
English 10: Period 5, 6, 7
Ms. Watts
Outcomes: The Novel
The Catcher in the Rye
SKILLS:

Review and apply the basic elements of plot and literary elements;

Evaluate the significance of titles;

Cite text as support either by direct quotations or paraphrase;

Identify themes of cultural conflict, relationships, internal and external struggle;

Explore cultural/historical issues presented in the novel and relate to self;

Respond to the literary aspects of a passage taken from the novel;

Write a processed literary analysis essay.
LITERARY DEVICES: (REFER ALSO TO PAGE 7-9)

Imagery, symbolism, metaphor, hyperbole, irony

Characterization

Plot

Dialect/Colloquialism/Idiom (Vernacular language)

Style: Stream of consciousness, methods of narration, use of flashback / digression, tone

Use of dialogue

Framework: genres for narration a) Quest Narrative, b) Picaresque, c) Psychological
LANGUAGE IMPLICATIONS:

Define vocabulary specific to the unit and the study of literature, i.e., novel subplot,
prose commentary, point of view, foreshadowing, symbol, voice, tone, etc.

Identify vocabulary within context.

Interpret vernacular language.

Process the abstract meaning, themes, issues, and cultural understandings in the
novel by paraphrasing/summarizing/quoting passages for interpretation.

Use appropriate text types and language functions for analyzing literature in
speaking and writing.
ORAL/WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS/ASSESSMENTS:

Complete readings as assigned

Reading comprehension quizzes

Vocabulary quizzes

Oral Seminars

Pastiche Writing

Literary Analysis Essay
2
The Catcher in the Rye
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

How do we determine our identities and place in the world?

How do individuals cope with the maturation process?

How do major life events, such as a death, influence a person?

Is The Catcher in the Rye a comedy or a tragedy? Or both?

How does a novel set in 1950s USA affect International students in 2008?
THEMES AND ASSUMPTIONS:
1. LITERATURE MIRRORS SOCIETY. To appreciate how literature reflects society, we
need to examine how and why authors accomplish the reflection. Holden’s adventures
take place in different social settings and with people from varied backgrounds.
2. LITERATURE IS AN EXPRESSION OF IDEAS. To understand the place these ideas
have in our own lives, we must analyze them and draw conclusions about them. Holden
expresses his ideas in this psychological novel by showing what he is thinking.
3. LITERATURE IS ABOUT PEOPLE LIVING THEIR LIVES. People’s lives are about
joy and suffering, problems and successes. Literature preserves these lives in written
form for posterity to view the results of this living. We want to explore these results in
order to make our own lives, personally and socially, more understandable. Holden’s
life seems to be typical in many ways of the lives of American teenagers, showing
problems and adjustments realistically.
4. LITERATURE EXPRESSES VALUES. How we view the world and interact with it
results from our having determined what we believe to be important: our value system.
Holden is critical of “phoniness,” thereby placing a value on aspects of this life and
society.
5. LITERATURE REQUIRES CERTAIN SKILLS. Students need many skills in order to
understand more fully the complexities of literature: reading, discussion, writing,
thinking, analysis, and synthesis. Practice leading toward increased mastery in these
skill areas is provided.
VALUES:
The values stressed in this unit are as follows:






the need for inner direction and commitment to action
a sensitive awareness of life’s compensations: a necessary balance of sympathy
and rejection, joy and sorrow
the recognition of superficial standards of behaviour; the challenge of seeking
positive change in one’s moral environment
the ability to feel compassion and to expect justice for all
the therapeutic worth of honesty in communications with others; the treatment
of every person as an individual
the learning of universal love and empathy in one’s individual struggle against
hypocrisy and worldly corruption
3
English 10
The Catcher in the Rye
Periods 5, 6 & 7
Monday
January 11
Friday
January 15
Monday
January 18
Friday
January 22
Day 1
Intro to the
novel Catcher
in the Rye
Chapters 1&2
Day 2
Intro to the novel
Catcher in the
Rye
Chapters 1&2
Day 3
HW: Ch.3&4
Day 6
HW: Ch.3&4
Day 7
Reading Quiz
Ch. 1-7
Introduce
Pastiche
Assignment
(page 39)
HW: Ch. 8-9
Brainstorm
Pastiche Ass.
Day 4
Writer ‘s
Workshop:
Pastiche
Assignment
HW: Ch. 15-17
Day 1
Vocabulary Quiz
HW: Ch.3 & 4
Day 8
Reading Quiz Ch.
1-7
Introduce
Pastiche
Assignment
(page 39)
HW: Ch. 8-9
Brainstorm
Pastiche Ass.
Day 5
Pastiche
Assignment Due
Novel
Discussion
Groups (page 25)
Novel Discussion
Groups (page 25)
Week
Without
Walls
Week
Without
Walls
Week
Without
Walls
Day 1
Writer’s
Workshop:
Literary
Analysis Essay
Outline
(page 41)
Day 6
Writer’s
Workshop
Literary
Analysis Essay:
Peer Edit
Day 2
Writer’s
Workshop:
Literary Analysis
Essay Outline
(page 41)
Day 3
Writer’s
Workshop:
Literary
Analysis Essay
Outline Due
Day 4
Day 7
Literary Analysis
Essay Due
Day 8
Day 1
Pre-Reading
Presentations
HW: Ch. 5 - 7
Monday
January 25
Friday
January 29
Monday
February 1
Friday
February 5
Monday
February 8
Friday
February 12
Monday
February 15
Friday
February 19
Monday
February 22
Friday
February 26
Day 3
Writer ‘s
Workshop:
Pastiche
Assignment
HW: Ch. 15-17
Day 8
Day 4
Intro to PreReading Research
H.W. Ch. 18-22
Day 2
Vocabulary Quiz
Chapter 23-26
Celebration of
Student Learning
Intro to PreReading Research
HW: Ch.3 & 4
Day 1
In Class: Ch.1011
HW: Ch.12-14
Day 5
Pre-Reading
Presentations
HW: Ch. 5 - 7
Day 2
In Class: Ch.1011
HW: Ch.12-14
Day 6
Day 7
Pastiche
Assignment Due
Chapter 23-26
H.W. Ch. 18-22
Day 3
Novel Discussion
Groups
Seminar
Presentation
Week
Without
Walls
Writer’s
Workshop:
Literary
Analysis Essay
Outline Due
Literary Analysis
Essay Due
Day 4
Novel
Discussion
Groups
Seminar
Presentation
Week
Without
Walls
Day 5
Writer’s
Workshop
Literary Analysis
Essay: Peer Edit
Professional
Learning Day
Celebration of
Student Learning
Skills
Assessments:
Reading Comprehension / Vocabulary
Oral Discussion / Presentation
Creative Writing
Analytical Writing
Reading / Vocabulary Quizzes – 20%
Novel Discussion / Seminar - 20%
Creative Writing Pastiche – 20%
Literary Analysis Essay – 40 %
4
The Catcher in the Rye
Setting and Background:
J.D. Salinger was born in New York City in 1919 to an affluent family. His full name is
Jerome David Salinger. His family home was near the Museum of Natural History, by
Central Park.
J.D. Salinger went to school in Manhattan, the same district as Phoebe’s school in the
novel, and his schoolwork was of average standard. He as asked to leave several
preparatory schools because of poor grades, just as Holden does in The Catcher in the
Rye. At the age of fifteen his parents enrolled him in the Valley Forge Military
Academy in Pennsylvania, the state where Salinger places Pencey Prep. In the novel
Holden also says that his parents will probably send him to a military academy when
they find out he has been expelled from Pencey Prep. J.D. Salinger successfully finished
at Valley Forge in 1936. In 1937 he joined New York University but only stayed a short
while before going to Vienna with his father to learn the family business (food import).
He came back to America after a short time and took a short story writing course. This
led to his first story being published in 1940 in a magazine called Story.
The Catcher in the Rye was first published as a serial 1945-46, and published as a novel
in 1951. It is his only novel, but it became a classic amongst students and young people
everywhere and remains so today.
Response to the Novel:
When first published in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye caused instant controversy. Many
reviews said it was a sensational achievement while others objected to its use of “bad”
language and shocking nature of some of the scenes. The novel’s narrator and main
character, Holden Caulfield, was also thought to be a bad example to young people. In
fact the novel was banned in certain areas and some education authorities condemned it.
To understand why the novel caused so much fuss, it is important to think about the time
it is written and the prevailing attitudes of Americans at that time. Examine the Social,
Historical and Cultural Context of the novel on the following page.
5
Social, Historical and Cultural Context
Social Context
The society in which the novel takes place and how it
influenced the characters’ lives.
Historical Context:
What historical events took place during the time when the
novel is set and how they influenced the characters’ lives.
Cultural Context:
What major cultural movements were happening at the time the
novel is set and how they influenced the characters’ lives.
Important Points

Book set just after World War II in America. Published in serial form between
1945 and 1946

America was becoming a much more materialistic society

Americans believed) that they lived in the greatest country in the world

People were very conservative and distrusted anything that was different, so there
was a great pressure for everyone to conform and be like others

Americans mistrusted anyone who didn’t believe America was the greatest country

The Cold War with Russia was beginning and people were afraid of Communism

Before the 1950’s teenagers had no real identity but simply obeyed their parents

In the 1950’s teenagers began to form their own individual identity and speak up
about their views even if they clashed with society or their parents – called The Rise
of the Teenager

The 1950’s saw rebellious teens portrayed in films such as James Dean in ‘Rebel
without a Cause’ or Marlon Brando in ‘The Wild One.’ Rock ‘n’ Roll also began to
come into fashion

Culture was influenced by new inventions like the hula-hoop (not the crisps),
photocopier and other things we now take for granted
6
The Catcher in the Rye: Literary Devices to Watch For
The Frame Story Arrangement:
The outside framework serves several purposes: It establishes time frames, defines
the narrator or storyteller, sets a mood for the rest of the novel, and prepares the reader
for the inside narrative. Example: In The Catcher in the Rye, the outside framework for
the novel is the “rest home” from which Holden begins his story in chapter one and ends
it in chapter twenty-six.
The inside framework introduces the reader to the true narrative viewpoint of the
story. Example: In The Catcher in the Rye, the inside framework identifies Salinger’s
selection of genre for the narration. Knowledge of several genres will assist in our
understanding the plot of this novel. They include:

Quest Narrative: A story in which the central character is searching for
something, such as a person, location, or abstract value.

Picaresque: An episodic plot, usually first person autobiographical

Psychological: Story focuses on the internal psychological aspects of the central
character, yet still mixes outer narrative
Dialect / Colloquialism / Idiom (Vernacular Language)
The use of dialect / colloquialism allows the reader to "hear" the uniqueness of the
character and to better understand the differences between characters and settings.
Vernacular is everyday language. Idiom refers to the peculiarities of vernacular
language. It is the use of words in such a way that the meaning is lost if the expression
is translated literally.
Stream of consciousness
In this writing technique the writer tries to capture the exact flow of the character's
thoughts. Example: Notice that when Holden narrates the story he jumps from one thing
to another. People don't think in "straight lines" and neither does Holden. Our thoughts
flow like a stream… a stream of consciousness.
Flashback / Digression
A flashback is an account of something that has already happened in the story. A
flashback usually involves an interruption in the action of the story. Example: Notice
that, in the novel, Holden is telling us what happened to him and how he got where he is.
He interrupts his present to tell us about action that has already occurred. Digression is
a part of something spoken or written that departs from the central topic or line of
thinking: digression is a diversion of thought. Salinger uses flashback as a digression.
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing occurs when the author gives us a hint at something that is going to happen.
Hyperbole
A statement that is an obvious exaggeration is called hyperbole. Hyperbole is so much a
part of our conversation that we don't even realize it.
7
Images / Symbolism / Motif
Images, symbols and motifs are used by writers for many reasons: to focus attention on
what the writer wants a reader to notice; to create interior patterns within the literary
work; to lend continuity; to create emphasis; to create a structural unity; to add texture to
the prose.
Images: Words that create pictures in the readers mind or suggest special impressions.
Images can be visual or sensual – smell, taste, touch, or colour.
Symbols: An image, person, place, or thing which also represents something larger or
more abstract, in the way that a flag symbolizes a country.
Symbols to explore in The Catcher in the Rye:
the hunting hat; New York City; Central Park; the skate key; the baseball mitt;
“madman”; “shoot the bull”; the ducks; “Old’…”; “kings in back row”; the
gold ring on the carrousel; the museum
Motif: A recurring pattern of features – objects, images, symbols – in a literary work.
Pastiche: A literary technique employing a generally light-hearted tongue-in-cheek
imitation of another’s style; although jocular, it is usually respectful (as opposed to
parody, which is not).
Forms of comedy: (Refer to the definitions on the following page.)
Make Additional Notes Here:
8
Forms of Comedy
Directions: The Catcher in the Rye uses several forms of satire and comedy for
humorous effect. Study the list of satiric and comic terms below and the
definition of each term. Locate one example of each type used in the
novel. Cite the page.
TERM
DEFINITIONS
Parody
A comic imitation of
known literary work
Burlesque
Treating of a serious
subject in a vulgar,
slapstick manner
Stereotype
A composite treatment
of a known type of
character
Sarcasm
Using praise to mock
Verbal Irony
Character says one
thing but means another
Situational
Irony
Discrepancy between
the expected results and
what happens
Tall Tales
Exaggerated, false
stories
Slapstick
Physical comedy –
slips, slaps, etc.
EXAMPLES
PAGE
9
VOCABULARY - The Catcher in the Rye
You will be responsible for the following vocabulary. You will largely work on it
independently. You will be tested on it on the final test.
Chapters 1 - 4
Part I: Using Prior Knowledge and Contextual Clues
Below are the sentences in which the vocabulary words appear in the text. Read the
sentence. Use any clues you can find in the sentence combined with your prior
knowledge, and write what you think the underlined words mean in the space provided.
1. “... my parents would have about two hemorrhages a piece if I told anything personal
about them.”
hemorrhages:
2. “The whole team ostracized me the whole way back on the train.”
3. “Do you have any particular qualms about leaving Pencey?”
4. “... he made us have compulsory study hall in the academic building ....”
5. “I started groping around in front of me, like a blind guy, but without getting up or anything.”
6. “I was pretty sadistic with him quite often.”
13. “It was very ironical. It really was. ‘I'm the one that's flunking out of the goddam
place, and you're asking me to write you a goddam composition,’ I said.”
8. “All I need's an audience. I'm an exhibitionist.”
Part II: Determining the Meaning: Match the vocabulary words to their dictionary definitions.
______ hemorrhages
______ ostracized
______ qualms
______ compulsory
______ groping
______ sadistic
______ ironical
______ exhibitionist
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
getting pleasure from inflicting pain on others
one who likes to show off and get attention
bursting of blood vessels
meaning the opposite of what is expressed
shunned; excluded; left out
reaching blindly
feelings of doubt
required; must be done
10
VOCABULARY - The Catcher in the Rye
Chapters 5 - 9
Part I: Using Prior Knowledge and Contextual Clues
Below are the sentences in which the vocabulary words appear in the text. Read the
sentence. Use any clues you can find in the sentence combined with your prior knowledge,
and write what you think the underlined words mean in the space provided.
1. “If you knew Stradlater, you'd have been worried, too .... He was unscrupulous.”
2. “It partly scared me and it partly fascinated me.”
3. “I'm not too tough. I'm a pacifist if you want to know the truth.”
4. “My grandmother'd just sent me a wad about a week before. I have this
grandmother that's quite lavish with her dough.”
5. “It's not a paradise or anything, but it's as good as most schools. Some of the
faculty are pretty conscientious.”
6. “Well, a bunch of us wanted old Ernie to be president of the class. I mean he was
the unanimous choice.”
7. “ .... I don't want to stay at any hotels on the East Side where I might run into some
acquaintances of mine. I'm traveling incognito.”
Part II: Determining the Meaning: Match the vocabulary words to their dictionary definitions.
_______ unscrupulous
_______ fascinated
_______ pacifist
_______ lavish
_______ conscientious
_______ unanimous
_______ incognito
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
attentive to duty; diligent
in disguise
having no moral code; unprincipled
generous or liberal in giving or spending
held the attention of; captivated
one who opposes the use of force under any
circumstances
G. showing or based on total agreement
11
VOCABULARY - The Catcher in the Rye
Chapters 10 - 13
Part I: Using Prior Knowledge and Contextual Clues
Below are the sentences in which the vocabulary words appear in the text. Read the
sentence. Use any clues you can find in the sentence combined with your prior
knowledge, and write what you think the underlined words mean in the space provided.
1. “The band was putrid. Buddy singer. Very brassy, but not good brassy-corny brassy.”
2. “.... the whole summer long we played tennis together almost every morning and
golf almost every afternoon. I really got to know her quite intimately.”
3. “.... old Ernie turned around on his stool and gave this very phony, humble bow.”
4. “One thing I have, it's a terrific capacity. I can drink all night and not even show it,
if I'm in the mood.”
5. “He got stinking, but I hardly didn't even show it. I just got very cool and
nonchalant.”
6. “Do you mind getting me my frock?”
Part II: Determining the Meaning: Match the vocabulary words to their dictionary definitions.
______ putrid
______ intimately
______ humble
______ capacity
______nonchalant
______frock
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
ability to contain, absorb, receive and hold
rotten
showing a lack of concern; casual indifference
coat; cloak
privately, personally, very closely
lowly; unpretentious
12
VOCABULARY - The Catcher in the Rye
Chapters 14 - 17
Part I: Using Prior Knowledge and Contextual Clues
Below are the sentences in which the vocabulary words appear in the text. Read the
sentence. Use any clues you can find in the sentence combined with your prior
knowledge, and write what you think the underlined words mean in the space provided.
1. “I'm sort of an atheist. I like Jesus and all, but I don't care too much for most of the
other stuff in the Bible.”
2. “.... He picked them at random. I said He didn't have time to go around analyzing
everybody.”
3. “He was always saying snotty things about them, my suitcases for instance. He
kept saying they were too new and bourgeois.”
4. “She'd hand in her basket and then go someplace swanky for lunch. That's what I
liked about those nuns. You could tell, for one thing, that they never went anywhere
swanky for lunch. It made me so damn sad when I thought about it, their never going
anywhere swanky for lunch or anything.”
5. “ .... he was one of the biggest bores I ever met. He had one of those very raspy
voices, and he never stopped talking, practically.”
6. “He was with some gorgeous blonde, and the two of them were trying to be very
blasé and all, like as if he didn't even know people were looking at him.”
Part II: Determining the Meaning: Match the vocabulary words to their dictionary definitions.
______atheist
______random
______bourgeois
______swanky
______blasé'
______raspy
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
smug, conventional, materialistic
grating
a person who believes there is no God
having done something so much as to be bored by it
expensive and showy
haphazardly; by chance
13
VOCABULARY - The Catcher in the Rye
Chapters 18 - 21
Part I: Using Prior Knowledge and Contextual Clues
Below are the sentences in which the vocabulary words appear in the text. Read the
sentence. Use any clues you can find in the sentence combined with your prior
knowledge, and write what you think the underlined words mean in the space provided.
1. “Jane said he wasn't a show-off. She said he had an inferiority complex.”
2. “The bartender was a louse, too.”
3. “He kept telling her she had aristocratic hands.”
4. “ .... I was careful as hell not to get boisterous or anything. I didn't want
anybody to notice me .... “
5. “All of them swimming around in a goddam pot of tea and saying
sophisticated stuff to each other and being charming and phony.”
6. “I have this one stupid aunt with halitosis that kept saying how peaceful
he looked lying there.”
Part II: Determining the Meaning: Match the vocabulary words to their dictionary definitions.
_____ inferiority
_____ louse
_____ aristocratic
_____ boisterous
_____ sophisticated
_____ halitosis
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
noisy and unruly
of an upper class; distinguished
bad smelling breath
strong feelings of inadequacy
a person regarded as mean or contemptible
worldly wise; refined
14
VOCABULARY - The Catcher in the Rye
Chapters 22 - 26
Part I: Using Prior Knowledge and Contextual Clues
Below are the sentences in which the vocabulary words appear in the text. Read the
sentence. Use any clues you can find in the sentence combined with your prior knowledge,
and write what you think the underlined words mean in the space provided.
1. “All they did with the guys that were in the room with him was expel them. They
didn't even go to jail.”
2. “She gets headaches quite frequently.”
3. “And if the boy digresses at all, you're supposed to yell. ‘Digression!’ at him as
fast as you can.”
4. “Holden ... One short, faintly stuffy, pedagogical question. Don't you think there's a
time and place for everything?”
5. “Or you may end up in some business office, throwing paper clips at the nearest
stenographer.”
6. “You'll learn from them—if you want to. Just as someday, if you have something to offer,
someone will learn something from you. It's a beautiful reciprocal arrangement.”
Part II: Determining the Meaning: Match the vocabulary words to their dictionary definitions.
_____expel
_____frequently
_____digresses
_____pedagogical
_____stenographer
_____reciprocal
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
strays temporarily from the main topic
characteristic of teaching or teachers
interchangeable; complimentary
often one who takes shorthand
push out by force
Thinking About Acting Out
As the book opens, seventeen-year-old Holden is recuperating from a nervous
breakdown. The story he tells recounts what happened one painful weekend the previous
December when he learned he was being expelled from Pencey Prep for failing grades. As
you enjoy his sassy wit, you may start to notice darker undertones that betray his inner
distress.
A nervous breakdown just doesn't happen overnight. Usually a prolonged period of
depression accompanied by emotional turmoil leads up to the breaking point. Like every
illness, depression has particular signals. Study the following chart so that you can be alert to
the general symptoms of depression that you may detect in Holden Caulfield.
Symptoms of Depression

Overwhelming sadness and/or loneliness

Extreme boredom or lack of interest in life; inability to experience pleasure or joy

Lack of concentration; muddled thinking; forgetfulness

Severe mood swings; emotional upheaval; unusual behavior

Inability to cope with everyday matters

Withdrawal from family and friends

Lack of ambition and self-esteem; poor work performance

Changes in sleeping or eating patterns or in habits of personal hygiene

Escape from reality through drugs and/or alcohol

Feelings of hopelessness or lack of power

Thoughts that focus on death and sickness
For Writing or Discussing:
□ If you saw signs of depression in yourself or someone you knew, what would you do?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
□ What inner resources do you think a person must develop to handle moments of
depression?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
16
Discover What You Know About Emotional Upsets
Think back to the last time you were feeling anxious about something in particular. Did you
then begin to feel anxious about everything else, too? What about when something goes
wrong? Do you then think that nothing good will ever happen again or that your whole life is
ruined? You can remain emotionally healthy by learning how to recognize and target these
feelings as temporary upsets that everyone experiences.
Fill in the chart below by listing examples of anxieties and feelings of despair that
most young people experience.
Anxiety
about getting good grades in school
Despair
over never winning a special person's approval
Discover What You Know About Ways of Asking for Help
Young people who are emotionally troubled seek help in different ways. Some teenagers
recognize they have a problem and directly-overtly-ask for help. Other teenagers indirectlycovertly-ask for help by acting out so that someone will recognize they need help and offer
guidance. In the diagram below, list examples of how young people seek help.
Making a Personal Response
If you thought you were emotionally stressed out, what would you do?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
17
Responding to the Text
Writing responses to literature is an integral part of understanding the ideas in the literature.
Through the use of response journals you can ask questions about the literature, respond to
characters' decision-making skills, make connections to your own life, and make meaning for
yourself.
By writing responses to the story, you will:





gain a better understanding of the story through writing and speaking;
evaluate the decision-making skills of the characters;
reflect on how the story relates to them and their society;
draw on your own experiences and your reading to clarify meaning;
express your thoughts in a variety of different modes.
Procedure



Choose any passage from the story to respond to.
If the passage is short, copy the lines out of the book, place them in quotation marks,
and cite the page number for the passage. If the passage is long, title the passage to
indicate the focus (such as, “Holden goes Ice Skating in Central Park”) and put the
page numbers.
Respond to the passage in your own words, using one of the reader response roles
listed below.
Reader Response Roles:





Straight Talker: Speak directly to a character and "give your two cents' worth". If
you could stop the action at a particular point, what would you say?
Judge: Evaluate an action or a decision by a character or characters. Do you feel a
wise or a poor decision has been made? Why? What decision would you prefer to
have been made? Why?
Memory Keeper: Perhaps you remember a similar experience from your own life
that is represented in the text. Describe that experience; explain how it relates to the
story.
Artist: What visual images come to mind as you read the story? Draw those images.
Write also what your visual image means or represents in the story.
Palm Reader: What has occurred that you consider foreshadowing? What do you
believe will occur in the future? Why?
After you have completed your written response, you will pair up to discuss your ideas. You
may be asked to share your response with the class.
18
Exploring the Text………..
As you read take note of……..
Quotes or Page #s (or annotate in your text)
Holden seeing world as phony
Failure to connect
Innocence
Holden’s view of sex
Depression
Holden’s view of Allie
Holden’s view of Allie’s death
Holden’s view of Phoebe
Holden’s lies
Holden’s fantasy world
Holden contradicting himself
Holden as an outsider
Holden’s view of Jane
Holden losing control of his
actions
Holden being immature
Holden not wanting things to
change
Holden being impulsive
19
The Catcher in the Rye Chapter Questions
Chapter 1-2
1. Who is Selma Thurmer and what does Holden think about her?
2. Why is Holden kicked out of Pencey Prep?
3. In the conversation between Holden and Mr. Spencer, who appears to be comforting
whom? How is this ironic?
4. Why does Holden think about the ducks in Central Park while he is with Mr.
Spencer?
5. Why does Holden leave Elkton Hills?
6. Who is Mr. Haas? What is he like?
Looking at Language: Examples of Idioms / Colloquialisms in Chapter 1-2
“falsies” (3): a padded or stuffed bra to make breasts look bigger that they actually are
“got the ax” (4): get fired from a job
“crooks” (4): thieves
“dough” (5): a slang word for money
“phony” (9): something or someone not real – who is pretending to be something they’re not
“puke” (9): to vomit or throw up
“shot the bull” (12-13): had a general conversation, usually about insignificant things
“up his alley” (13): something that he would enjoy doing
“corny” (14, 18): stupid or crazy, usually an idea
Examining Literary Devices in Chapter 1-2:
hyperbole: deliberate and obvious exaggeration used for effect:
 e.g. …”my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece…” (1)
 e. g. “Pencey Prep is this school… They advertise in about a thousand magazines” (2).
20
sarcasm: remarks that mean the opposite of what they seem to say and are intended to mock
or deride:
 e.g. “Like as if all you ever did at Pencey was play polo all the time” (2).
In this case, Holden is mocking the propaganda about Pencey Prep in the
magazine advertisements.
flashback: a scene or event from the past that appears in a narrative out of chronological
order, to fill in information or explain something in the present;
 e.g. (refer to examples in digression)
digression: a part of something spoken or written that departs from the central topic or line
of thinking
 e.g. Holden is telling the story of the Pencey Prep/Saxon Hall football games and
flashes back or digresses to tell the story of leaving his fencing equipment behind
on the train (3).
 e.g. When Holden is telling Mr. Spencer about Elkton Hills, his former school, he
flashes back / digresses to a description of Mr. Haas, the headmaster at the school
(13-14).
italicized words: Salinger also italicizes words for emphasis. Sometimes, these words add
to Holden’s flippant, angry tone:
 e.g. “…he’s my brother and all” (1).
 e.g. “They don’t do any damn more molding at Pencey than they do at any other
school” (2).
 e.g “…but when I leave a place I like to know I’m leaving it” ( 4).
 e.g. “I wouldn’t have read it aloud to him if he’d written it.” (Holden reflecting on
Mr. Spencer’s actions—12.)
Chapter 3-6:
What is Holden’s opinion of Mr. Ossenburger? On what does he base that opinion?
What kind of hat does Holden have and why does he wear it?
Describe Ackley. Why does he hate Stradlater?
What does Holden mean when he calls Stradlater a “secret slob”?
How does Holden react to Jane Gallagher’s name? What especially does he remember
about her?
6. Why does Holden decide to write about Allie?
7. How does Holden react to Allie’s death?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Idioms / Colloquialisms: Explain the meanings of:
a) “stiffs” (17)
c) “horsing around” (21)
b) “you were a goner” (20)
d) “the can” (26)
e) “give her the time” (43)
21
Chapter 7-10
Why is Holden so upset about Stradlaters’s date with Jane Gallagher?
What does Holden think about doing with his life? What does he actually do?
What is Holden’s final gesture before leaving the school?
What happens to him as he is about to leave?
Who is Ernest Morrow?
What does Holden tell Mrs. Morrow about her son, and why?
Since Holden lies so much in this part of the book, would you say that he too is a
phony? Why/why not?
8. How do Holden’s lies differ from those of other people?
9. Who is Sally Hayes, and why doesn’t Holden call her?
10. What does Holden ask the cab driver?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Idioms / Colloquialisms: Explain the meanings of:
a) “making cracks” (50)
c) “in the sack” (53)
b) “pretty loaded” (52)
d) “doesn’t have all her marbles” (52)
Useful information for Chapter 11-14:
In Holden’s day, movie theaters showed a newsreel—black-and-white film coverage of
current issues—before the actual movie started. Acceptance into an Ivy League college
such as Princeton or Yale during this era, depended less on grades than on the social
prestige or wealth of the student’s family.
Chapter 11-14
1. What is it that Holden likes about Jane Gallagher?
(She’s the only person to whom he shows Allie’s glove.)
2. Why does Holden kiss Jane? Is it a sexual gesture? Why/why not?
3. Why does he stop telling us about Jane? (80)
4. What is Horwitz’s response to Holden’s question about the ducks in Central Park?
5. Why does Holden hate fist fights?
6. Why does he get depressed with Sunny?
7. What is ironic about the above scene?
8. In what way does Lillian Simmons represent the shallowness of society?
9. Why does Holden, a self-admitted coward, fight Maurice over a measly $5.00?
Idioms / Colloquialisms : Explain the meanings of:
“made a big stink about” (76), “booze hound” (78), “big shot” (80), “let him get to
first base” (80), “big shot” (80), “tossed his cookies” (81),“touchy” (82), “slightly
crocked” (86), “it’s no fun to be yellow” (89), “‘got stinking” (90), “Innarested in a
little tail t’night?…a throw, or till noon?” (91), “all dolled up” (91), “loosing their
brains” (92), “trying to chisel” (101)
22
Chapter 15-16
1.
2.
3.
4.
In what context does Holden finally mention his father?
Who is Holden's favorite character in Romeo and Juliet and why?
Why does he give the nuns $10?
What does Holden find attractive about the family he follows down the street?
(Note the song that the child is singing.)
5. What scene in Hamlet does Holden like best and why?
6. How is his decision not to enter the Museum of Natural History important to the
novel?
7. Why do you think Salinger refers to Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet?
Idioms / Colloquialisms : Explain the meanings of:
“spent a king’s ransom” (107), “I got the ax” (107), “kissed her ass” (114), “got
goose flesh” (118), “That kills me” (119), “gave me the creeps” (120)
Chapter 17-19
1. Why does Holden comment that “She wouldn't have been anybody to go with”
after he fights with Sally?
2. What are Holden's feelings about war?
3. Compare and contrast Holden and Luce.
Idioms / Colloquialisms : Explain the meanings of:
“some lulus” (129), “rubbernecks” (129), “get fed up” (130, 134), “she hit the
ceiling” (133), “flits and Lesbians” (143), “I have to tear” (148)
Chapter 20-23
1. Holden dons his hunting cap as he leaves the bar and goes out into the night. How
is this a symbolic gesture?
2. How does Holden's mood change when he see Phoebe sleeping?
3. What is Phoebe's reaction to Holden?
4. Who is James Castle? Why is he important?
5. What does Phoebe give Holden at the end of the chapter and why does Holden cry?
What does he give her in return and what can that gesture be symbolic of?
Idioms / Colloquialisms : Explain the meanings of:
“I sort of gave her the old eye” (149), “hit the sack” (152), “make a racket” (158),
“She was in a cockeyed position” (169)
Ch. 23-26: “he was a little oiled up” (182), “bum a ride” (198), “hit the road” (205),
“bawling” (213)
23
Chapter 24-26
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What kind of a relationship do Mr. and Mrs. Antolini have?
Basically, what does Mr. Antolini tell Holden?
Why does Holden leave Mr. Antolini's house?
What signs indicate Holden's impending breakdown?
What is the importance of the foul language Holden discovers when he is
about to deliver a note to his sister?
6. What happens to Holden in the museum?
7. What does Holden learn about his desire to be the protector of all children as
he watches Phoebe on the carousel?
8. What is happening to Holden at the end of chapter 25?
9. What is Holden's answer when the psychoanalyst asks him if he will apply
himself when he goes back to school? (213)
10. What do you think this indicates about Holden?
On page 173 Holden alludes to Robert Burns’ poem: “Coming Through the Rye”. Readers should note
that this poem was set to music, and young people of Holden’s time would have been familiar with the
tune.
Robert Burns – “Comin Thro’ The Rye”
Burns’ Original
Standard English Translation
Comin Thro' The Rye.
Coming Through The Rye.
O Jenny's a' weet, poor body,
Jenny's seldom dry:
She draigl't a' her petticoatie,
Comin thro' the rye!
O Jenny is all wet, poor body,
Jenny is seldom dry:
She draggled all her petticoats,
Coming through the rye!
Comin thro' the rye, poor body,
Comin thro' the rye,
She draigl't a' her petticoatie,
Comin thro' the rye!
Coming through the rye, poor body,
Coming through the rye,
She draggled all her petticoats,
Coming through the rye!
Gin a body meet a body
Comin thro' the rye,
Gin a body kiss a body,
Need a body cry?
Gin a body meet a body
Comin thro' the glen,
Gin a body kiss a body,
Need the warld ken?
Gin a body meet a body
Comin thro' the grain,
Gin a body kiss a body,
The thing's a body's ain.
Should a body meet a body
Coming through the rye,
Should a body kiss a body,
Need a body cry?
Should a body meet a body
Coming through the glen,
Should a body kiss a body,
Need the world know?
Should a body meet a body
Coming through the grain,
Should a body kiss a body,
The thing is a body's own.
24
The Catcher in the Rye
Novel Discussion Groups
Now that we have finished reading the novel, you will work to explore an issue in the text in
greater depth. In groups of three or four you will examine one of the topics below using the
correlating handouts in the packet to assist you. The handout is only meant to act as a
springboard to deeper understandings of the topic. Together, your group will make
conclusions about the topic and present them to the class.
Presentations will be in a seminar style. Each group will have 15 minutes to present their
findings and field questions from their classmates.
Group 1: Holden’s Relationships (refer to pages 25 and 26 in the booklet).
Group 2: Images, Symbols and Motifs (refer to page 27 in the booklet).
Group 3: Holden’s Personality Traits (refer to page 28 and 29 of the booklet).
Group 4: Holden’s Reliability as a Narrator (refer to page 30 of the booklet).
Group 5: Holden’s Allusion to Robert’s Burn’s Poem (page 23 of the booklet). (two people)
You will be assessed by the Novel Discussions Group rubric.
25
Holden’s Place in a Man’s World
Directions: Review the male characters from the left hand column below. Place each character
in the space for the appropriate age group in the middle column. Then, after
considering Holden's relationship with each person in each age group, formulate a
conclusion about Holden's attitude toward each age group as a whole. Lastly,
record at the bottom of the page a general conclusion about Holden's relationship
to the world as a male.
CHARACTERS
Mr. Spencer
AGE GROUP
HOLDEN’S ATTITUDE TOWARD GROUP
OLDER
D.B.
Holden’s father
Carl Luce
James Castle
Allie
Sradlater
SAME AGE
Mr. Antolini
Maurice
Ackley
YOUNGER
CONCLUSION:
26
Holden's Relationships with Females
Directions: Review the list of female characters from the left hand column
below. Place each character in the space for the appropriate age group in the
middle column. Then, after considering Holden's relationship with each person
in each age group, formulate a conclusion about Holden's attitude concerning
each age group as a whole. Lastly, record at the bottom of the page a general
conclusion about Holden's relationship to the females in his life.
CHARACTERS
Sunny
AGE GROUP
HOLDEN’S ATTITUDE TOWARD GROUP
OLDER
Sally Hayes
Faith
Cavendish
Holden’s mom
Ernie Morrow’s
SAME AGE
mom
Phoebe
Jane Gallagher
The three girls in
the bar
YOUNGER
CONCLUSION:
27
Images, Symbols, Motifs
Directions: Read the list of images, symbols, or motifs listed below that are used in this
book. In the first column, state a possible meaning for each one. In the next
column, identify which seem to be images, which seem to be symbols, and
which seem to be motifs. Some may be used in more than one way.
POSSIBLE MEANINGS
IMAGE, SYMBOL OR MOTIF
Holden's red hat
Pencey Prep
Central Park
Museums
Movies
Unmade phone calls
Allie's ball glove
Erasing profanity
The ducks in the park
"Little Shirley Beans"
record
Mummies
The carrousel
Other (list):
28
Holden's Psychological Traits
Directions: As evidenced in the outside framework of the novel, Holden is telling his story
to a psychiatrist in a "rest home" in California. What specifically seems to be
Holden's psychological problems? What traits does he exhibit? Read the list
of psychological traits listed below. Place a check next to the ones that you
believe are psychological traits Holden exhibits. Locate passages and cite
page numbers to support your opinion.
PSYCHOLOGICAL
TRAITS
AGREE
(OPINION)
CITED PASSAGE (FACT OR SUPPORT)
Exaggeration
Depression
Isolation/Alienation
Violent Outbursts
Lying
Nervousness
Fantasy World
Emotionally Unstable
Immature Relationships
With Women
Other (Specify)
29
Holden's Normal Traits
PART A:
Directions: Although it is clear that Holden has some psychological problems, he also
does many things which normal, average teenagers do. In the space
below, identify five things Holden does which can be considered as
"normal." Provide a brief example of each one.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
PART B:
Directions: Answer the questions below in complete sentences.
1. Generally speaking, does Holden belong in a "rest home?" Why or why not?
2. If Holden attended your school, what kind of label would he have? Why?
30
The Catcher in the Rye
Is Holden a Reliable Narrator?
(Un)reliability Criteria
Use the questions below to judge a narrator's reliability.
Answering YES to these questions means that the narrator is reliable.
#1: Knowledge and Understanding
Does the narrator have the knowledge and understanding to know
what s/he is talking about?
#2: Experience
Does the narrator have the experience to know what s/he is talking
about?
#3: Objectiveness/Emotional Involvement
Is the narrator objective enough?
#4: Thinking for Self
Does the narrator think for him/herself?
#5: In Touch with Reality
Is the narrator in touch with reality? (If not, s/he might be conceited, in
denial, or paranoid/obsessive/crazy.)
#6: No Contradictions
Does the narrator refrain from contradicting him/herself? (Watch for
contradictions between two things the narrator says and/or between
something the narrator says and does.)
So………..what do you think? Is Holden a reliable narrator?
31
Identifying the Novel's Themes
Directions: Read the list of possible topics and themes used in this novel. Place a
check next to those that you believe are demonstrated by the novel, and
put an X next to those you believe are not possible topics or themes.

X
TOPICS AND THEMES
Loss of innocence
Growing up too quickly
Dealing with change
Reality vs. illusion
Phoniness in our society
Dealing with death
Optimism vs. pessimism
Determining a value system
Rites of passage
Adolescent problems and pressures
Lack of communication
Mature relationships
Accepting problems and shortcomings
Self -reliance
Phony VS. Real
Other (specify):
32
Principles for Stating Themes
1. There is no set method of determining theme. Sometimes a theme may be identified by examining
(a) the way in which the main character has changed or what he or she has learned, and (b) the
nature of the central conflict.
2. Theme must be expressed in the form of a statement (a sentence or several sentences). Terms such
as “risk-taking” or phrases such as “appearance versus reality” are topics, not themes. The theme is
the author’s idea about the topic.
It is useful to identify several topics introduced by the text and then ask what the author argues
about this topic.
3. A theme is a generalization about life, not about the individual characters in the text. Instead, words
like people, a person, individuals, an individual, and someone are useful when writing theme
statements.
A theme should not be so general, however, that it lacks a point. For example, the statement “The
effects of risk-taking can be positive or negative” is so broad that it says very little. This statement
may be improved by making it more specific, for example, “When an individual takes calculated
risks, he or she experiences excitement and grows as an individual.”
To avoid generalizations, ask questions. For example, “In the text, what are the positive effects of
risk-taking?” “What are the negative effects of risk-taking?” “Why is risk-taking positive?” “Why
is risk-taking negative?”
4. The theme must account for all the major details in the story. Specific details may be listed to
support the theme, even though they are not part of the theme statement.
5. Avoid absolutes and sweeping generalizations. Words like all, every, always, and never should be
avoided. Instead, try to use such words and phrases as usually, sometimes, frequently, most of the
time, often, and hardly ever.
6. The theme should not be reduced to a cliché. For example, avoid such trite statements as “Don’t
judge a book by its cover.”
7. A well-written text usually has more than one topic and more than one theme.
8. It is useful to mention the title and author of a text in a theme statement. For example, “In [title],
[author’s full name] develops the idea(s) that…”
33
Developing Theme Statements
Directions: From the themes and topics that you selected on page 31 select the three which
you believe to be the most important in the novel. In the space below, write the
theme/topic, theme statement, i.e., a topic sentence for an essay, and identify
three support details for the theme statement.
1. THEME/TOPIC:
THEME STATEMENT:
SUPPORT: A.
B.
C.
2. THEME/TOPIC:
THEME STATEMENT:
SUPPORT: A.
B.
C.
3. THEME/TOPIC:
THEME STATEMENT:
SUPPORT: A.
B.
C.
34
The Catcher in the Rye
Journal Topics
1. Identify some of the things about your own society that you think are “phony”.
2. Do you think that society encourages children to grow up too quickly?
3. When do you feel you stopped being a child? How did you know?
4. What is your concept of an “ideal” boyfriend or girlfriend?
5. Agree or disagree: People can overcome their own problems.
6. What makes you feel depressed? What do you do about it?
7. Holden cries as he leaves Pencey Prep. Why? What conflicting emotions may he
have?
8. Holden makes up elaborate lies. What advantages does that give him? What
problems? How does he reconcile his telling lies with his negative opinion of liars?
9. What brother or sister (or friend or relative) do you feel closest to? Why?
10. Agree or disagree: Establishing a mature relationship with a member of the opposite
sex is difficult.
11. Agree or disagree: “The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a
cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.” -Wilhelm Stekel
12. Holden runs away to avoid telling his parents about his flunking out of school. Write
about a time when you or someone you know ran away or thought about running
away. Why was this person running away and where was this person running to?
What made this person come back? How did the person feel when he/she came back?
13. Think about Holden's memories about his teachers, such as Old Spencer, Mr. Vinson,
and Mr. Antolini. Write about your own most memorable encounter with a teacher.
14. Does Holden have a superiority complex? Is he superior? In what ways?
15. What if there were no first and last chapter? How would this affect your reading of
the novel?
16. How is Holden a real or believable character?
17. What do you think about the Mr. Antolini section? Does Holden misinterpret the
situation? Has he previously misinterpreted any other situations?
18. If Holden went to your school, what kind of label might he be given? Why?
19. Considering that this book was published in 1951, what makes it a “timeless” story?
35
20. What are your opinions concerning Holden’s relationship to his family?
21. What are your opinions concerning Holden’s relationships with members of the
opposite sex?
22. Psychoanalyze Holden. What is at the root of his problems?
23. Holden thinks most people are a pain in the neck. Is Holden a pain in the neck too?
24. Is Holden a sympathetic character? Do we sympathize with him?
25. “Not every book will be right for every person, but the right to chose what we read is
a freedom we cannot afford to take for granted” (Judith Platt). What are your
thoughts and feelings on censorship? Is it ever ok? In what circumstances? Once
we, as a society, begin to ban books, where do we stop? How do we make those
decisions?
26. Pretend ISB is considering banning The Catcher in the Rye next year from its
curriculum. Write a letter to the school’s administrative staff. You must try to
persuade the administration to either remove or keep The Catcher in the Rye in its
English curriculum.
27. Are all adults phonies? Is there anyway to grow up and not be a phony?
28. What is wrong with Holden? Is anything wrong in society? Holden makes all sorts of
social commentary about people and places. Look at a few examples of this.
29. Compare Holden's happiest moment to his saddest moment. What makes those two
moments his happiest and saddest?
30. Compare Holden's generation of the 1940s to today's generation. How are the two
cultures similar and different?
31. Watch the 1980 Robert Redford film Ordinary People (winner of four Academy
Awards, including Best Picture). It is the story of a family struggling to deal with the
accidental death of a teenage son. Compare the situations in the film with the
situations that occur with the Caulfield’s in The Catcher in the Rye. How much of
Holden's behavior has been affected by the death of Allie? Compare and contrast
Conrad's grief with that of Holden.
32. If you were to rewrite The Catcher in the Rye in modern times and in Bangkok, what
would you change and what would you keep the same? Where would it take place?
What kind of situations would Holden get himself into? How would the story be
different?
33. If Holden was a female, how would this story be different? How would it be the
same? Would it have the same effect on people? Would males be able to relate to a
female protagonist in the same way?
36
The Catcher in the Rye
Creative Writing Assignment Choices
Creative Writing is meant to invent and imitate. It is the reshaping of ideas. But it also has
solid roots in the real-world experiences and memories of the writer – fact and fiction blend
together. Creative writing fulfills a writer’s need to imagine, invent, and explore. It is a
process that satisfies the creative spirit.
Choose any ONE of the following to create an original piece of writing:
1. Describe an incident from your own life (a real one please!) but you will pretend the
event occurred to Holden. By now, you probably have a good sense of Holden’s voice,
his language, his likes and dislikes, and his philosophy of life. So you are going to write
a pastiche (the mimicking of a literary work or of the style of a well-known
writer). Before you start, take note of some of his speech mannerisms, his sentence
style and his vocabulary. This will help you sound more authentic.
2. Imagine that Holden spent some time at ISB. Write his impressions of a day in our
school. Use fictitious names! Concentrate on the kind of interactions he is likely to
have had, and what kind of language he would have used to describe people, places, and
things. Your writing should imitate (called a pastiche) the voice of Holden.
3. Prepare a creative piece of writing based on Holden’s unresolved guilt and sorrow
stemming from Allie’s death. Describe Holden’s behavior in his garage, his response to
rain on Allie’s grave, and his memories of leaving Allie behind when he and Bobby
Fallon go to Lake Sedebego on their bikes. It could take the form of a personal diary.
4. Write a speech in which you explain Mr. Antolini’s quotation from Wilhelm Stekel:
“The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark
of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.” Use examples from the
story to support your ideas or thoughts.
5. Write the composition that Holden wrote for Stradlater about Allie’s baseball mitt.
6. Write an epilogue to The Catcher in the Rye that gives readers greater insight into
Holden’s future and his understanding of the past. Use Holden’s first person point of
view narrative and place him in one of the settings of the novel. How much time has
gone by since his “mad” days, and how has he changed (if at all)? Consider referring to
people and events from the novel.
7. Write a letter from Dr. Thurmer (principal of Pencey Prep) to Holden's parents telling
them that he has been expelled from school.
8. Write one of the Hazel Weatherfield stories (Phoebe's female detective character).
37
9. Write a journal from Holden's point-of-view (and using Holden's language) after the
incident with Maurice and Sunny.
10. Write a letter from Phoebe to Holden after he has been committed to the sanitarium.
11. Write the psychologist's report about Holden's condition. Pretend Holden went to the
police after the Mr. Antolini incident. Write up a police report as if Holden was giving a
statement to a police officer. After writing out the incident objectively, do you still think
Holden has a case?
12. Create a detective's log book accounting for Holden's movements and activities from Saturday
afternoon until Monday afternoon. You will need to adopt the “voice” of detective, and create a
report likely to describe Holden’s behaviour: odd or otherwise.
13. Think about Holden's running away to avoid telling his parents about his flunking out of school.
Write about a time when you or someone you know ran away or thought about running away.
Why was this person running away and where was this person running to? What made this
person come back ? How did the person feel when he/she came back?
14. Think about Holden's memories about his teachers, such as Old Spencer, Mr. Vinson,
and Mr. Antolini. Write about your own most memorable encounter with a teacher.
15. Make a playlist (a five to ten song mixed CD) for Holden Caulfield, if he were around
today. In letter to Holden, explain why you are including each of the ten songs on the
mixed tape. Each song should have a paragraph of in-depth description as to why you
think he would like it, using evidence from the themes, symbols, motifs, and situations
that Holden and the novel explored. Requirements: 10 songs (artist/song title) on tape or
CD, at least a paragraph explanation for each, use of lyrics to explain rationale, cover
for mixed tape.
16. Compile a scrapbook of memorabilia that Holden might have collected or come across
during the novel. All artifacts must be captioned with where he got it, its significance to
him, and the page you found it on. Think of the images that keep recurring in the novel,
the places Holden travels to, and anything he collects. This project will be assessed
based on the amount of memorabilia collected and its presentation. As a benchmark,
expect to get at least ten pieces of memorabilia for your scrapbook.
17. We hear a brief description of the plot of Holden's brother D.B.'s story "The Secret
Goldfish" early in the novel. Try your hand at short fiction, as you use the details from
the description and write a three-page story out of it.
18. The tool of madmen?: Mini-research project: John Hinkley, who attempted an
assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981, and Mark David Chapman, who murdered
John Lennon in 1980, both brought The Catcher to the Rye into the national spotlight.
Hinkley told the court that his defense could be found in the novel's pages, while
Chapman had asked Lennon to sign his copy of the book earlier in the same day he
killed him. Find what you can about both of these instances - how was The Catcher in
the Rye involved in each?
38
English 10
Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger
Pastiche Writing Assignment:
A piece of writing in which you mimic the “voice” of Holden Caulfield.
You will describe an incident from your own life (a real one please!) but you will pretend the
event occurred to Holden. By now, you probably have a good sense of Holden’s voice, his
language, his likes and dislikes, and his philosophy of life. So you are going to write a
pastiche (the mimicking of a literary work or of the style of a well-known writer). Before
you start, take note of some of his speech mannerisms, his sentence style and his vocabulary.
This will help you sound more authentic.
The assignment is to be 300 to 500 words, typed, double-spaced.
 Your first draft will be peer edited. It is due on ______________________.
 Your final copy will be due on __________________________.
 You must hand in all drafts of your assignment, with evidence of changes.
 You will turn in your work to Turnitin.com.
Take notes as you read in order to prepare for this assignment. Consider Holden’s:
Speech mannerisms
Sentence style
Vocabulary
Use of a combination of events and dialogue
Likes and dislikes
Philosophy of life
You should also consider these terms when preparing to write your assignment:
First person
Narrative
Stream of consciousness
Colloquial language and slang
Confessional / confidential tone
Flashback
39
Vivid imagination
English 10
The Catcher in the Rye
Creative Writing
Reflective Writing
Reflective writing must accompany the creative writing you decide to publish. Reflective
writing is an attempt to explain your creative writing: what you tried to accomplish and how
you tried to accomplish it. It describes the process you went through during the creation of
your piece of writing. It tells where your thinking is now about the piece; the story of your
thinking during the creation of your piece; and traces changes in your thinking while writing
the piece.
It is also an opportunity to clarify your intentions. Creative writing is incredibly subjective.
As young writers, it may be difficult for you to express all that you’d like to express, in a
way that is effective. Reflective writing allows a teacher to understand what you were
attempting to say even if you weren’t able to do it as well as you’d like.
Your reflective writing should include some or all of the following parts:
1. Describe the process by which you completed your writing. What inspired your
writing? What was your goal in writing? How did you structure your writing to
achieve your goal? What is your writing about? What is the theme of your creative
piece?
2. Comment on the literary features you tried to incorporate in your writing, and the
effects you wanted to achieve by using them. Refer to specific examples in the piece
to clarify your points.
3. Comment honestly on how you were affected by writing the piece. What problems
did you encounter during the writing process? What successes did you encounter
during the writing process? How did others react to your creative piece? How do
you feel about the finished product? What did you learn from the process? What
might you change if you did it again?
40
English 10
Common Assessment
Literary Analysis Essay
The Catcher in the Rye
In the literary analysis essay, you are exploring the meaning and construction of a piece of
literature. A literary essay focuses on such elements as structure, character, theme, style,
tone, and subtext. You are taking a piece of writing and trying to discover how and why it is
put together the way it is. You must adopt a viewpoint on the work in question and show how
the details of the work support your viewpoint.
An expository literary essay may be your own interpretation, based only on your reading of
the piece, or it may be a mixture of your opinions and references to the criticism of others,
much like a research paper. Again, be wary of plagiarism and of letting the opinions of more
experienced writers swamp your own response to the work. If you are going to consult the
critics, you should reread the literary work you are discussing and make some notes on it
before looking at any criticism.
Chose one of the topics below on which to write your expository literary essay:
1. Think about Holden’s vision of the nature of childhood and adulthood. Are the two
realms as separate as Holden believes them to be? Where does he fit in?
2. The novel is structured around Holden’s encounters and interactions with other
people. Does any pattern seem to emerge, or does anything change in his interactions
as the novel progresses? How do Holden’s encounters with adults, children, women,
and his peers evolve as the novel progresses?
3. Throughout the book, Holden longs for intimacy with other human beings. Discuss
the different types of relationships Holden attempts and the different types of
intimacy in the book. What is the role of sexuality in The Catcher in the Rye? How do
Holden’s sexual relationships differ from his nonsexual encounters?
4. Holden often behaves like a prophet or a saint, pointing out the phoniness and
wickedness in the world around him. Is Holden as perfect as he wants to be? Are
there instances where he is phony and full of hypocrisy? What do these moments
reveal about his character and his psychological problems?
5. The Catcher in the Rye is a story of Holden’s final days before an emotional
breakdown. To what extent is Holden responsible for his downfall? To what extent
is he a victim of societal neglect? What statement is the author making in this novel?
Give evidence to support your answer.
6. Do you agree, after hearing Holden’s story that he should be in a “rest home”? Cite
evidence to support your viewpoint.
7. Explain how the title relates to the events of the novel and the themes.
41
8. How would you classify this novel: comic, serious, satiric, philosophical, merely
entertaining, or a combination of several? Define your terms and explain your
choices.
9. Two significant types of behavior during the teen years are exhibitionism (behavior
designed to attract attention to oneself), and rebelliousness against authority/authority
figures. Describe how both types of behavior keep Holden from establishing
wholesome relationships with other people. Refer to examples from the story and use
real examples of your own.
10. The Catcher in the Rye is the second most taught book in American high schools.
Why do you think it is so often and so widely taught? Do you think it deserves this
standing?
11. Is Holden merely the central character, or is he the “hero”? Define your terms and
explain your choice.
12. The most ambiguous encounter in the book is Holden’s night at Mr. Antolini’s
apartment. What do you make of Mr. Antolini’s actions? Was he making a pass at
Holden? What is the significance of his actions, and how do they relate to his role as
someone trying to prevent Holden from “taking a fall”?
13. Holden makes all sorts of social commentary about people and places. Look at a few
examples of this.
14. Trace the steps in Holden's depression.
15. How is the motif of “falling” used in the novel?
16. How is Holden different at the end of the novel?
17. Is Holden Caulfield a reliable narrator? Why or why not?
18. Salinger weaves a variety of symbols into The Catcher in the Rye, including (but not
limited to) the red hunting hat, the ducks in Central Park, and Allie’s mitt. Select and
analyze one symbol that Salinger uses in the book. Explain how Salinger develops
this object as a symbol throughout the story. Discuss the symbol’s meaning and
significance, and explore its contributions to the overall message of the novel.
19. What is the significance of children in the novel?
20. Discuss Holden’s attitude towards religion.
21. Comment on the language and style of the novel The Catcher in the Rye
22. See your teacher if you have other ideas to explore.
42