The Catcher in the Rye
by
J.D. Salinger
Name______
Period_____
Mrs. Lutes
Advanced Composition & Novel
Anticipation Guide
On each line mark whether you agree or disagree with the statement. Underneath each statement explain your reasoning in 3-5 sentences.
______1. Society encourages children to grow up too quickly.
______2. Conformity results in the loss of individuality.
______3. Adolescence is a time of self-exploration.
______4. The loss of innocence leads to cynicism.
______5. While we may seek reality, we are more comfortable with illusion.
______6. People can overcome their own problems.
______7. Establishing a mature relationship with a member of the opposite sex is
difficult.
______8. In order to fit into our society we must by “phony” or “fake” to a certain
degree.
______9. It is difficult to meet someone who is “real” because most people are
“phony.”
______10. Institutions such as schools, businesses, and entertainment industries suppress the individual.
______11. Adolescents must endure many problems and pressures.
______12. Everyone must determine his own value system for himself.
Study Questions
Chapters 1 – 4
1. Why does the book begin with the words, “If you want to know the truth . . .”?
2. What is the meaning of the reference to David Copperfield?
3. Why is D.B. mentioned here at the beginning?
4. What is important in the school motto at Pencey?
5. Why has Holden “forgotten” to mention his dismissal from Pencey?
6. What does Holden mean when he says that Pencey is full of “crooks”?
7. What is significant in Holden’s remark about Mrs. Spencer opening the door herself?
8. What is the importance of Holden’s confrontation with Mr. Spencer?
9. What is the significance of Spencer’s question about Holden’s telling his parents?
10. Why is the ambiguity of Holden’s age stressed?
11. What is important about Holden’s exam paper?
12. Why does Holden say he is just going through a “phase”?
13. Why does Holden characterize himself as a liar?
14. What is the significance of the deflation of Ossenburger?
15. What is the importance of Holden’s new hat?
16. Why does Holden yearn to talk to certain authors?
17. What is signified when Holden misplaces the foils?
18. What is Holden’s attitude toward Ackley?
19. How is Stradlater characterized?
20. What is the significance of Stradlater’s borrowing Holden’s jacket?
21. What is the import of Holden’s message to Jane?
22. What are Holden’s doubts about the message?
Chapters 5 – 8
23. Why does Holden enjoy the snowball fight?
24. What is the importance of his composition about Allie?
25. What is the significance of Holden breaking his hand?
26. What are Holden’s fears about Jane and Stradlater?
27. Why does Holden fight Stradlater?
28. What is Holden’s first action after the fight?
29. Why does Holden consider going into a monastery?
30. Why is Holden so lonely at Pencey?
31. What emotions do the new skates create?
32. In what condition does Holden leave Pencey?
33. Why does Holden give a false name to Mrs. Morrow?
34. Why does he lie about Ernest Morrow?
35. What is the significance of the brain surgery story?
Chapters 9 – 12
36. What is Holden’s first act upon arriving in New York?
37. What is signified by the ducks in the lagoon?
38. Why does Holden give such detailed descriptions of the hotel rooms seen from his own window?
39. What is Holden’s attitude toward sex?
40. Why does Salinger use the name Faith Cavendish?
41. Why does Salinger choose to introduce Phoebe here?
42. What is significant in Holden’s appraisal of the girls from Seattle?
43. Why does his mind now revert to Jane?
44. Why does Holden think of the ducks again?
45. What is implied in Holden’s criticism of Ernie?
46. Why does Holden scorn the “Ivy League” boys he sees?
47. What compromise does Holden make?
Chapters 13 – 17
48. Why does Holden accept the assignation with Sunny?
49. Why is he unable to consummate any physical act with Sunny?
50. What is Holden’s mental state after Sunny’s departure?
51. What is the real outcome of his fight with Maurice?
52. What is suggested by Holden’s fantasy of “plugging” Maurice?
53. What progression is followed in terms of female relationships?
54. What is Holden’s attitude toward the nuns?
55. What is significant in the reference to Mercutio?
56. What is the import of the monologue about Catholicism?
57. Why does Holden describe the child on the street as “swell”?
58. What does the reference to Hamlet reveal?
59. What is the basis of the museum’s appeal to Holden?
60. What is the point of the remembrances of Harris Macklin?
61. What contradiction exists in his attitude toward Sally?
Chapters 18 – 22
62. What is implied by the remembrances of Jane at this point?
63. Why is the Radio City program juxtaposed with Carl Luce?
64. What is meant by D.B.’s query about Rubert Brooke and Emily Dickinson?
65. What is implied in the reference to Gatsby?
66. What is the significance of Luce?
67. What contacts does Holden attempt at the beginning of the chapter?
68. Why does Holden muse upon his own death?
69. What is the first impression given of Phoebe?
70. How are the elder Caulfields depicted?
71. What is significant in the movie Phoebe saw?
72. How does Phoebe punish Holden?
73. What conclusion does Phoebe draw from Holden’s criticism of Pencey?
74. What is Holden’s answer?
Chapters 23 – 26
75. Why does Holden give Phoebe his hunting cap?
76. What is the import of Mr. Antolini’s advice?
77. What is the significance of Antolini’s caress?
78. What is Holden’s condition at this point?
79. Why does he write Phoebe?
80. What prompts Holden’s reactions to the foul words?
81. How does Phoebe identify with Holden?
82. Why does Holden refuse to take Phoebe along?
83. What new knowledge does Holden gain watching Phoebe on the carousel?
84. What is Holden’s final ironic comment?
Discussion Questions
A Study of Motivation
1. What is Holden’s view of the world at the beginning of the novel?
2. How does Holden change his viewpoint?
3. What forces change his view of the people in his past?
4. What was Holden’s original view of childhood innocence?
5. What forces alter his attitude?
6. Why does Holden feel so alienated from the world?
7. How does his attitude change?
A Study of Influences
8. What influence has the cinema exerted on Holden?
9. Holden sees evil in the world’s coldness and hypocrisy. How does he define his vision of good?
10. Who are Holden’s heroes?
A Study of Life-style
11. In what way does Holden seem a typical teenager and the product of his upbringing?
12. What kind of people are Holden’s parents?
13. What characteristics render Holden unable to fit in?
14. Does Holden belong in the sanitarium?
Review Questions
1. Identify each character and explain Holden’s attitude towards each of them.
a. Spencer b. Ackley c. Stradlater d. Sally Hayes
2. Holden suffers a number of significant disappointments during the course of the story. Describe five of these disappointments.
3. Who are the people in the novel that Holden likes? Why does he like these characters and dislike others?
4. How does Holden feel about the world in which he lives? Are his reactions to the world positive or negative? Explain.
5. Explain the symbolic significance of Holden’s red hunting cap, the Natural History Museum, and the Central Park ducks.
6. Structurally, the novel can be divided into three parts. Define these divisions and explain the significance of each.
7. Examine the novel’s point of view, style, and language. How are they appropriate or inappropriate for what the author is trying to say? Explain.
8. Explain J.D. Salinger’s title. Why do you think this is an effective or ineffective title?
9. Explain the significance of the following statement and define the philosophy behind it (consider the source): “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).
THE USE OF SLANG
In groups, come up with 5-10 slang words that you use frequently and what those slang words mean. You may consult an online slang dictionary if you need to obtain a precise translation.
1. 6.
2. 7.
3. 8.
4. 9.
5. 10.
Why do you speak in slang?
Where and how did you learn slang?
Do adults have difficulty understanding what you are talking about at times?
Holden Speak
Here is a list of some of the words Holden uses in The Catcher in the Rye.
1. lousy = not nice
2. touchy = sensitive
3. crumby = dirty, not well-kept
4. very big deal = important, significant
5. dough = money
6. It killed me = impressed with
7. flunk = fail
8. stiff = dead body
9. madman = crazy person
10. moron = stupid, idiot
11. strictly for the birds = of no interest
12. hot-shot = important person
13. kick out of it = excited by something
14. crap = garbage
15. corny = not cool, old-fashioned
16. phony = hypocrite, two-faced
17. got the ax = thrown out
18. get a bang = excited by something
19. shoot the bull = telling lies, small talk
20. ____ as hell = very
21. chucked = threw
22. knocks me out = affected by something
23. swanky = very nice, fancy
24. racket = loud noise, commotion
25. made a stink = got upset
26. it stinks = it’s not nice, it’s not good
27. swell = good, nice
28. horse around = play, fool around
29. drove me crazy = got me angry
30. a buzz = phone call
Imitate Holden’s voice and come up with three phrases that Holden would be likely to say.
1.
2.
3.
What does Holden’s speech reveal about him?
THE HEROIC CYCLE
based on Joseph Campbell’s work
Why study the hero’s journey?
It is the pattern of human experience. Every challenge we face in life is a journey. It is a process of self discovery. Understanding the Journey pattern can help us understand the stories we read, the movies and shows we see, and the experiences that shape our lives.
ORIENTATION
1) The Call: The call to adventure is the point in a person’s life when they are first given notice that everything is going to change, whether they know it or not. It can come upon us as a sudden traumatic change or sneak up on a person gradually. It can take many forms: we have had something taken away from us, our family or society and the quest is to reclaim it, or we sense that something is lacking in our life and we must find what is missing. The call is an invitation to do something, go somewhere or become something. It gives us an opportunity to face the unknown and gain something of value.
Questions to help frame this step:
a) What stage of life is he or she in?
b) What do you see coming next for this person?
c) What would cause the person to leave this stage, to “leave home”?
d) What is the person doing when the call comes? Is it an accident, a blunder, something planned, or hoped for? Is it anticipated or dreaded?
2) Refusal of the Call: Often when the call is given, we refuse to heed it. This may be from a sense of duty or obligation, fear, insecurity, a sense of inadequacy, or any of a range of reasons that work to hold a person in his or her current circumstances. Our world and life may feel meaningless. All we can do is create new problems for ourselves and await the gradual approach of our disintegration.
Questions to help frame this step:
a) Does the hero refuse the call?
b) If so, what motivates the refusal? Obligation and duty, fear, a sense of inadequacy to take on the quest, a dread or dislike of the task to be taken on?
c) Is the person ready to leave home, to accept adult status? If not, why?
3) Guardians of the Threshold: The threshold is the interface between the known and the unknown world. In the known world we feel secure because we know the rules and the landscape. Once into the unknown world, we enter a land filled with challenges and dangers. Often at the threshold, we encounter people, beings, or situations which block our passage. Threshold guardians have two functions: They protect us by keeping us from taking journeys for which we are unready or unprepared. Once we are ready to meet the challenge, they step aside and point the way. To pass the guardian is to make
a commitment, to say, “I’m ready. I can do this.” Early in our lives, our parents function as our threshold guardians. As we get older, our parents’ job becomes more difficult,
protecting and pushing. As adults, our threshold guardians are more insidious. They are our fears, doubts, and threatening behaviors.
Questions to help frame this step:
a) What world is being left; what world is being entered?
b) What is the threshold and what or who is guarding it?
c) What obstacles must the hero overcome to truly begin the journey? –limits of home or society, limits of personality, limits of perception, physical limits?
4) Supernatural Aid: Once we have committed to the quest, consciously or unconsciously, our guide and magical helper appears, or becomes known. Helpers provide assistance or direction. Often they bring us a divine gift which helps us through the ordeal. The most important helper on the journey, the mentor keeps us focused on our goal and gives us stability.
Questions to help frame this step:
a) What special friends or helpers does the hero have?
b) Does the hero receive some magical help, advice, or talisman from someone wise and benevolent?
c) Is there someone who helps them prepare to leave on their journey?
d) Is it a one time assistance, or will the helper (or helpers) appear throughout the journey?