The Catcher in the Rye

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 4,5

From what you have read, how do you feel about this book? Can you relate to the character(s)? What do you think about the story?

Catcher in the Rye

The novel details two days in the life of 16-year-old Holden Caulfield after he has been expelled from prep school. Confused and disillusioned, Holden searches for truth and rails against the “phoniness” of the adult world.

The story is told primarily in the past tense

Genre:

Setting:

Theme(s):

Protagonist:

Symbol(s): 

Pencey Prep Pennsylvania / New York City

Coming-of-age story

Holden Caulfield 

Museum of Natural History

Alienation / Phoniness

Literary Terms

Genre:              Coming-of-age story (Bildungsroman) 

Setting:            Pencey Prep Pennsylvania / New York City

Themes:          Alienation / Phoniness

Protagonist:  Holden Caulfield

Symbol(s):      Museum of Natural History

The Catcher in the Rye: Context

Context

Context

When reading literary works, keep in mind that authors are often influenced by the context in which they live and write.

The Catcher in the Rye was published in 1951.

Watch the clip about America in the 50s and answer the questions.

0

Explain how life was different in the 50s.

https:

Teenage Rebellion

• The Catcher in the Rye: early representation of teenage rebellion

• In 1954, James Dean played a rebellious teenager in the film ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ – iconic figure in 1950s

• The generation gap in the US was growing

• Holden’s struggle with authority reflects a conflict in America

• Holden represents a disillusioned teenager who is expected and pushed to live according to certain norms and rules, but feels disconnected from society and alienated from people.

Source: https://entertainment.time.com/2011/01/06/removing-the-n-word-from-huck-finn-top-10-censored-books/slide/the-catcher-in-the-rye-2/

The book introduced slang expressions like the term screw up (as in, “Boy, it really screws up my sex life something awful”). Literary critics have both hailed and assailed the novel, which broke the mold with its focus on character development rather than plot. Holden Caulfield, the novel’s protagonist, has since become a symbol of adolescent angst. In 1980, 25-year-old Mark David Chapman shot Beatles legend John Lennon in front of his Manhattan home and later gave the book to police as an explanation for why he had done it.

Critical reviews affirm that the novel accurately reflected the teenage colloquial speech of the time. Words and phrases that appear frequently include:

colloquial = informele spreektaal

Vocabulary 

"Phony" – superficially acting a certain way only to change others’ perceptions (35 times)

"Crazy" - 77 times!! 

"Flit" – homosexual

"Crumbum" or "crumby" – inadequate, insufficient, disappointing

"Snowing" – sweet-talking

"Shoot the bull" – have a conversation containing false elements

"Give her the time" – sexual intercourse

"Necking" – passionate kissing especially on the neck (clothes on)

"Chew the fat" or "chew the rag" – small-talk

"Prostitute" – sellout or phony (e.g. in regard to his brother D.B. who is a writer: "Now he's out in Hollywood being a prostitute")

Banned

The Catcher in the Rye was banned in parts of the US (1960s-1980s).

One library banned it for violating codes on “excess vulgar language, sexual scenes, things concerning moral issues, excessive violence [...]” (entertainment.time.com)

Holden Caulfield's struggle

Holden struggles with growing up. 

Holden alienates himself.  Holden tries to protect himself from the outside world by acting bitterly towards the people around him and criticizing them.  

  

Holden tries to connect with other people (also tries to sexually), but he finds this very difficult.  Holden accuses adults of being ‘phony’ and he often thinks about childhood memories.

 

Title 

When Holden misunderstands the words of a song, he imagines children at play in a field of rye that ends at a cliff and says he would like to be the "catcher" who protects the children from falling. The symbol of the catcher in the rye shows Holden's ambivalence (doubts) about becoming an adult.

Symbol 1 

"The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. [...] Nobody'd be different. The only thing that would be different would be you.| (p. 131)

The Museum of Natural History is an important symbol.

What could the Museum of Natural History represent?

The museum represents the world Holden wishes he could live in: it's the world of his “catcher in the rye” fantasy, a world where nothing ever changes, where everything is simple, understandable, and infinite.

Symbol 1 

"The museum's displays are frozen and unchanging and represent the world that Holden wishes he could live in. Change frightens Holden, as it does many people. In the cool, hushed halls of the museum, everything is comfortably still and solid. 

The museum represents the world Holden wishes he could live in: it's the world of his “catcher in the rye” fantasy, a world where nothing ever changes, where everything is simple, understandable, and infinite.

Symbol 2

Holden’s Red Hunting Hat

When does he wear it and when does he take it off? 

it is a symbol of his uniqueness and individuality. The hat is outlandish, and it shows that Holden desires to be different from everyone around him. At the same time, he is very self-conscious about the hat—he always mentions when he is wearing it, and he often doesn’t wear it if he is going to be around people he knows. The presence of the hat, therefore, mirrors the central conflict in the book: Holden’s need for isolation versus his need for companionship.

Symbol 2

Holden’s Red Hunting Hat

 is a symbol of his uniqueness and individuality. The hat is outlandish, and it shows that Holden desires to be different from everyone around him. Holden wears the hat when he feels confident, but he removes it and even hides it when he feels insecure.

it is a symbol of his uniqueness and individuality. The hat is outlandish, and it shows that Holden desires to be different from everyone around him. At the same time, he is very self-conscious about the hat—he always mentions when he is wearing it, and he often doesn’t wear it if he is going to be around people he knows. The presence of the hat, therefore, mirrors the central conflict in the book: Holden’s need for isolation versus his need for companionship.

Symbol 3

The Ducks in the Central Park Lagoon? 

Symbol 3

Holden's obsession with where the ducks in Central Park go in the winter when their water freezes over is symbolic of his anxiety about impermanence (vergankelijkheid) . Some things in the park are permanent features, such as the exhibits in the museum. Others change, however, with the seasons. 

Practise questions

1. What does the title refer to?
2. Who is Sunny? (p. 103)
3. What happens? (p. 104-105) (link this to the motif of 'lying')
4. Why does Maurice (the elevator guy) come back? (p. 109-113)
5. p. 107 - What happened in the past that still affects him? How does Holden feel about this?
   
6. What do the 'ducks in the pond' stand for? Connect this to another symbol from the book. 

Practise questions

7. p. 136 - Who are phonies according to Holden?

8. p. 140-141 - What does Holden ask Sally? How does she respond?

9. How would you describe the relationship between Luce and Holden? (154 - 159)

10.  What did Old Luce say Holden needed? (p. 159)

Booktest: 

1. Plot summary

2. Characterization

3. Holden's language

4. Explanation of the title

5. Symbolism

6. Literary terms connected to the book:
     - Coming-of-age
     - Protagonist / Antagonist / Conflict 
     - Themes 
     - Setting 
     - Fiction / Non-fiction 

Next week:

1st lesson:
Listening + Writing Practise. Bring earphones!

2nd lesson: 

Finishing + revising