Name: Jonathan Renk Due Date: November 17th

Reading: Catcher in the Rye Class: Honors 11 English

Key Moments (creative titles for important events in the text)

1. Holden’s Contradictions 4. Youth 7. Madness / Insanity

2. Isolation 5. Depression

3. Sexuality 6. Innocence

Key Quotations (discussions of important language drawn from the Key Moments)

Quotation and Citation Technique​ and ​Effect​ (​noun​ and v​ erb phrase​) Notes (commentary about the quotations)

1."What I really felt like, though, was Salinger makes Holden contradict himself here Holden confesses he would have rather killed
committing suicide. I felt like jumping out the in order to further reveal Holden’s inner himself than go to sleep. His reason for not
window. I probably would've done it, too, if I'd struggle. doing it gives the reader a glimpse into his
been sure somebody'd cover me up as soon contradictory nature, and reveals the conflict
as I landed. I didn't want a bunch of stupid inside him. He wants to die because
rubbernecks looking at me when I was all gory" everybody is a "phony" yet wants to live
(104). because he doesn't want these "phonies" to
judge him.

2. "What I have to do, I have to catch
everybody if they start to go over the
cliff...That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the
catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but
that's the only thing I'd really like to be" (173).
This is another example of Holden
contradicting himself. Salinger also uses
imagery here in order to give the reader a
clearer understanding of Holden’s desires.
Holden desperately tries to preserve his
childhood innocence while also acting grown
up, without realizing that part of growing up is
losing that innocence. He uses this idea of
being a catcher in a rye field without realizing
he is the one falling off of this metaphorical cliff
into adulthood.

3. “Anyway, it was the Saturday of the football Salinger uses imagery to show Holden’s This quote, found early in the story, reveals
game. […] I remember around three o'clock isolation from the rest of his school, and how how Holden would rather be alone and watch
that afternoon I was standing way the hell up he prefers to be alone. other people then participate and create
on top of Thomsen Hill…” emotional connections to others.
4. "Well – take me to the Edmont then," I said.
"Would you care to stop on the way and join
me for a cocktail? On me, I'm loaded."
5. “Most guys at Pencey just talked about Salinger uses other characters in order to
having sexual intercourse with girls all the time suggest Holden’s views on sexuality.
– like Ackley, for instance – but old Stradlater
really did it. I was personally acquainted with at
least two girls he gave the time to. That's the
truth.”
6. “His date kept saying, "No – please. Please,
don't. Please." But old Stradlater kept snowing
her in this Abraham Lincoln, sincere voice, and
finally there'd be this terrific silence in the back
of the car.”
7. Partly because I have a lousy vocabulary
and partly because I act quite young for my
age sometimes. I was sixteen then, and I'm
seventeen now, and sometimes I act like I'm
about thirteen.
8. "Okay, okay," I say. I figured the hell with it.
"Bring me a Coke." He started to go away, but
I called him back. "Can'tcha stick a little rum in
it or something?"
Holden’s narrative commentary and actions
suggest his desperation for attention as well as
emotional connections.
Holden’s recollection of this, along with other
quotes, suggest Salinger’s views on sexuality
and masculinity.
Salinger uses Holden’s vocabulary in the story
to show his immaturity and his inner conflicts
with growing up.
Holden’s actions contradict his earlier
thoughts. He wants to remain a child, yet also
wants to be able to drink at a bar.
Holden is so desperate for someone to talk to
that he invites his cab driver for drinks. While
this may seem sweet, the fact that Holden has
nobody to talk to besides someone he just met
reveals how lonely and isolated he is.
Holden is still uncomfortable with his own
sexuality, so he is fascinated by someone who
is more comfortable with women than he is.
Throughout the story, Holden only describes
his sexual experiences negatively, and they
often include coercion and even rape.
Holden describes himself in this quote, and it
reveals to the reader that Holden knows he is
immature. However, being honest and
explaining this to the reader can also be
viewed as an act of maturity, as being honest
with oneself and admitting to certain
weaknesses isn't something immature people
often do.
Holden enjoys his youth in some scenes, yet
wishes he was a grown up in others. This
demonstrates the fact that you lose certain
things while growing up, like your childhood
innocence, but also gain privileges as an adult.
9. "Because you don't. You don't like any
schools. You don't like a million things. You
don't."
"I do! That's where you're wrong—that's
exactly where you're wrong!”
10. “All the two of them were eating for
breakfast was toast and coffee. That
depressed me. I hate it if I'm eating bacon and
eggs or something and somebody else is only
eating toast and coffee.”
11. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is
Jim Steele," I said.
"Ya got a watch on ya?" she said. She didn't
care what the hell my name was, naturally.
"Hey, how old are you, anyways?"
"Me? Twenty-two."
12. “The best thing, though, in that museum
was that everything always stayed right where
it was. Nobody'd move. You could go there a
hundred thousand times, and that Eskimo
would still be just finished catching those two
fish, the birds would still be on their way south,
the deers would still be drinking out of that
water hole…”
13. “I'll just tell you about this madman stuff
that happened to me around last Christmas
just before I got pretty run-down and had to
come out here and take it easy. I mean, that's
all I told D.B. about, and he's my brother and
all. He's in Hollywood. That isn't too far from
this crumby place.”
Irony - Phoebe points out Holden’s
contradictions and the his inner conflicts, and
Holden tries to deny it, even though both of
them know it's true.
Salinger’s tone in this quote describes how if
someone appears to be less privileged than
Holden, it depresses him.
Holden’s actions represent how he still clings
on to his childlike innocence, even when
presented with mature situations like this one.
Salinger uses imagery in this quote to describe
what Holden wishes his life was like. He
desires stability in his life, and compares it to
the history museum.
Holden describes his past as “madman stuff”,
creating a tone of regret and negativity when
dealing with Holden’s past throughout the rest
of the story.
Holden knows this is true, yet still denies it. If it
wasn’t true, he would not get angry at her for
pointing it out. This suggests a deep conflict in
Holden that is most likely the cause of his
constant negativity and sadness.
Holden gets depressed about very minor
things, and often tries to relate to many people.
This contrasts his actual actions because he
never tries to meet these people that he pities.
Holden’s lies are obvious to the prostitute, and
they show how he is still attached to his
childhood innocence. Even when he finds
himself in situations like hiring a prostitute, he
still refuses ideas of maturity and the loss of
innocence.
Holden compares his childhood to a frozen
frame in history, and a place where he can
always come back to without dealing with the
recent events in his life. This scene represents
his innocence and his desires to never grow up
or change.
Holden introduces his past to the reader in a
negative way, and suggests that chaos and
madness were constantly present in his past.
14. “Anyway, I kept walking and walking up Salinger uses imagery and tone to emphasize To summarize, this quote depicts how the
Fifth Avenue, without any tie on or anything. Holden’s descent into madness, and this quote boundaries between reality and insanity are
Then all of a sudden, something very spooky shows Holden at a mental “rock bottom” starting to blur for Holden. An action as simple
started happening. Every time I came to the as crossing the street leads into a psychotic
end of a block and stepped off the goddam break, and Holden doesn't realize how truly
curb, I had this feeling that I'd never get to the terrible his mental health is until this moment.
other side of the street. I thought I'd just go
down, down, down, and nobody'd ever see me
again. Boy, did it scare me. You can't imagine.
I started sweating like a bastard – my whole
shirt and underwear and everything. Then I
started doing something else. Every time I'd
get to the end of a block I'd make believe I was
talking to my brother Allie. I'd say to him, "Allie,
don't let me disappear. Allie, don't let me
disappear. Allie, don't let me disappear.
Please, Allie." And then when I'd reach the
other side of the street without disappearing,
I'd thank him. Then it would start all over again
as soon as I got to the next corner.”

Aesthetic Considerations (discussions of the beauty, impact, power of brief passages from the text)

1. Holden’s actions throughout the story often suggest his denial of the loss of innocence associated with growing up, but can be seen as a
deeper representation of emotional and psychological dismay. Holden faces many tragic events and difficult situations, including the death of
Caulfield's brother, the suicide of a school friend and his constant feeling of alienation. These feelings eventually lead him to reject what he feels
is the "phoniness" of the adult world, as he forces himself to remain innocent and childlike instead of dealing with his own inner conflicts.

2. Salinger often uses imagery to describe Holden’s inner feeling to the reader. Examples of this is when Holden is explaining how he wishes he
could be the catcher in the rye field, and also when he explains his desire for his life to remain unchanged, like the history museum. To deeply
reveal Holden’s feelings, Salinger uses strong word choice to create certain moods and tones for each scene, which allow the reader to fully
grasp Holden’s current mindset. For example, when Holden is describing how he wishes he could protect children in the rye field, the mood is
peaceful and calm, similar to how Holden is feeling when describing this to Phoebe.

3. Towards the end of the novel, while crossing the street, Holden experiences what was most likely a psychotic break. This passage from the text
may be one of the most important and powerful passages in the story. For the reader, it is the result of the accumulation of inner conflicts and
problems inside Holden. From the very beginning of the story, Holden describes events and situations in his life that most never deal with,
especially at this age. While it is easy to look at Holden as a reckless and careless teenager, it is likely that he is a struggling boy trying to make
the best out of the situations life has dealt him.

Figurative and Connotative Language Considerations (discussions of the nuances of the author’s expression)

1. The tone throughout the novel gives the reader a truthful glimpse into Holden’s mind. His ideas and views are examined through Salinger’s
word choice and Holden’s vocabulary.

2. Much like Holden’s emotions, the mood throughout the story changes rapidly from chapter to chapter. Some are more lighthearted and calm
while in other chapters, Salinger creates a mood of sadness and despair, often relating to Holden’s actions or thoughts.

3. Much of the information the reader learns about Holden is given in a very unique way. As the story is narrated in first person by Holden, the
reader often learns more about what he doesn’t explain or describe about himself than what he does. His contradictions and actions often teach
the reader more about Holden than the things he directly explains to the reader.

Tonal Considerations (discussions of the tone of the text)

1. Depending on the events happening in the chapter, the tone will shift. If Holden is talking to Phoebe, the tone will be lighthearted and warm.
However, if Holden is talking to someone he doesn’t like or someone he thinks is a “phony”, the tone can shift to be more aggressive.

2. Although the tone shifts, the feelings of isolation and uncertainty never leave the tone. Throughout the story, these are some of the few things
that stay the same.

3. Because the story is narrated in first person, the tone usually depends on Holden’s actions, vocabulary, and thoughts. This means that the tone
may be inaccurate or biased. The tone may be aggressive if Holden is talking to someone he dislikes or doesn’t know, but the true tone of the
conversation could be different if the story was told in third person, or by a different character.