The Catcher in the Rye

J D Salinger
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What’s the red hunting hat symbolise in your view?
Historical Context
• Salinger’s experience in World War II darkly informs Holden’s
opinions and experiences. The war robbed millions of young men
and women of their youthful innocence and Salinger himself
witnessed the slaughter of thousands at Normandy, one of the war’s
bloodiest battles. In Catcher, we see the impact of Salinger’s WWII
experience in Holden’s mistrusting, cynical view of adult society.
Holden views growing up as a slow surrender to the “phony” and
shallow responsibilities of adult life, such as getting a job, serving in
the military, and maintaining intimate relationships. World War I
was supposedly the ‘war to end all wars’, but World War II proved
that this claim was as hollow as the “phony” ideas that adult
characters force upon Holden throughout The Catcher in the Rye.
Holden Caulfield
• The outsider
• Anti-hero
The format for the Term 2 Examination will be TWO sections:

• Section 1 Reading Task – various unseen texts with a

focus on the individual and society / authority etc
• Section 2 Essay on Catcher
• 80 minutes plus 10 mins reading time
Context Key Ideas / Quote Technique Analysis
Themes
 Personal CONTEXT
• Born 19
19 to wealt
• Grew up hy parents
in Manhatt Cultural
• Attende an attendin ris is s orship
d Columbia g many pre x is tenti al C noia - C en
didn’t grad University
a s
p schools •E
is m a dd s to social para
• Joined a
uate well as oth
ers, but •McCarthy o m en post-war
e n t o f w
France on
rmy, fough
t in WW2, •Empowerm
D-Day and was at Uta •Ja zz Scene
  B attle of the B h B e a ch in /Or ientalism
f lu e n ce
ulge in Ge
rmany. •Eastern in
servatism
•Christian Con
Social
•Post-war econom
ic Boom
•Materialism/Cons
umerism in reaction
Historical war years to rationing during
•Post-WW2 ar – U S A and Russia •Rise of Commun
ism
old W
•Beginning of C g e / sp y – co vert war •Rise of anti-socia
l teenagers
espiona
(undercover / / d is tr us t / insular •Baby Boom
noia
increases para •Nuclear Family
society) •Social conformity
re /conservatism
•Nuclear Warfa •GI Bill – employm
ent, rebuilding relati
  onships, education
KEY IDEAS (and tensions)
• Identity crisis vs self-efficacy
• Isolation / alienation vs connection / relationships
• childhood naivety / hope vs adulthood experience /
cynicism
• the genuine / authenticity / integrity vs phoniness /
the fake / superficiality
• social expectations / mores / fabric vs individual
desires / anti-social behaviour / pariah (outcast)
• growth, progress, development, maturation vs
stagnation, regression
• conformity / capitulation / acquiescence vs
acceptance / symbiosis
• depression, madness and suicide
• nascent / latent / burgeoning sexuality
Crash Course – John Green
Part 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R66eQLLOins

Part 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI1CusL7Ceo
Some Key Ideas
• Fear of growing up / adulthood / responsibility but more
than that the loss of innocence
• He fears change, wants to stop time (“the best thing
though, in that museum, was that everything stayed right
where it was”)
• Holden wants to be a protector of innocence (a catcher in
the rye) but he also wants to stay innocent himself
First Person Narrative Voice
• Passive voice
• Phrases of uncertainty – eg, sort of
• Sudden change of tense (eg, Description of Allie’s mitt
and he’s dead now)
• Random intimate speaking directly to the reader (“you
would have liked him”)
 Big Questions to consider
• Where is Holden when he tells this story? Why is he there?
• What are Holden’s main problems and how do each make him feel?
• Consider the notion of hope. Who has hope and who lacks it?
• What season is the novel set in?
• What do the ducks symbolise?
• What does the red hunting hat symbolise?
• What is the significance of the title?
• What / who does Holden like / revere? What is the significance of this?
• What does he fear?
In one paragraph:
Connect one or more ideas brought up here to the political, social and /or personal
context of J D Salinger.
 Critical Readings Group Task
1.    Do I agree with this?
2.    Is there another way of interpreting this evidence?
3.    Where else do I see this in the novel?
4.    Is there an alternative explanation?
5.    What aspects of the context does this resonate with?
6.    How does this connect with what I already know?
7.    Why is this significant?
8.    How can I relate this to our focus areas?
9.    What are some good reasons to reject this point?
10. Evaluate the critical reading - what new insights have you gained, what
information about the novel does the reading reaffirm?