It didn't really say anything very profound to me about school and i was disappointed.

Here is an article that has resonated with me on that subject....just throwing this out there even though it is off topic, it is something i care about.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisf...