What to Expect in The Catcher in the Rye

A COMING-OF-AGE NOVEL THAT IS ONE OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY TAUGHT BOOKS IN SCHOOLS, AND ONE OF

THE MOST FREQUENTLY BANNED BOOKS IN SCHOOLS.

Why is it so controversial?

SEXUALITY

UNDERAGE DRINKING

PROSTITUTION

CROSS-DRESSING

HOMOPHOBIAVIOLENCE

FIGHTING CHAIN SMOKING

VULGARITY

FOUL LANGUAGE

COMPULSIVE LYING

MENTAL ILLNESS

DEATH

DEPRESSION

J.D. Salinger Author’s Background

• Mysterious figure throughout his life

• Wrote stories before & after WWII (served in the army)

Hangs out with young college kids, talks to them about growing up (positives and negatives in life)

• Uses these notes to write Catcher in 1951Becomes an “over-night” success: fame and money

The Catcher in the Rye

J.D. Salinger, later in life

Author’s Background, cont.

Doesn’t publish again after Catcher

Disappears to a small town in New Hampshire, (Cornish)

House in wooded acres, bushes, trees, high fences, a compound

Continues to write privately for himself, in a backyard cottage

The Catcher in the Rye

Salinger and his Daughter

Author’s Background, cont.

He doesn’t have any visitors, guests, or interviews. Just him, his wife, and two children

Although his neighbors would see him around town, he never spoke to reporters again

Dies in January 27th of 2010 at age 91

The Catcher in the Rye

Novel’s Background Information

Novel’s setting is Pennsylvania for the first few chapters, and then New York City, for the majority of the book

Story takes place in the 1940’s, soon after World War II

The story focuses on four days that occurred before Christmas

The Catcher in the Rye

Caulfield Family Tree Men and Women’s Role in Society

Mother: Stay-at-home **pay attention to her interaction with the children **pay attention to Holden’s comments

Father: High powered lawyer reinvests money **pay attention to Holden’s

comments

The Catcher in the Rye

Caulfield Children

D.B.: Eldest child, 22-26 years old

Aspiring writer

• Holden: 16 year old son, main character• The story is told from his first

person point of view as one extended flashback.

• Allie: Died of Leukemia at the age of 13, two years before the

Phoebe: 11 years old sister smart for her age

The Catcher in the Rye

What is it? Unstructured, unedited writing that reflects one’s

observations or feelings about a certain person, event, or item.

“Selective omniscience” The presentation of thoughts and impressions in a

lifelike fashion—not in a sequence arranged by logic, but mingled randomly

May sound rambling, disjointed, and may jump from subject to subject—but this allows us to feel as if we are in the character’s head, and we feel a personal connection.

Stream of Consciousness Writing

Try it out yourself!!!

FOR THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES, WRITE. JUST WRITE. DO NOT STOP, AND DO NOT TAKE YOUR PENCIL OFF OF THE PAGE. WRITE ABOUT WHATEVER IS GOING

THROUGH YOUR HEAD—EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING. GRAMMAR, SPELLING, AND ORGANIZATION DO NOT

MATTER FOR THIS EXERCISE. THINK ON PAPER!

Holden Caulfield’s trip to

New York City

Radio City Music Hall

Rockefeller Center – Ice Skating Rink

Rockefeller Center – Facade and Christmas Tree

Museum of Natural History

NY Public Library

Museum of Natural History – Dinosaurs!

Nature Dioramas – Museum of Natural

History

Times Square

Central Park

…and the ducks

More Ducks!

Grand Army Plaza Grand Central Station

Is it inevitable that we conform to the world and society around us?

Is it possible to grow up without becoming a phony?

Can a person grow up and maintain his/her innocence?

The Essential Questions: The Search for Identity