The Catcher in the Rye
Pages 166-193
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye
The Duality of Phoebe
•
Old Phoebe
– “She sounds like a …schoolteacher
sometimes, and she’s only a little
child.” (167)
– “Don’t swear so much.” (168)
– “Stop swearing.” (172)
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye
The Duality of Phoebe
•
Young Phoebe
– Believes she can increase her body
temperature
– “I can make it go up to over the
thermoneter.” (176)
• Mispronounces the word like a
kid
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye
Name One Thing Holden Likes
•
•
Holden cannot answer this question
Holden cannot stop thinking about
James Castle
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–
–
–
Former classmate of Holden’s at Elkton
Hills
Commits suicide
Jumps out of a window
Mr. Antolini covers up James’ body
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye
Name One Thing Holden Likes
•
Eventually Holden comes up with an
answer
• “I like Allie” (171)
• Phoebe’s response
– “Allie’s dead…” (171)
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye
Name One Thing Holden Likes
•
“I know he’s dead! Don’t you think I
know that? I can still like him,
though, can’t I? Just because
somebody’s dead, you don’t just stop
liking them, for God’s sake—
especially if they were about a
thousand times nicer than the
people you know that’re alive and
all.” (171)
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye
•
•
Remembers the poem incorrectly
Wants to catch kids playing in a field
of rye before they fall off the cliff
• Unrealistic
– This job does not exist
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye
•
•
•
•
Symbolism
Kids falling off the cliff
Losing innocence and gaining
experience
Like death to Holden
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye
Holden Says Goodbye to Phoebe
•
“Then, all of a sudden, I started to
cry. I couldn’t help it. I did it so
nobody could hear me, but I did it…I
put my arm around her, too, but I
still couldn’t stop for a long time. I
thought I was going to choke to
death or something.” (179)
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye
Holden Says Goodbye to Phoebe
•
•
•
•
Gives Phoebe his red hunting hat
Tries to protect Phoebe?
Foreshadowing?
Will Holden not be there to protect
her in the future?
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye
Holden’s Health
•
•
•
•
“I felt funny when I got outside. Sort of
dizzy.” (181)
“I was still feeling sort of dizzy or
something, and I had a helluva headache
all of a sudden.” (183)
“I had a headache and I felt lousy. I even
had sort of a stomach ache, if you want to
know the truth.” (184)
“Boy, I felt so damn tired all of a sudden.”
(188)
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye
Characteristics of Mr. Antolini
•
•
•
Young teacher
Put his coat over James Castle and
carried him away
Reminds Holden of D.B.
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye
Mr. Antolini’s Marriage
•
•
•
•
Mrs. Antolini has a lot of money
Mrs. Antolini “was about sixty years
older than Mr. Antolini” (181)
“…the both of them were never in
the same room at the same time. It
was sort of funny.” (182)
“They were always kissing each
other a lot in public.” (185)
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye
Mr. Antolini’s Advice
•
•
“I have a feeling that you’re riding for
some kind of a terrible, terrible fall.”
(186)
“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.” (188)
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye
Mr. Antolini’s Advice
•
“Among other things, you’ll find that
you’re not the first person who was
ever confused and frightened and
even sickened by human behavior.
You’re by no means alone on that
score…”(189)
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye
What Happens?
•
•
•
Pages 191-193
Was it inappropriate?
Is it relevant?
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye
Holden’s Reaction Might
Be More Relevant
•
“I know more damn perverts, at
schools and all, than anybody you
ever met, and they’re always being
perverty when I’m around.” (192)
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye
Holden’s Reaction Might
Be More Relevant
•
“Boy, I was shaking like a madman. I
was sweating, too. When something
perverty like that happens, I start
sweating like a bastard. That kind of
stuff’s happened to me about twenty
times since I was a kid. I can’t stand
it.” (193)
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye
Holden’s Reaction Might
Be More Relevant
•
•
What does Holden’s reaction tell us?
This has happened to Holden before.
Geschke/English IV
The Catcher in the Rye