This document provides information about the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. It includes a list of group members, biographical information about Salinger, plot summaries, character descriptions, settings, themes such as alienation and phoniness, and influences on the novel. The document analyzes various aspects of the novel in detail through multiple sections and paragraphs.

1. GROUP MEMBERS
AMRITA V NAIR
ANAND R
HARISANKAR JAGDEESH
NIKHIL S
VISHNU MJ

2. AUTHORIAL INTRODUCTION
"What really knocks me out is a book that, when
you're all done reading it, you wish the author that
wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could
call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it."

3. J(Jerome) D(David) Salinger was born Jan. 1, 1919, in
New York City, the son of a Jewish father and an Irish
mother
He grew up in a New York City milieu not unlike that
of young Holden Caulfield, the narrator of the novel
Raised in Manhattan, New York, Salinger began
writing short stories while in secondary school, and
published several stories in the early 1940s before
serving in World War I.
Catcher in the rye –[1951] his most famous work
Considered one of the most influential authors of the twentieth century
followed Catcher with a short story collection, Nine Stories (1953), a collection of a
novella and a short story, Franny and Zooey (1961), and a collection of two novellas,
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963)
Jerome David Salinger

4. AN OVERVIEW OF
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE
“An unusually brilliant novel".
- Nash Burger

5. •The Catcher in the Rye is a book dealing with a young teenager who finds
his true self.
•Several incidents which make him realize that he wants to be the catcher in
the rye[THEREFORE THE NAME], wanting to catch children before they
fall out of innocence into knowledge of the adult world, not just another
high school teenager.
•The entire novel is a flashback of the events that had led up to his
emotional destruction.
The Catcher in the Rye – A Brief Introduction

6. • It is a novel about a 1950’s juvenile delinquent, Holden Caulfield; and
through the construction of this character, Salinger expresses his views
on 1950’s American culture and society
• The Catcher in the Rye was published at a time when the flourishing
American industrial economy made the nation prosperous and
entrenched social rules served as a code of conformity for the younger
generation
• An eye opener for most of the adolescence, this book clearly depicts the
thoughts and view points of the teenager
• Thought as text in many of the schools, as a MUST read book for the
teenagers because of the way it brings out the thoughts and emotions of a
teenager
• The challenges faced by this book generally begin with the usage of
vulgar language, citing the novel's use of words like fuck[ and "god
dam", with more general reasons including sexual references, blasphemy,
undermining of family values and moral codes
The Background of the Novel

7. •The novel opens with the narrator and the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, a seventeen-year-
old boy from New York City, telling the story of three days in his life
• He is unable to relate to anyone except for his kid sister Phoebe and it is the adult world
that has driven him insane
•He flunks out of three boarding schools in a row, the latest of them Pencey Prep, which is
also where the first part of the story takes place.
•One Saturday night, after an unpleasant experience with his history teacher "Old Spencer,"
his roommate Stradlater and the boy next door, Robert Ackley, Holden decides to leave
Pencey four days early for Christmas break.
•He stays at a cheap hotel for one night, goes to two night clubs, dances with older women,
often talks and thinks about sex, even has a prostitute come up to his room[Sunny]
Plot Summary

8. • The following day, he talks with some nuns about literature and has a date with his
former girlfriend Sally Woodruff
• When he asks her to run away with him, she gets mad and they part. He is "depressed,"
at this time Holden thinks and even talks to his deceased brother Allie. To Holden, Allie
represented innocence
• Holden turns to the only person he can relate to, his sister Phoebe. He sneaks into his
parent's apartment at night to talk to his sister. He tells her about his dream to be a
"catcher in the rye," and that he wants to run away.
• He then leaves to meet his former teacher, Mr. Antolini. They have a good talk, but
Holden leaves in a hurry when he thinks his host makes a sexual advance on him. He
spends the night in a train station, then runs around town. Finally, he meets his sister,
who tells him she wants to run away with him and that she will never go back to school.
• Holden sees himself in her, finally changes his mind and decides to go back to his
parents.
• We are able to conclude that Holden then is under psychatric care - which is from where
the story begins
Plot Summary

9. RISING ACTION
CLIMAX
FALLING ACTION
FORESHADOWING
CONFLICT OF THOUGHTS i.e. TO
INTERACT AS AN ADULT OR TO
RETREAT AS A CHILD
HOLDEN HINTS THAT HE
HAS BEEN HOSPITALIZED
FOR A NERVOUS
BREAKDOWN, THE
STORY OF WHICH IS
REVEALED OVER THE
COURSE OF THE NOVEL
HOLDEN'S INTERACTIONS WITH PHOEBE,
CULMINATING IN HIS TEARS OF JOY AT WATCHING
PHOEBE ON THE CAROUSEL
HIS DEPARTURE FROM
MR. ANTOLINI'S
APARTMENT, WHEN HE
BEGINS TO QUESTION
HIS CHARACTERISTIC
MODE OF JUDGING
OTHER PEOPLE.
The Outline of the Book

10. Characters in the Novel
• MAJOR CHARACTERS
• HOLDEN CAULFIELD - A young teenager who is kicked out of Pencey High
because of several fails and a lack of motivation. He avoids telling his parents
of his failings and wanders the streets of New York. He is confused, as well as
opinionated.
• PHOEBE CAULFIELD - The younger sister of Holden. They have a good
relationship, and she doesn't want him to live her.
• STRADLATER - This good looking athlete is the room mate of Holden at
Pencey High. Holden finds him annoying.
• ROBERT ACKLEY - This is another student at Pencey that Holden finds
extremely annoying. Ackley is annoyed by everything, especially Stradlater.
• MR. ANTOLINI - Former English teacher at Elkton Hills. He was the one who
finally picked up the body of James Castle. Holden retreats to his house and
recieves a long lecture. Holden plans to stay there until Tuesday, but while
Holden is sleeping Mr. Antolini begins to pet him which prompts Holden to
leave.

11. Characters in the Novel
• MINOR CHARACTERS
• D. B. CAULFIELD - He is the older brother of Holden. He lives in the West;
Hollywood, California. He is a writer. Holden mentions him several times.
• JANE GALLAGHER - Stradlater goes on a date with her, and she used to be a
friend of Holden. Holdens constant reminiscing about Jane shows that he has
feelings for her

12. Settings
• PENCEY PREP- This is the high school that Holden has just been
kicked out of. A few of the chapters take place here.
• D.B.'S ROOM- After sneaking into his own house, Holden spends the
night in his unoccupied brother's room.
• THE ZOO- At the zoo, Holden takes Phoebe to the carousel and feels the
happiest he has felt in a long time.

13. STYLE AND MOTIFS
"An artist's only concern is to shoot for
some kind of perfection, and on his own
terms, not anyone else's."
- J.D. Salinger

14. Style
• First Person Narrative
• Stream of consciousness writing
• Like a teenager would have done
• Therefore, everyone is able to relate to the book
very easily, especially youngsters
• Use of catch-phrases
• And swear words

15. Recurring symbols
• Catcher in the rye
• The red hunting hat
• Allie’s baseball mitt
• Ducks at the lake in Central park
• The museum of natural history

16. ALIENATION
“That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in
the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only
thing I'd really like to be.”

17. The Idea of Alienation
• An individual’s estrangement from traditional
community and others in general.
• Karl Marx’s Theory of Alienation
• Existentialism and Phenomenology
• “Hell is other people” – No Exit, Jean Paul Sartre

18. Alienation in the Novel
• Alienation as a form of self-protection
• Alienation as a source of stability
• The reader’s perspective –
 Alienation as one of the causes for Holden’s misery
 Alienation from his own self
 Both a source of strength and a terrible weakness

19. Alienation in the Novel
• People always think something's all true.
• People never notice anything.
• People never believe anything.
• People always clap for the wrong things.
• People are always ruining things for you.
• People never give your message to anybody
• People never think anything is anything really.
• People are mostly hot to have a discussion when
you're not.

20. HOLDEN’S REFUSAL TO GROW UP
AND
HIS PERCEPTION OF THE ADULT WORLD
"Certain things, they should 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.“

21. Holden’s Refusal to Grow Up
• Holden’s vision of being the catcher in the rye
• Holden’s attachment to Allie and Phoebe
• Holden’s perception of the adult world

22. Phoniness of the Adult World
• “Grand. There's a word I really hate. It's a phony. I could puke every time I hear it”
• One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by
phonies.
• If an actor acts it out, I hardly listen. I keep worrying about whether he's going to do
something phony every minute.
• All of them swimming around in a goddam pot of tea and saying sophisticated stuff
to each other and being charming and phony.
• “I hope to hell that when I do die somebody has the sense to just dump me in the
river or something. Anything except sticking me in a goddam cemetary. People
coming and putting a bunch of flowers on your stomach on Sunday, and all that
crap. Who wants flowers when you're dead? Nobody.”
• “You take somebody that cries their goddam eyes out over phony stuff in the movies,
and nine times out of ten they're mean bastards at heart.”
• “It's funny. All you have to do is say something nobody understands and they'll do
practically anything you want them to.”
• I'd have this rule that nobody could do anything phony when they visited me. If
anybody tried to do anything phony, they couldn't stay.

23. Resolution of Holden’s Crises
• Among other things, you'll find that you're not the first person who was
ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behaviour.
You're by no means alone on that score, you'll be excited and stimulated
to know. Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and
spiritually as you are right now. Happily, some of them kept records of
their troubles. 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. And it isn't education. It's history. It's
poetry.
• The thing with kids is, if they want to grab the gold ring, you have to
let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off they fall off, but it's
bad if you say anything to them.

24. DEPICTION OF
RELATIONSHIPS AND INTIMACY
"Don't ever tell anybody anything.
If you do, you start missing everybody."

25. Sympathy
• Selma Thurmer – principal’s daughter
• Spencer – history teacher
• Robert Ackley – next door neighbour
• Stadlater – room mate
• Sunny – prostitute
• Lillian simmons – brother’s ex-girlfriend
• Missionary nuns

26. Factors influencing his relationships
• Connect with world -not cause him pain
• Relationships -adult world - complexity, unpredictability
• Sabotages own attempts to end loneliness
• Two traumas -death of brother Allie and suicide of schoolmate.
• Conflict within Holden's psyche-Part of him wants to connect with other
people on an adult level,while part of him wants to to retreat into his own
memories of childhood.
• Holden desperately continues searching for new relationships

27. Loneliness
• Leaves Pencey immediately
• Self sabotage – date Sally Hayes, calls Jane
Gallagher
• Reaching New York – manic quest interaction
• Always thinks of other people
• Meeting with Luce
• Flitting from one meaningless encounter to
another

28. Antolini
• Avoids alienating – behaving non
conventionally
• James Castle – dead boy
• Personal life
• Advice
• Criticism
• Touches forehead – homosexual ?
• Lesson ?

29. Phoebe
• Phoebe similar to Allie ?
• Very fond and source of happiness
• Holden desire - remain same
• Maturity
• Insight about Holden
• Caring for Holden
• Holdens concern for her - Reciprocating

30. Jane Gallagher
• Emotional upheaval – worry – fight
• Hesitant to call
• Memories – emotional connection
• Understanding and compassion

31. Sally Hayes
• Queen of Phonies
• Coldness and lack of compassion
• Holdens irrational feelings
• Holdens inability to connect
• Ridiculous schemes – lash out

32. Ackley
• Influence Holden description
– Nail trimming and pimple squeezing
– Nasty character
– Nosy
– Unsympathetic
• Parallels between Holden and Ackley

33. Family
• D.B –disapprove – prostituted himself to
Hollywood
• Allie – Nicest member - Grief after death
• Childhood memories with siblings – parents
virtually absent
• Concern for Mother
• Indifference towards father

34. Sexuality
• Appearance
• Attitude towards sex and sexuality
• Adolescent sexuality
• Sunny vs. Jane
• Casual sex

35. Mental Condition
• Self delusion
• Profound disconnect from reality
• Mood swings
• Running away with Sally
• Final words - outlook

36. INFLUENCES ON THE NOVEL
Some of my best friends are children.
In fact, all my best friends are children.
- J.D. Salinger

37. • A culmination of themes that have appeared in a
number of Salinger’s short stories.
• Two major short stories based on the Caulfield
family– This Sandwich has No Mayonnaise and
I’m Crazy
• Serve as basis for individual chapters of the book.
• Explains the pacing and relative lack of narrative
continuity in the novel, with no character or
setting recurring for more than one or two
chapters.

38. • Salinger himself was influenced by Hemingway,
with whom he corresponded regularly.
• Drafted into the army where he saw action during
the Battle of the Bulge
• Holden Caulfield first appeared in “Slight
Rebellion of Madison”, a story about pre war
jitters.
• In the Catcher in the Rye the settings and themes
are transported into a post World war setting.

39. Autobiographical?
• Salinger admitted that the novel was “ sort of”
autobiographical
• Holden moving from school to school, being
threatened with military school, etc
• “My boyhood was very much the same as that
of the boy in the book.… [I]t was a great relief
telling people about it”
• Newer interpretations include a veiled
reference to Senator McCarthy and his
scapegoating of communism.

40. • Published at a time when the American
economy was booming
• The social rules of the time were strictly
conformed to
• The use of slang and profanity and the
discussion of sexuality in such an open fashion
is therefore especially shocking.

41. • After the novel was published, Salinger’s
reclusiveness contributed to its mystique,
making him and Holden cult figures.
• Many readers started viewing Salinger and
Holden as the same being.
• Critical acclaim for his later works have
increased , hence Catcher in the rye may one
day be viewed as a part of a literary whole.

42. INFLUENCE OF THE NOVEL
Lisa: What are you reading?
Boy: Catcher in the rye.
Lisa: Oh I love baseball.
-Saved by the bell

43. Controversial
• Among one of the most challenged books of the
20th century.
• Was among the most censored books in the
United States for over 20 years after its
publication.
• Usage of profanity, sexual references, blasphemy,
Holden being a poor role model, encouragement
of rebellion, promiscuity, drinking, smoking (even
his former teacher offers him a smoke), etc.

44. • Part of the reason for the novel’s immense
success
• Has sold over 65 million copies
• Still sells over 250,000 copies a year.
• Translated into almost all major languages and
a common part of high school and college
curricula

45. Shootings
• The John Lennon killing by Mark David
Chapman
• Chapman identified himself with Holden, and
perhaps wanted to preserve John Lennon’s
innocence through death.
• “He knew where the ducks went in winter, and
I needed to know this”
• The attempted assasination of Ronald Reagan
by John Hinckley Jr.

46. The novel in Pop Culture
• “ We didn’t start the fire “ – Billy Joel
• TV has borrowed countless number of times from
the novel, from naming Phoebe Buffay ( a free
spirit, just like the novel’s Pheobe ) to 8 simple
rules to Dilbert.
• Almost every movie or book about rebellion and
non conforming has a protagonist that can be
identified with Holden
• Tropic Thunder – Tropic Thunder is my Catcher
in the rye ( Danny McBride).
• The novel is also used as a foreshadowing of
alienation- eg : The Shining.

47. Conclusion
• One of the most influential novels of the twentieth
century
• “With love and 20-20 vision” – The Time
magazine book review, 1951, commenting on
Salinger’s perfect understanding of the adolescent
mind.
• "present, at least spiritually, in ... any story line
that involves quirky young people struggling to
find their places in a society prone to reward
conformity and condemn individuality."