An Introduction to

The Catcher in the Rye By J.D. Salinger

Mrs. Milton

English 521

About the Author • 1919 – 2010

• Born in NYC to Jewish father and a Catholic mother • Served in WWII (D-Day Invasion)

• Recognized as one of the most popular and

influential authors of American fiction during the twentieth century.

• Has, by his own choice, remained out of the public eye for most of his life.

International Acclaim

• Published in 1951

• Has sold over 65 million copies world wide! Continues to sell over 250,000 copies a year in

the U.S. alone

• Named one of the best novels of the 20th century by Time Magazine.

• One of the most frequently challenged books in library history because…[video clip]

Controversy & Criticism

• Many parents objected to the main character's

obscene language, erratic behavior, and antisocial

attitudes. There are also several “seedy” scenes.

• Responding to the irate protests, numerous school

and public libraries and bookstores removed the book

from their shelves.

• Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, simply was not a

good role model for the youth of the 1950s, in the

view of many conservative adults.

Assassination “Trigger"?

John Lennon's Assassination

Assassinations Linked to Catcher in the Rye

Overview • Although The Catcher in the Rye caused considerable

controversy when it was first published in 1951, the

book—the account of three disoriented days in the life of

a troubled sixteen-year-old boy

—was an instant hit.

“It remained immensely popular, especially

among teenagers and young adults, largely

because of its fresh, brash style and anti-

establishment attitudes—typical attributes of

many people emerging from the physical and

psychological turmoil of adolescence.”

• Tells the story of a teenager expelled from his high school and his journey across NYC in the 1950’s. • Issues discussed in the book include: school, teachers, music, sex, alcohol, hypocrisy, family, and being a teenager.

• Holden is looking for THREE things: ▫ The Innocence of Childhood Wants things to remain the same as when he was

younger

▫ Love vs. Sex Trying to figure out if there can be one without the

other

▫ Identity What do I do with my life? What does this all mean? How do I live up to expectations and still be an

individual?

Why so Popular?

• Holden Caulfield = sketch of a typical teenager, searching for one’s identity, and critical of the artificiality and materialistic culture of society.

• Nearly all readers identify with or see some of their friends reflected in different aspects of Holden’s character.

• Young readers see in Holden Caulfield a little bit of what they are, while older readers see in Holden a bit of what they once were.

• Ultimately, we all know that in some way, Holden is one of us.

Setting & Historical Context

• The events in The Catcher in the Rye take place in 1946, only a year after the end of World War II.

• Adults at this time had survived the Great Depression and the multiple horrors of the war.

• Paradoxically, the war that wounded and killed so many people was the same instrument that launched the nation into an era of seemingly unbounded prosperity.

• Adults valued materialism and extreme conservatism

• Traditional values were the norm

• People did not want to hear from the Holden Caulfields

and J. D. Salingers of the era

• They were in a state of blissful denial

• Holden has withdrawn from this society enough to see the

world from a different perspective.

• He hates the hypocrisy he sees in the adult world and is

therefore reluctant to participate in it.

• His behavior, while that of an adolescent trying to affirm his

own identity, also symbolizes the perceived shallowness of

people and society.

• Most of the things Holden fears peak in the 1950s, when

conservatism, rigid morality, and paranoid self-righteousness

held the nation in a tight grip.

• Small wonder that 1950s parents assailed Salinger's novel

when it hit book stores and libraries in 1951!

• Teenagers became more rebellious, a trend that their parents viewed to be strongly influenced by a new, decadent form of music called rock 'n' roll.

• Juvenile delinquency became an alarming problem and

was considered a major social issue. • Teens were skipping classes and committing crimes, and parents were alarmed by their children's lack of respect for authority.

Structure & Style

• Salinger utilizes a FRAME STORY structure. The outside frame is Holden’s talking to a psyshoanalyst; the inside frame is Holden’s own narrative, with flashbacks of the events, the “madman” stuff that has led to his arrival at a psychiatric ward in California.

• First-person narrative; autobiographical

• Psychological reflection in that the events narrated are accompanied by Holden’s thoughts.

• Coming-of-Age Novel: A novel that traces one’s

emotional maturation from child to adult. A loss of

innocence is essential if a child is to become an adult.

This process is painful, but inevitable.

• Picaresque Novel: A book dealing with the adventures of

a wanderer.

• Quest Narrative: Narrator seeks to discover truths,

values, and ultimately himself and his place in this world.

Genre

Themes & Values

• Phonies/Societal Pressures

▫ “phony” implies “snobbery” and “fakeness”

▫ Holden hates phonies

• Adolescence/ Loss of Innocence

▫ Holden is at the in-between stage of life, in between a child and an adult

▫ Holden wants to be accepted by children and adults; however, he doesn’t fit into either category

• The need for inner direction and commitment to action. • A sensitive awareness of life’s compensation: a necessary

balance of sympathy and rejection, joy and sorrow. • The recognition of superficial standards of behavior; 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 communication 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.

Important “Symbols”

• The Catcher’s Mitt

• The Red Hunting Hat

• The Ducks in Central Park Pond

• The Museum of Natural History

• The Merry-Go-Round