Published 1951

Presents a view of America in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s  The schools  The urban experience  The family relationships  The peer influences  The personal values

Realism  In its use of language  In its use of social criticism where it is due  In its presentation of real problems which adolescents face in the process of achieving maturity

Romanticism  In its view of the innocence of childhood  In its quest for truth  In its idealizing of the past  In its emphasis on individual discovery and growth

Frame Story Structure Outside frame – Holden’s talking to a psychoanalyst Inside story – Holden’s own narrative, with flashbacks of the events

Narrative 1 st person Autobiographical Episodic - divided into separate or tenuously related parts or sections; loosely connected: Picaresque - involving clever rogues or adventurers Psychological – the events narrated are accompanied by Holden’s thoughts Quest narrative- in which Holden seeks to discover truth, values, and ultimately, himself and his place in the world

Some Values Stressed  The need for inner direction and commitment to action  A sensitive awareness of life’s compensations; a necessary balance of sympathy and rejection, joy and sorrow  The recognition of superficial standards of behavior; the challenge of seeking positive change in one’s moral environment  The ability to feel compassion and to expect justice for all  The therapeutic worth of honesty in communications with others; the treatment of every person as an individual  The learning of universal love and empathy in one’s individual struggle against hypocrisy and worldly corruption