The Catcher in the Rye

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

From what you have seen, 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.

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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.

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)