Explain Holden’s reaction to packing the ice skates.

Holden gets depressed when he packs the ice skates his mother gave him because it reminds him of how his mother will feel when she finds out he got kicked out of school. He almost feels disappointed in himself because this is the third school that he has gotten flunked out of. “I could see my mother going into Spaulding’s and asking the salesman a million dopey questions-and here I was getting the ax again.”(p. 52) Holden pictures his mom making the effort to go out and buy her son some skates that he asked for, and now he will not even be able to use them because he is leaving the school. He imagines his parents being very disappointed, and Holden feels that he has let himself down, as well as his parents.

Getting a present in general makes Holden sad because he does not always feel like he deserved it. People usually give presents to those who have accomplished something or it is a special occasion on their behalf. Whenever Holden gets a present, he does not feel as though he has earned it. He feels as though he has let himself down many times because he flunks out of school and does careless mistakes such as leave the fencing equipment on the subway. Because of this, whenever Holden gets a present it ends up making him sad rather than happy. He feels as though he should have earned the gift for doing something that makes him great.