American Lit.
The Catcher in the Rye
Name:_______________________
Literary Devices/Literary Elements/Elements of Fiction
Allusion - a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art.
 What is the significance of the allusion on page 141?
Characterization - the method the author uses to reveal characters and their various traits and
personalities
Direct characterization - the writer simply states a character’s traits (“He was a angry man.”)
 What does the direct characterization of Robert Ackley on page 19 reveal about him?
Indirect characterization - character is revealed through what the character says or does, etc.
 What does the indirect characterization of Robert Ackley on pages 20-25 reveal about
him?
Foreshadowing – where future events in a story, or perhaps the outcome, are suggested
by the author before they happen.
 Holden explains, “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” (1). How is this an example of foreshadowing?
Irony – where an event occurs which is unexpected, in the sense that it is somehow in
absurd opposition to what would be expected or appropriate.
 When Holden calls Sally Hayes, he explains, “She was quite a little phony” (106).
Later, when he sees her at the hotel, he explains, “I didn’t even like her much, and
yet all of a sudden I felt like I was in love with her and wanted to marry her”
(124). Explain the irony in this situation.
Point of View – the position of the narrator in relation to the story.
 Holden tells the story from the first person point of view (“I”, “we”, etc.).
 How does the first person narration limit what Holden can tell the reader?
Setting – the time and place (location) of the story
 What is the time and place of The Catcher in the Rye?
Plot – the structure of a story; the sequence of events in a story

Exposition – provides necessary background information about the characters and
their circumstances
What is the exposition in The Catcher in the Rye?

Conflict/Problem – struggle between opposing forces (person v. person, person v.
nature, individual v. society, person v. fate)
What is the conflict in The Catcher in the Rye?

Rising Action – plot becomes more complicated; leads up to the climax
What is the rising action in The Catcher in the Rye?

Climax – turning point in a story; moment when the conflict is at its most intense
What is the climax of The Catcher in the Rye?

Falling Action – diminishing tensions after the climax
What is the falling action of The Catcher in the Rye?

Resolution – conflict is resolved (problems are not always solved, however)
What is the resolution of The Catcher in the Rye?
Theme – the author’s main idea; a major idea broad enough to cover the entire scope of a
literary work
How are the following themes illustrated in The Catcher in the Rye?

Alienation and Isolation:

Loss of Innocence / Coming of Age (bildungsroman):

Phoniness of the Adult World: