Estaba revisando trabajos antiguos del cole y encontré este. Fue uno de los written tasks que hice para el IB sobre The Catcher in the Rye. La idea es que Holden y su hermana Phoebe están caminando por Nueva York y encuentran una capsula del tiempo que se abrirá en el año 2006 (es el año 1951). Holden decide poner su red hunting hat en la capsula y esta es la carta que lo acompaña.
December 1951, New York
Dear friend of 2006,
You are probably wondering why I have decided to leave this goddam hunting hat to be found like 50 years later. If you want to know the truth, I don’t know. I hope that now that you are reading this, the world is a little better than when I was alive. The truth is that at my time, it was full of phony people and the only way I could get out of it was by wearing my red hunting hut. Actually, I can’t believe I am admitting this; I used to get all sore when people asked me about it and I lied that I used it to cover my gray hair, just for the hell of it. I have gray hair. I really do. The one side of my head--the right side--is full of millions of gray hairs; they really made me feel as if I was some of an older guy.
Anyway, I always used my hunting hat when I was feeling that I had too many phonies around me. In some way, it made me feel secure and it was kind of a back up for my emotions. I am really complex guy, you know, sometimes I get all yellow. I don’t know. Either I get yellow or I don’t care a damn about what is going on. That’s me, and that’s probably why I bought this hat when I was in New York once. I really think you are going to make a good use of the hat, actually I gave it to my little sister, Phoebe; I thought she was going to need it, but the truth is she is way more intelligent and stable than anyone in the world. If you want to know the truth, I am sure she could live all her life with phonies, and don’t even had one phony attitude. Not one. I told Phoebe I was going to put my hat on this time capsule and all; and she got really excited, I mean really excited. Phoebe always understands. I get so annoyed with those people that keep asking you about everything a million times and then they say they finally got it, but the truth is they haven’t even understood a damn word of what you’ve said. With Phoebe, it is all different. You tell her something once, and she understands it even better than yourself. She kills me.
Getting back to the hat business, I think that in 50 years it will be totally rare to wear it. I bet you are thinking it is old as hell, I know. The truth is that if you have chosen to pick it up from this time capsule, it is because you really need it. It is your destiny. So, face it up and wear it. For god’s sake, it doesn’t matter what the phonies around you say about your hat. Trust me; you will have a helluva good time with it. I just can picture you wearing the godddam hat on and all those spaceships wandering around. God, how I’d love to be in your place and get to meet a Martian and all.
I think I am now prepared to leave my red hunting hat in your hands; it would be awful of me to keep it. I don’t need it anymore. Anyway, if you someday feel that everyone around you is being phony and that the whole world is against you, just put the red hunting hat on, and turn the peak around to the back. It has this something that makes you feel better, it really does.
I forgot to tell you, once you have finished with it, just choose the right person to give it to. I mean, the right person; not just any sonuvabitch you cross by in the street. It has to be someone really special, someone who really kills you. That’s all for now.
Holden Caulfield, from the 1950’s.
