Catcher in the Rye

Reading and Discussion Notes

J (Jerome) D (David) Salinger

• Born in NYC in 1919– Son of a wealthy importer—child of privilege, just like Holden

• Shuttled between various prep schools until he was finally sent to military school

• Attended a number of colleges but never graduated– While at Columbia University, he took a class in creative writing;

rekindled his interest in a writing career

– First short story published in 1940– Published Catcher in 1951: only novel he ever wrote– Continued to write short stories for the next 10 years, but

withdrew from public life completely in 1965

Catcher in the Rye—social impact

• Novel is a coming-of-age story

• Articulated the feelings of youth struggling against the conformist adult society of the 1950’s and 1960’s

• Use of slang, profanity, and because he discussed adolescent sexuality in a complex and open way led to controversy and censorship

Plot Overview

• SETTING– 1950’s

• Starts at Pencey Prep School in Penn.• Moves to NYC

– December—a week before Christmas Break: book spans a three day period in Holden’s life

• Frame Story– Outside framework: Holden is in a “rest home”/rehab like

facility in Ch. 1 and 26– Inside framework: Story of 3 days that led up to Holden’s

stay in the rest home• Style: stream on consciousness—we are hearing Holden’s story from

his point of view, as he remembers the events and his free association of ideas

Plot Overview

• Narrator– Holden Caulfield—16years old

• Flunked out of Pencey and numerous other prep schools

• Comes from affluent family• Has older brother, DB; sister, Phoebe;

younger brother, Allie, died a few years prior of leukemia

• Story is told from Holden’s perspective looking back on the past

– Where is he now?

Plot Overview

• Ch. 1-8: Leaving Pencey– Holden failed 4 out of 5 subjects and is not

invited back after Christmas Break– Says goodbye to his favorite teacher, Mr.

Spencer• Admonishes Holden that he must learn to “play

the game”– Game of Life—How does Holden see life as a game? Is it

a fair game? Who has the advantage?

– Encounters his roommate (Stradlater) and neighbor (Ackley); both are slobs and phonies

Plot Overview• Ch. 1-8: Leaving Pencey

– Favor for Stradlater—who went on a date with Holden’s friend, Jane Gallagher—lets reader know about the death of Allie and Holden’s reaction to it• Importance of Jane Gallagher? Who is she to Holden?

What’s the deal with her kings in the back row?

– When Stradlater returns from date, he and Holden fight about Jane

– Holden packs up and leaves Pencey after fight• Heads to Manhattan to relax in a hotel for 3 days

before returning to his parents’ apartment• On the train—incident with Mrs. Morrow

Symbols and Motifs so far…

• Ducks in Central Park

• The red hunting hat

• Holden’s gray hair

• Jane’s kings in the back row

• Phonies

Title Origins• Based on a poem by Scottish poet, Robert Burns

– O Jenny is all wet, poor body,Jenny is seldom dry:She draggled all her petticoats,Coming through the rye!

– Coming through the rye, poor body,Coming through the rye,She draggled all her petticoats,Coming through the rye!

– Should a body meet a bodyComing through the rye,Should a body kiss a body,Need a body cry?

– Should a body meet a bodyComing through the glen,Should a body kiss a body,Need the world know?

– Should a body meet a bodyComing through the grain,Should a body kiss a body,The thing is a body's own.

Title Origins

• What does the poem mean? What is Jenny doing in the rye?– She has had a sexual encounter and is wrestling with feelings of

guilt, shame, and excitement• What, then, does it mean to be the “catcher” in the rye? What would

the “catcher” do?– Literally: to stop or catch people before they have sex in the fields– Metaphorically: Protect people from losing their “innocence”

• How does this relate to Holden? How does he feel about sex? Romantic love?

– He wants to protect innocent people (children, Jane) from being taken advantage of

• How does this relate to the little boy who Holden hears singing the poem while he walks along the sidewalk with his parents?

– Kid is on the curb, about to fall into the dangerous city street…parents are not watching, but Holden is.

Plot Overview

• Ch. 9-22: NYC– Stays at Edmont Hotel

• Watches others in their hotel rooms• Calls hooker/stripper Faith Cavendish

– Refuses to meet him so late

• Goes to bar: Lavender Room– Can’t get served drinks– Hits on 3 older women

» They use him to buy them drinks and then leave

Plot Overview

• Ch. 9-22: NYC– After leaving the bar, Holden thinks about Jane

• Met on vacation in Maine– Played checkers, went to movies, kissed once

– Leaves hotel to go to Jazz Bar: Ernie’s• For the third time in the novel, he wonders where the

ducks in Central Park go in the winter

– Back at the hotel, the elevator man (Maurice) offers to get Holden a hooker

• When Sunny comes to his room, he decides he just wants to talk, then he pays her and asks her to leave

• Maurice shows up demanding more money; Holden refuses and gets beat up by Maurice

Plot Overview

• Ch. 9-22: NYC– NYC Day 2

• Calls former girlfriend Sally Hayes—makes a date for the afternoon

• Calls Jane Gallagher—not home• Goes to Central Park to try and find his sister• Calls Carl Luce, student advisor from Whooton

– Meet at a bar, where Holden proceeds to act extremely immature and offends Luce, who leaves

– Holden stays at bar and gets drunk

• Drunk, he heads first to Central Park to see the ducks, then home to his parents’ apartment to see Phoebe

Plot Overview

• Ch. 9-22: NYC– Admits to Phoebe he’s kicked out– Tells her he wants to be a “catcher in

the rye”• Based on a Robert Burns poem

– Person who rescues little kids from a cliff– Phoebe corrects him and tells him that he’s got

the poem all wrong» Holden’s version “IF A BODY CATCH A BODY”» Phoebe’s correction “IF A BODY MEET A

BODY”

Plot Overview• Ch. 23-end

– Leaves parents’ apartment to see former English teacher Mr. Antolini

• Falls asleep on his couch• Wakes up to Antolini stroking his forehead

– Holden thinks he is trying to molest him, so he leaves

– NYC Day 3: Goes to Phoebe’s school• Leaves her a note that he is running away and to meet him

at the museum at lunch• Phoebe comes with her suitcase—she wants to go with him• He refuses, takes her to ride the carousel, which makes him

very happy– What is significant about the carousel ride—What does Holden

say that might show evidence that he is maturing just a bit?

– Story ends with Holden saying that he doesn’t want to tell about going home or where he is; says he is starting new school in fall—WILL HE BE SUCCESSFUL THIS TIME?

Themes

• Alienation to protect ourselves– Holden alienates himself from everyone as a

result of Allie’s death• If you don’t care about anyone or anything, then

nothing can hurt you

• Painfulness of Growing up– This book isn’t really about anything happening;

it is about Holden growing up and maturing• Holden tries to resist growing up as much as possible

• Phoniness of the Adult World– All adults are phonies and they can’t see their

phoniness• Phony: superficial, hypocrite, shallow

Symbols

• The “Catcher in the Rye”– Based on poem by Robert Burns

• Childhood=field of rye• Catcher rescues the children from the cliff• Cliff=adulthood

• Red Hunting Hat– Symbol of his uniqueness and

individuality• Hat is red—same color as Phoebe and Allie’s

hair

Symbols

• Museum of Natural History– Everything is frozen and unchanging

• Holden would like to freeze his life—he is confused by the adult world and would like to stay a kid

• Ducks– Symbolize Holden’s still youthful curiosity– Symbolize that sometimes things/people

leave, but they do come back (unlike Allie)