The song "Breathe (2 AM)" by Anna Nalick reveals Holden's frustration caused by his inability to prevent change. Through the lyrics “life's like an hourglass, glued to the table”, Nalick focuses on the fact that life is always moving and no one can stop change from occurring. The hourglass illustrates the constant flow of time, and it being glued to the table emphasizes that one can’t stop or turn back the time. The song reveals Holden’s frustration because Holden states that “certain things should stay the way they are” and that “you ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone” (122). Holden wishes he had the ability to put something into one of those glass cases and protect them from the inevitable change that comes with time. However, as stated in “Breathe (2 AM),” life’s hourglass can’t be stopped, so Holden’s frustration is caused by not being able to prevent change. Also, the song states that “you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,” which emphasizes that Holden is trapped on the track of life. He is dragged along the track by time, and no matter how hard he tries he can’t “jump the track” and escape the constant movement and changing of life. Holden can’t prevent change from occurring, and “Breathe (2 AM)” helps to reveal his frustration due to his inability.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Breathe (2 AM) by Anna Nalick
The song Breathe (2 AM) by Anna Nalick would appear in "The Catcher in the Rye" when Holden is thinking about the museum. He will begin to softly sing the chorus of the song to himself as he walks. He will sing the part,
"Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable, And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table. No one can find the rewind button, boys, So cradle your head in your hands."
This piece of the song will appear during this scene because Holden is thinking about how he likes the museum because nothing in the museum ever changes, and he doesn't like how he changes. The song talks about how life is always moving, and no matter what, you can't stop life from moving on.
Link to song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPz3YaIJkjQ
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I agree that Nalick's lyrics portray Holden's frustration for not being able to have control of time and change. I think that the lyrics also convey Holden's contradicting nature with the line "Like they have any right at all to criticize, Hypocrites. You're all here for the very same reason." Nalick's judgmental view on the people who are judging her is quite similar to Holden's view on people who are critical, liars, and phonies. Great job explicating the lyrics!
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Julia and Winston. Holden wishes to prevent change numerous times through out the novel. One instance occurs when he tells Phoebe that he wants to be a catcher in the rye and that he would "do it all day," (173), which connects to Julia's idea of hating change. Also, the lyrics, "No one can find the rewind button," illustrates the reality of life, which Holden despises and that he cannot rewind his life back to the time when everything was alright. I also agree with how Holden cannot "jump the track," and avoid the changes of life.
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