Catcher in the Rye

Take notes while reading! Write down and translate new/difficult words! Write down important quotes or pages where you find interesting passages! Come up with questions from the text that you can discuss in your reading-group!

Also, be prepared to discuss: Ch 1-3 How does the book start? How does the writer try to convince you to keep on reading? Does he succeed? Discuss characters how are they presented, what do we get to know about them and what do we guess about them? Comment on possible plantings! What do you think will happen next?

What do we get to know about Holden Caulfield? What are his thoughts about school and friends? How do we get to know that he has been kicked out of school? How does Holden describe Mr Spencer? Comment on their meeting! Discuss the language in the book so far.

Ch. 4-5 Discuss Holdens relation to Ackley and Stradlater. What does he say about them? About school? How does he talk about other people? What do we know about his brother? What can we tell about Holden from his thoughts and opinions? Ch 6-8 Discuss what happens between Stradlater and Holden. Who is Jane Gallagher and what is she to Holden do you think? Holden uses many words like rotten, lonesome, depressing repeatedly. Comment on his behaviour and his tone! Why does he approach Ackley? How does he deal with the fact that his been kicked out of school? Thoughts, plan? Why does he lie to the lady he meets on the train? Ch. 9-13 What does he do and say? Why does he try to make contact with so many people? Does he succeed? In ch. 10 he talks about himself and his siblings. What does he say? Compare the way he describes his siblings and other people.

How does he talk about Jane Gallagher? Discuss the conversation with the cab driver in ch 12 In ch. 13 he meets a prostitute. What happens?

Ch. 14-18 What is your impression of Holdens health? Mentally and physically? Comment on his memory of Allie! How does he handle the situation with Sunny and Maurice? Give some examples of the macabre humour. Is it funny or is it depressing? How does he react when he meets the nuns? Compare his thoughts about children and adults! Discuss his memory about going to the museum! Holden keeps on saying that he is crazy. Is he? Discuss his many exaggerations. Effect? Interpretation? Discuss his conversation with Sally! Ch. 19-26 In the end, Holden returns home to see his sister, Phoebe. Comment on their meeting! How does he feel when he is with her? Whats in his mind these last chapters? How is he, really? In ch. 22 they have a discussion that refers to the title of the book! Comment on that! How do you interpret the title? What happens at Mr Antolinis? Why does he like him and why does he suddenly leave? Discuss the end of the book! When you have finished the book: Choose 1-3 favourite/interesting/strange passages/chapters Discuss the character Holden Caulfield! Would you like to change anything in the book? Explain! Language how was the book to read? Difficult, too easy..? Make a list of 30 new words! Which words return frequently in the text? In what tone/atmosphere is the book written? Comment on the humour in the novel! Message what kind of thoughts do you get when you have finished the book? Can you learn anything from the story? Why do you think the writer wrote this book? Sum up the book in three words compare in your reading group! What do you think about the book? Motivate your answer! Discuss the way we worked with the book! Have you learnt anything from this project? Why why not? What could have been done better, feedback to Kerstin! Enough time?