J. D. Salinger
Childhood
(“…all that David Copperfield kind of crap”)
Born Jerome David (Sonny) Salinger on
Jan. 1, 1919, in New York City
 Grew up near Central Park in upper
Manhattan
 Son of a Jewish father (foods
wholesaler and importer) and
Christian mother
 Upper-middle class family

Molding Salinger into a “Splendid,
Clear-thinking Young Man”
Attended two private schools
 First was Manhattan’s
McBurney School
 Drama, journalism, manager
of fencing team
 Flunked out
 Next attended Valley Forge Military
Academy in Wayne, PA
 Began writing stories
 Graduated in 1936
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College
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Attended New York University for one month in 1936
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Was called “the worst English student in the history of the
college” by one of his professors
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Quit school at father’s request to go to Austria and Poland
to learn meat and cheese business (venture failed)
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Attended Ursinus College (PA), but quit to study fiction at
Columbia University
Military Service
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Drafted in 1942
Served with Counter Intelligence Corps
Saw action at Utah Beach, Normandy on “DDay,” and at Battle of the Bulge
Met and corresponded with Ernest
Hemingway
Adult Life
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After war lived with parents in New York and
associated with bohemians in Greenwich
Village
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By 1950 moved to Cornish, New Hampshire
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Married; fathered two children
Writing Career

35 stories, 1 novel, and 4
novellas

The Catcher in the Rye
(1951)
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Reputation rests largely on
this novel: It took 10 years
to write

Franny and Zooey, Nine
Stories, Raise High the
Roofbeam Carpenters, and
Seymour: An Introduction
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Many of his works revolve
around a fictional family of
geniuses
A Recluse and a Loner
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Did not publish any new work since 1960s
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Deeply into Zen mysticism
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In 1965, Salinger further withdrew from society and
put a 6-foot fence around his property
• Stopped communicating with outsiders
• In 1967 he stopped publishing and
obtained a divorce
• Last interview in 1974
• Died Jan. 27, 2010
The Catcher in the Rye
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Published in 1951
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Initially reviewed as a “rare miracle of fiction”
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Generally received as a literary sensation
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Dissenting opinion gradually arose, in
part due to use of profanity
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Banned and condemned by some
communities and school boards – it was
the 13th most frequently challenged book of the 1990s
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The action is not vital; the psychological state of narrator
is much more important
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Book covers a time span of four days
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Principle setting is New York City, which plays such an
important part that it can almost be considered another
character in the story
Back Page Preview (1951)
(Possibly written by Salinger)
The hero-narrator of The Catcher in the Rye is an ancient child of
sixteen, a native New Yorker named Holden Caulfield. Through
circumstances that tend to preclude adult, secondhand
description, he leaves his prep school in Pennsylvania and goes
underground in New York City for three days.
The boy himself is at once too simple and too complex for us to
make any final comment about him or his story. Perhaps the
safest thing we can say about Holden is that he was born in the
world not just strongly attracted to beauty but, almost, hopelessly
impaled on it.
There are many voices in this novel: children's voices, adult
voices, underground voices – but Holden's voice is the most
eloquent of all. Transcending his own vernacular, yet remaining
marvelously faithful to it, he issues a perfectly articulated cry of
mixed pain and pleasure. However, like most lovers and clowns
and poets of the higher orders, he keeps most of the pain to, and
for, himself. The pleasure he gives away, or sets aside, with all
his heart. It is there for the reader who can handle it to keep.
So Far: Chapters 1-6
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Name three reasons why Stradlater annoys or upsets
Holden (either Stradlater’s actions or characteristics). (3
points)
What is the potential symbolic importance of Holden’s
red hunting hat? (2 points)
Allie’s baseball glove is one of the dominating symbols of
the novel. What do we know about it so far? (2 points)
How did Holden react when Allie died? (1 point)
Name two things we know about Jane so far. (2 points)
Name two things Holden does – one for Stradlater, one
for Ackley – that shows he is a more decent person than
his cynical veneer indicates. (2 points)
Thoughts: Chapters 1-6
Themes and motifs
 We will frame our reading and discussion within
the following themes, motifs, etc:
–
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–
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–
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Alienation as a form of self-protection
The pain of growing up
Phoniness
Relationships, sexuality
Loneliness
Symbols
Thoughts: Chapters 1-6
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Alienation as a form of self-protection
– It’s ironic that Holden doesn’t turn the microscope on
himself (introspection): He may see that he and
Ackley have much in common.
– Pencey is not a healthy environment for Holden:
Stradlater completely disses Holden’s essay about
Allie’s baseball glove then later beats Holden up.
Ackley is insensitive to Holden’s needs.
Thoughts: Chapters 1-6
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Pain of growing up
– Holden seems to fear growing older. Remember his
physical description of Spencer.
– Allie’s death weighs on Holden more than Holden lets on.
Holden’s reaction to Allie’s death was violent and extreme:
He smashed out the windows in the garage. He didn’t
attend the funeral because he was hospitalized. (Holden
also instantly recalls the exact day Allie died.)
– Holden obviously revered his little brother, who sounds
intelligent and unique. He kept Allie’s glove and took it to
school with him.
Thoughts: Chapters 1-6
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Phoniness
– Holden hates “phonies.” He thinks D.B. has
prostituted himself in Hollywood; he hates movies
(although he apparently has seen a lot of them);
Pencey seems populated by the very phonies Holden
suppposedly despises, from the teachers to
Stradlater.
– Yet, Holden’s kindness toward these people shows
through when he talks Brossard into letting Ackley
come to the movies with them, and Holden agrees to
write Stradlater’s essay for him.
Thoughts: Chapters 1-6
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Relationships, sexuality
– Jane obviously means a lot to Holden. He gets
really nervous thinking that Stradlater (who
doesn’t even get her name right) might make
a move on her in the back seat of a car.
(Remember, Stradlater seems to be pretty
experienced at such things: He’s a “sexy
guy.”)
Thoughts: Chapters 1-6
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Loneliness
– That Holden seeks Ackley’s company before
Holden leaves Pencey shows how desperate
Holden is for companionship.
Thoughts: Chapters 1-6
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Symbols
– Holden’s red hunting hat: He pretends he doesn’t
care what people think of his appearance (although
there seems to be some insecurity over his height,
weight, and gray hair), but he takes it off when he
wants to downplay his uniqueness (at the football
game; Spencer’s, etc.)
– Allie’s baseball mitt: It’s left-handed, making it
somewhat unique, like Allie. Holden keeps the glove
to himself (although he shows it to Jane) – a symbol
of innocence and childhood (in turn, represented by
Allie).
Mini-Socratic Seminar
Prepare answers for,
and be ready to
discuss, the following
questions in large
group. Answers must
be typed; about a
long paragraph each
– a pregnant
paragraph, if you will.
Mini-Socratic Seminar
QUESTION 1
The book was written more than a half a century ago. Yet, many feel that it
reflects contemporary adolescents’ feelings and experiences. What is
timeless and universal about the novel? What can you specifically relate to
in the book? Not relate to at all?
QUESTION 2
Is Holden a sympathetic character? If he were a student at WHS, would you be
his friend? Why or why not?
QUESTION 3
Holden dislikes much about people, his life, and the world. But what does he
like or see as good in the world? Does the book end on an optimistic note?
Chapters 7-12: Thoughts
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Phoniness
– Holden is very annoyed with Ackley’s phoniness. Yet,
Holden tells extravagant lies to Mrs. Morrow about
her son Ernie; he uses a fake name; and even claims
to be leaving Pencey because of a brain tumor.
– This constant lying is evidence of immaturity and
even imbalance, but are his intentions cruel, kind, or
simply careless?
– Holden constantly berates movies as phony, but he
clearly has seen a lot of them.
Chapters 7-12: Thoughts
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Loneliness
– On his way to New York, Holden wants to call someone
but can’t think of anyone: D.B. is in Hollywood; he
“doesn’t feel like” calling Jane; and Sally Hayes’s mom
hates Holden.
– He keeps mentioning though that he wants to call Phoebe,
who sounds a lot like Allie: red hair; unusually clever for
her young age; humorous (She writes fictional stories
about “Hazle Weatherfield,” whose last name she adopts
as her middle name.)
– Phoebe is Holden’s soul mate
Chapters 7-12: Thoughts
Even though it’s late when Holden gets to
his hotel room, he is almost on a
desperate mission for human interaction,
from Faith Cavendish, to the girls at the
Lavender Lounge, to even the cab drivers.
 Note Holden’s slip with the first cabbie: He
gives the cabbie his home address. This
may indicate Holden’s subconscious
yearning for home.
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Chapters 7-12: Thoughts
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Pain of growing up
Holden keeps asking where the ducks go in winter.
This may be his way of expressing fear and sadness
that the ducks are there one day, gone the next –
just like Allie.
He may need reassurance that they (and Allie) are
OK, wherever they are.
More likely, he may be subconsciously wondering
where is he going to go? Who is going to take care
of him?
Chapters 7-12: Thoughts
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Symbols: The red hat revisited
– Uniqueness and individuality.
– He is very self-conscious about it. He
mentions it every time he wears it, and often
does not wear it if he is going to be around
people he knows.
– This mirrors Holden’s need for isolation versus
his need for companionship.
– The hat connects him to Allie (and Phoebe)
Chapters 7-12: Thoughts
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Writing structure
– Salinger cleverly structures the narrative to signal
there is more to the story than Holden lets on, all of
which contributes to Holden’s decreasing mental
stability.
– Holden never seems particularly concerned about his
own behavior. He often seems angry but rarely
discusses his feelings.
– What emerges, however, is the desperation, pressure,
and trauma he endures during this difficult time in his
life.
Chapters 7-12: Thoughts
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He never mentions himself. He avoids introspection and
reflection on his own shortcomings and problems by
focusing on the world around him, usually critically.
However, his focus on other people reveals the extent to
which he longs for companionship, love, and
compassion.
After her stepfather’s intrusion, Jane is overwhelmed by
a pain she cannot articulate. This is similar to Holden’s
situation.
He is struggling with pain he can’t talk about with
anyone in the book.
Chapters 7-12: Thoughts
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Sexuality
– What Holden sees through his window at the Edmont Hotel both
confuses and excites him. So he calls Faith Cavendish, a
promiscuous girl recommended to him by a former classmate.
– On the other hand, Holden thinks people should only have sex if
they care deeply about one another, and the “crumby” behavior
he sees seems disrespectful (although on some level, he seems
to like it).
– What bothers him is his perception that sexual attraction can be
separate from respect and intimacy, and that sex can be kinky.
– He meets the three older women in the Lavender Room, who
depress him for being enamored with fame and famous people.
His flirting is comical and ultimately humiliating for him.
– “Sex is something I don’t understand. I swear to God I don’t.”
Chapters 7-12: Thoughts
He clearly also has affection for Jane Gallagher: the only
person outside of his family that he has shown Allie’s glove
to.
 He loves her idiosyncrasies: golfing with her eyes closed;
moving her mouth in all directions when she speaks; keeping
her kings in the back row.
 Jane is an example of Holden’s devotion to those he sees as
innocent; he can’t protect her from the Stradlaters of the
world, and it frustrates him.
 Their physical relationship was mild: Holden was completely
enthralled when they merely held hands and when Jane put
her hand on the back of his neck.
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Chapters 13-15: Thoughts
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Relationships, sexuality
– Sunny represents another attempt at female
companionship, but this can only be superficial,
sexual, and devoid of emotion.
– This represents his conflict: something he needs but
fears.
– This is also seen in Sally Hayes, who is conventional,
superficial, and phony, but to whom Holden is drawn
for her looks.
– Clearly afraid of the adult world, Holden shies away
from intimacy and is scared of his emerging sexuality.
Chapters 13-15: Thoughts
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Alienation
Holden’s encounter with Sunny: In addition to his moral refusal to
go through with it, he is also depressed about her age, which is very
close to his. He hates the thought of the store clerk who sold her
the dress doing so in the ignorance that she is a typical teenage girl
buying a new dress, when it really is her uniform.
He emerges from this scene more wounded and hurt than he was
before.
This encounter also reaffirms his understanding of a cruel and
senseless adult world.
So he takes refuge in isolation, which only deepens his alienation
and loneliness.
Chapters 13-15: Thoughts
Interesting note: J.D. Salinger at one time sold
one of his short stories to be made into a
Hollywood film, which he hated and regretted,
which may be why Holden refers to D.B. as a
“prostitute” who sold out his writing art.
 When Salinger was a boy, his nickname was
“Sonny.”
 Could the homonym “Sunny” come from this
notion of prostitution?
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Chapters 13-15: Thoughts
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Loneliness
– At this point in the novel, it’s clear that loneliness is at the heart
of Holden’s problems. He is on an almost manic quest for
interaction.
– He is aching for Jane, who represents the type of companionship
he wants. Their moments of intimacy were subtle, innocent, and
extremely personal.
– Holden’s worldview is to see childhood as innocent and good;
adulthood as superficial and evil. He rationalizes his loneliness
by pretending that every adult around him is phony and
annoying.
– The incident with the nuns surprises Holden because these
adults don’t fit into his worldview of adults. They are kind,
intelligent, and sympathetic.
Chapters 13-15: Thoughts
But his interaction with Sunny also shows that
he is what might be called a “good kid.”
 He doesn’t go through with it.
 He always stops when a girl says “no.”
 He has to get to know a girl before he gets
intimate with her.
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Chapters 13-15: Thoughts
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Phoniness
– Lillian Simmons and the Navy guy: perfect examples
of Holden’s phoniness criticism.
– Holden has a hard time praying to Jesus, whom he
likes. He is bothered by how the Disciples let Jesus
down, indicating the importance of friendship and
loyalty to Holden.
– Holden’s other favorite Biblical character is “that
lunatic and all, that lived in the tombs and kept
cutting himself with stones.”
– That man’s name is Legion, who is a troubled soul
who resists being tamed, much like Holden.
Chapters 16-19: Thoughts
Symbols
 The little boy singing “If a body catch a body,
coming through the rye.”
 The boy is walking on the street, not the
sidewalk; is singing “just for the hell of it”; and
seems oblivious to the traffic around him.
 Holden loves it – how this boy seems so unique,
carefree, and unconcerned with the world.
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Chapters 16-19: Thoughts
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Symbols
But Holden mis-hears the words to “Comin’ Thro the Rye,” a
poem by 18th century Scottish poet Robert Burns.
Let’s look at it, shall we?
All versions of the song ask: Is it wrong to “kiss” and “greet”
someone you are attracted to if you meet them, even if you
don’t tell the rest of the world about it and you aren’t
committed to that person?
In other words, the poem seems to ask if casual sex, in the
sense of sex without commitment, is wrong.
Casual sex is exactly the type that Holden finds so upsetting.
Chapters 16-19: Thoughts
Holden might subconsciously change the words
from “if a body meet a body” to “if a body catch
a body” because of Holden’s confusion over sex.
 More on this crucial metaphor later.
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Chapters 16-19: Thoughts
Other Symbols
 “Little Shirley Beans”: Holden sees it as
authentic, song by an R&B singer “very
Dixieland and whorehouse,” rather than a white
girl who would make it sound “cute as hell.”
 Estelle Fletcher = Ella Fitzgerald?
 The museum: “The best thing though in that
museum was that everything always stayed right
where it was…Nobody’d be different. The only
thing that would be different is you.”
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Chapters 16-19: Thoughts
Symbols
 Phoebe would see the same things Holden saw
when he was a kid, and he wonders how she’d
be different every time she saw it.
 “Certain things should just stay the way they
are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of
those big glass cases and just leave them
alone.”
 In the end, Holden refuses to go into the
museum.
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Chapters 16-19: Thoughts
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Phoniness
For someone who dislikes phonies so much, Holden certainly
attracts his share.
Luce, if he was as perceptible as he pretends to be, would find
Holden’s confused feelings admirable in regard to having to like a
girl a lot in order to be intimate with her.
Holden seems to demonstrate a strain of homophobia at the Wicker
Bar: already uncomfortable with his own sexuality, he seems really
uncomfortable with homosexuals, or “flits.”
He is afraid that, as Luce told him, that homosexuality can just
“happen” overnight.
Despite Holden’s suspicion that Luce himself is a bit “flitty,” Holden
still reaches out to him for guidance into adult sexuality, but this
connection, too, fails.
Chapters 16-19: Thoughts
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Sexuality
Sally is an odd match for Holden. She is neither
spontaneous nor sensitive, but rather conventional
and somewhat of a social climber.
Salinger drops hints that the story behind Holden’s
narration is more troubling than it appears: “I swear
to God, I’m a madman.”
Holden’s mood swings with Sally indicate this: At
first he’s in love with her, which then alternates
between rapture and annoyance, culminating with
the “royal pain in the ass” blast.
Chapters 16-19: Thoughts
Sally’s coldness and lack of compassion are
reflective of the greater world’s lack of concern
about Holden’s plight.
 Sally is not interested in all with Holden’s wild
proposals, which show how ill-equipped he is to
deal with the real world.
 Holden’s behavior during their date is the surest
sign yet that Holden is heading for emotional
collapse.
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Chapters 16-19: Thoughts
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Miscellaneous
The Lunts were a real-life, famous acting couple
on Broadway.
Why do you think that it’s ironic that Holden
likes The Great Gatsby?
Jay Gatsby might be the biggest phony of them
all.
That said, the similarities between the two
novels are striking.
Lit Circles
Lit Circles
Gatsby
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First-person narrator: Nick
“Old sport”
Gatsby puts Daisy on a pedestal
Gatsby refuses to accept change.
Novel set in and around New York
City
Tom Buchanan: handsome,
athletic insensitive
Gatsby sees Tom as rival for
Daisy’s affection
Catcher
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First-person narrator: Holden
“Old Phoebe” “Old Ackley” “Old
Sally”
Holden puts Jane on a pedestal
Holden refuses to accept change
Novel set in New York City
Stradlater: handsome, athletic,
insensitive
Holden sees Stradlater as rival for
Jane’s affection
Chapters 20-23: Thoughts
Alienation
 By this point, Holden’s free fall is well
underway.
 After his disastrous date with Sally, he
calls her in a drunken stupor; wanders
down to the lagoon in the freezing cold;
and skips his dwindling coins across the
water.
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Chapters 20-23: Thoughts
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Loneliness
Memories of Allie continue to haunt Holden.
He doesn’t think it would be so bad if Allie wasn’t in that
crazy cemetery surrounded by tombstones and dead
people. It makes him confront his own mortality.
Phoebe’s significance is huge: Holden confides in her,
shares his dreams, and even argues with her. She is his
most trusted connection.
Phoebe is bright, articulate, and imaginative. Although
she is six years younger, she seems to have it together
much more than Holden.
Chapters 20-23: Thoughts
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Holden watching Phoebe sleep and Holden reading
her notebooks represent the few moments where he
can escape the brutality of the outside world.
Her elephant pajamas, her excitement over the lead
role in the play, and her compassion all symbolize
how Holden values the innocence and authenticity
of childhood.
The broken record pieces: emblematic of Holden’s
own shattered psyche.
When Phoebe generously offers Holden her
Christmas money, he breaks into tears.
Chapters 20-23: Thoughts
Emotional instability
 Chapter 22 is crucial: Holden tells Phoebe he would like
to be the catcher in the rye.
 The rye field is a symbol of childhood: the rye is so high
that the children cannot see over it.
 The cliff is the precipice of adulthood: Holden wants to
protect childhood innocence from the fall into
disillusionment that comes with adulthood.
 Holden wants to save children from going over that cliff;
he wants to save the innocence missing in the world
around him – a world that has let him fall over the cliff
into adulthood alone.
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Chapters 20-23: Thoughts
Symbols
 There is an interesting theory as to the
state of the pond in the park, which is
partly frozen and partly not.
 It is in a transitional state, just like Holden
himself.
 Holden is neither child nor adult but
somewhere in between.

“The Graduate”
“The Graduate”
Ben Braddock is a 20year-old (about to
turn 21) college
student; track star,
awarding winning
scholar; debate; cross
country; newspaper
editor.
 Yet, it all means little
to him upon
graduation.
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“The Graduate”
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He is disenchanted with the
wealth and trapping of his
upbringing and his parents’
generation/values.
His transformation from
confused youth to young man
begins with his affair with Mrs.
Robinson, the wife of Ben’s
father’s law partner.
Yet, it’s immediately clear how
empty the relationship is: built
solely on physicality.
“If you think I do this for any
other reason than sheer
boredom, you’re wrong.”
“The Graduate”
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Ben’s other important
quotes:
“I’m sort of disturbed
about things.”
I don’t think of you that
way … I’m mixed up.”
“I’m just drifting”
“I’ve had this feeling ever
since I graduated; I have
the compulsion to be
rude all the time.”
“The Graduate”
Important quotes
continued:
 “Plastics … There is a
great future in
plastics” (Mr.
McGuire)
 “Is it just the things I
stand for that you
despise?” (Mr.
Robinson)

“The Graduate”
Other symbols
The fish tank: The world
for Ben seems so
confining.
 First visit to Taft Hotel:
Stuck holding the door for
two generations, neither
of which he seems to fit
in.
 Carl Smith: Represents
the establishment Ben
hates the thought of
joining.
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