Louie Banks and Holden Caufield both have a certain someone who they do not get along with in each of the books we read. Louie has problems with Boomer, while Holden's problems are with Stradlater. Both boys have similarities with how their problems with the other character occurs and they both have differences. They approach each situation differently also in the regard to how the situation develops with their opposing character.
Louie and Holden never really do get off on the right step towards each other. From the start of the book it tells us how Louie is training so hard and how he wants to beat Boomer. We see the first situation occur between them the first day of practice when they have to run their mile and Louie's goal is to beat Boomer and how he is beating him until the last 100 meters. This really ticks Louis off from the get go because when they have to keep running this mile over and over Boomer takes it easy and Louie beats him every other time.
George S. Holden cropped from 1890 University of M...
English: Louie, Blues Maskot.
English: Louis CaporussoThis just starts the anger form Louie toward Boomer.
Holden does not start right off hating Stradlater it seems from the beginning. He goes in and talks to him in the bathroom. Holden seems to start to get frustrated with Stradlater here also. He does when he writes his paper and he tears it up when it meant something to him because it was about D.B. We also see this to because Stradlater goes out with Jane.
Louie's relationship with Boomer gets real interesting when the whole incident at the football game occurs. Where their coach wants them to hurt Washington a black kid on the opposing football team. Boomer thinks that Louie is a wimp or coward to carry out the act because Louie thinks that it is the wrong thing to do. Well Boomer does hurt Washington during the game and Louie stands up for Washington. He starts yelling at the referee's telling them that it was done maliciously and shy don't they call a penalty. All the officials say that they didn't see a thing. Louie gets into it on the field with his coach about the whole incident and he sends Louie to the locker room. Louie then quits the football team. Later that night Louie runs into Boomer. Boomer comes over and tries to get Louie out of his truck and hurt him. Louie drives away with Boomer's hand in the window and then finally lets him go. Louie tries to avoid Boomer when ever he can now.
Holden and Stradlater get into a fight when Holden tries to talk to him about his date with Jane. Holden knows Jane and hoped that Stradlater didn't do anything to her or seduce her. So Holden gets fed up with Stradlater not telling him anything so he tries to punch him. This turns into Holden getting knocked out.
To Louie this whole thing with Boomer develops him as a character in a good way I think. It does so by him spending more time with Becky and he is now standing up for what he thinks is right. If the whole thing with the football incident does not occur then we might not see Louie and Becky's relationship bloom. This buts an interesting twist into the book.
In Holden's case with his relationship with Stradlater it is kind of the start of a downwards spiral for him. After the fight he asks to stay in Acker's room and he doesn't let him. Now Holden feels that no one cares about him on the face of the earth. Holden now goes into like a depression, but we do see some good come out of this too. The good we see come out of him is a caring kind in since toward his sister. In the depression side we see him say that he should just kill himself, but if he did everyone would have to look at his measurable body.
Holden and Louie are kind of similar in the sense of they are dealing with a girl the whole time they are fighting their battle with the other character. Louie really finds Becky to fall on in his time of need and Holden's whole fight with Stradlater starts with dealing with Jane.
These two characters are different towards each other. Louie kind of finds himself in this whole mess with Boomer. He finds out what kind of person he is and how to stick up for himself and do what is right. In the other hand Holden takes a turn for the bad with his whole getting kicked out of school and his fight with Stradlater. He just doesn't care about anything anymore it seems like. He does not do anything to help himself out and he is in a kind of like depression about everything that is going on in his life right now
"Lefty Louie", "Gyp the Blood", & their captors (...
Deutsch: Louie
Louie (song)