1. Author: J.D. Salinger Published: 1951
The Catcher in the Rye
Author: J.D. Salinger
Published: 1951

2. Jerome David (J.D.) Salinger
Served in WWII
Literary recluse - rarely granted interviews, none after 1980
Wrote several short stories and books about young adults and the process of growing up
The Catcher in the Rye = most famous and notorious work
Introduction

3. The Catcher in the Rye: Stats
published in 1951
has sold over 65 million copies worldwide
was popular with college students before literary critics found merit in it
Time Magazine named it one of the best novels of 20th century
frequently challenged and banned in libraries and schools because of talk of sex and excessive bad language
Introduction

5. The Catcher in the Rye: Why we picked it
Holden is (arguably) a near perfect sketch of an American teenager - one that still holds true today.
You will see bits of yourself or your friends in Holden. (I dare you not to.)
Introduction

7. Characters Holden Caulfield, age 16
D.B. - Holden's older brother who is
a "sellout" Hollywood writer
Allie - Holden's younger brother who died previous year of leukemia
Phoebe - Holden's innocent but wise younger sister
Stradlater and Ackley - classmates who act as foils for Holden
Jane and Sally - girls Holden has dated or is interested in dating
Introduction

8. Point of View and Author Style
First-person Limited - we only see Holden's point of view (key question: is he a reliable narrator?)
Stream of Consciousness - the book sounds like the stream of thoughts running through your head
Dialect - Salinger replicates the dialect of a teenage boy
the language is controversial, but this makes it more believable
Introduction

9. Setting Pencey Prep: Holden’s boarding school
New York City: a little bit of everything
Introduction

10. Basic Plot: What to Expect
Holden has been expelled from his private high school
Instead of going straight home, he detours through NYC, trying his hand at being an adult
Events and issues include: school, teachers, music, sex, alcohol, hypocrisy, family, being a teenager, and growing up
Introduction

11. Symbols to look for… Carousel Red hunting cap Baseball
Allie's Catcher's
mitt
Ducks in Central
Park Pond
Museum of
Natural History
Pencey Prep
The catcher in the rye
Introduction

12. Themes to watch…
Holden’s Journey through young adulthood: growing up and what that means, including:
Loss of Innocence - bildungsroman
Struggle for Identity
Disgust with Adult Hypocrisy (the phony people)
Alienation as a Form of Protection, including:
Anger as a Shield Against Pain
Confrontation of Fear
Confusion surrounding Love and Sexuality, including:
Elusion of Love
Fear of Intimacy and Homosexuality
Guilt
Introduction

13. Quick Writing: Respond
Put yourself into Holden’s shoes. What would you do if you were expelled from school, had a little money to spend, and knew that your parents would not expect you home for two days?
Please keep your responses school appropriate. ( Even though Holden doesn't...I don't want to have to report you!) O_0
Introduction

15. Activity 1: Characterization
Terminology Review:
Protagonist
Antagonist
Dynamic
Static
Stereotype
External Conflict
Internal Conflict
Foil
The main character (not always the “good guy”)
The character working against the main character
Changing, growing personality
Unchanging personality, doesn’t learn anything
Going along with common impressions or expectations
Man vs: Man/Machine, Society, Nature/Animal, Fate/Destiny
Man vs Self (making moral decisions)
Character who provides direct contrast to another character

16. Activity 1: Characterization
Instructions:
Complete each section of the character analysis sheet for Holden.
Complete each section of the worksheet on foils, regarding Ackley and Stradlater.
You may work in pairs, but each person must turn in a paper.

17. Activity 2: Author Style
Stream of Consciousness
narration which follows the unedited thoughts of the speaker
usually seems jumbled, but relies on association of thoughts and ideas
look at the ideas right before and right after a passage to discover how the narrator arrived at the topic – what reminded him of his current thought?
This style often seems immature – why might Salinger have used it anyways?
Other Examples from Literature
James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, William Faulkner, Jack Kerouac

18. Activity 2: Author Style
Narrator and Reliability
First person: uses I: “I walked down the hallway and waved to my friend.”
Second person: uses you: “So you are walking down the hallway, and you see one of your friends.”
Third person: uses she or he: “She walked the hallway, searching for a familiar face.”
Reliability
Can you trust the narrator’s perception of people and events?
Is the narrator honest with himself and others?

19. Activity 2: Author Style
Dialect
Local language: coke, pop, soda
Slang: text speak, age-related language
Cursing: mild to extreme
Consider
Does the dialect show setting, including place and time period?
Does it show characterization?
Is it realistic?

20. Activity 2: Author Style
Instructions:
On your own, complete the worksheet on stream of consciousness, using your book as needed.
When I tell you to form groups, discuss whether Holden is a reliable narrator, and whether the dialect sounds like a real teenager. Provide at least four points to each argument, with quotes from the book to back up your opinions.

21. Activity 3: Symbolism Symbols:
Visual representations of words or ideas
Some have the same meaning for the majority of people
But others can mean different things for different people

22. Activity 3: Symbolism Instructions:
Complete the chart for each symbol, including a physical description from the book, and your own explanation of what the symbol means to the book.
With a partner, discuss which symbols might be most important to the work.

23. Activity 4: Theme The Hero’s Journey by gloveandboots
What is Holden’s quest? What is he
searching for?
The innocence of childhood
Holden wants everything to stay the same as when he was younger – he isn’t ready to grow up.
The elusion of love
Holden is dying for someone to love him – parents, friends, girlfriends, prostitutes. He finally settles on imaginary children.
The struggle for identity (bildungsroman)
Holden doesn’t yet know who he wants to be – he looks at everyone as phony, but he’s not sure how to avoid that himself.

24. Activity 4: Theme Instructions:
With a partner, complete the worksheet on theme. Be sure to check the book carefully for quotations: this is also a good way to review the plot of the book.
Extra credit: on a separate paper, choose one of the themes and discuss how it applies to your life. Use specific examples. 2-3 paragraphs.