Transcript Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Catcher in the Rye
by J.D. Salinger
Mr. Laird
English 12B
Chapters 1 & 2
• Holden Caulfield (17 years old
but 16 in story)
• In a ward in California
resting.
• Writing about four days
• He got “pretty run down
and had to come here.”
• Smoker who “practically
got t.b.” but pretty healthy
• Contradiction
• D.B. (brother)
• Writer (The Secret
Goldfish: boy
hides/protects what is
his)
• “Prostitute” in
Hollywood
Chapters 1 & 2 (cont.)
• Pencey Prep
• Agerstown, Penn.
• Got kicked out
• Terrible school but good
academic rating
• Last football game of the
year is huge
• Only seniors bring girls
• Old Spencer (history teacher)
• Old, smells, sick (grippe)
• Fails Holden
• Tries to reach out to
Holden
• Bothered when his work is
read to him
Chapters 1 & 2 (cont.)
• “Life is a Game”…if you’re on the side with
all the hot shots.
• Where do the ducks go when the water
freezes over?
Things That Drive Him Nuts
Phony Things
• Movies (although he likes
• Headmaster
imitating them)
• Leaving without knowing it
• When people say something
twice
• “I don’t know, boy. I don’t
know”
Thurmer(phony slob)
• The word “Grand”
• Everyone at Elkton school
(old Haas)
Chapter 3
• The red hunting hat
• Cost a buck
• “people shootin’ hat”
• “quite illiterate, but I read a lot.” English is the only
class he passed.
• Will act immature on purpose
Chapter 3 (cont.)
• Ackley
• “roommate” connected by
shower
• Annoying habits
• Cutting nails
• Moving things
• Ignoring what you said
• Doesn’t brush teeth
• Hates Stradlater
• Stradlater
• Roommate
• Arrogant but nice-ish
• Handsome, strong, has
date
• Sally Hayes
• A girl from New York
Holden used to see
Things That Drive Him Nuts
Phony Things
• Ossenburger:
undertaker/wing is
named after him
• Stradlater’s semifriendliness to Ackley
(but he’s a real good
guy)
Chapter 4
• Holden follows Stradlaer to bathroom where he shaves
• Ask Holden to write a paper for him (“but not too
good”)
• On a date with Holden’s old neighbor Jane “Jean”
Gallagher
• Holden clearly reacts to this news
• “Ask her if she still keeps all her kings in the back row.”
Things That Drive Him Nuts
• Talking while yawning
• Oversimplifying
• Writing is all about
commas
• Basketball is all about
build
Phony Things
Chapter 5
• Goes to town with Mal Brossard and Ackley…to see a movie!
• Takes a snowball. Doesn’t throw it. Targets too white (and pure)
• Wrote Stradlater’s paper about his brother Allie and his baseball mitt
• Two years younger
• Died of leukemia at 11
• Had very red hair
• Holden slept in the garage the day he did and broke all the windows
and his hand.
• Parents had him pscyoanalyzed
• Shows sympathy for Ackley
Chapter 6
• Stradlater comes home late from his date
• Holden’s tone changed when describing him
• Worried Stradlater took advantage of Jane
• Stradlater not happy with paper. Whose fault was that?
• Doesn’t listen about smoking despite hating saying things twice
• Mouths off until he gets punched
• Claims to be a pacifist: 2 fights, attacks Stradlater, breaks garage
windows
Chapter 7
• Holden goes to Ackley’s room after fight
• Ignores Ackley’s requests about fight
• Things start to depress him (silence), feels alone
• Decides to leave Pencey tonight and stay in NY
hotel
• Saddened by more: ice skates, leaving
Chapter 8
• Walks to train station
• Meets Ms. Marrow – mother of Ernest
• Finds her attractive
• Seems to have a stereotype for everything when convenient (women
and bags in aisle)
• Lies, Lies, Lies
• Borrows name of janitor
• Says Ernest is a good guy
• Needs an operation on brain tumor
• Thinks he’s more mature unlike earlier (smokes, order drinks)
Things That Drive Him Nuts
Phony Things
• Models in magazines
named David, Linda, or
Marcia
Chapter 9
• Wants to call someone. Maybe Jane G. We learn of
sister Phoebe
• Asks cab driver about the ducks
• Staying at Edmond Hotel
• Calls Faith Cavendish for a “good time.” Got her #
from a guy at Princeton.
Things That Drive Him Nuts
Phony Things
• Letter from Sally Hayes
inviting Holden over to
decorate the Christmas
tree
• Anne Louise Sherman –
girl he necked with that
was a “pain in the ass”
(broke rule)
Chapter 10
• Changes shirt to hang out in lounge
• Likes to dance
• Tries to act older
• Orders drinks
• “I’ll look you up”
• Kisses blond on head
• Alias Jim Steele (not Rudolf Schmidt)
Phoebe
• “Roller skate skinny”
• Loves movies
• “Too affectionate”
• Very smart
• Writer
• Wrote series of stories
about Hazle
Weatherfield – an
orphan with a dad.
Chapter 11
• Jane Gallagher
• Met when dog peed on his lawn
• Talked for first time at club pool
• Played tennis and golf together “almost every day”
• Holden claims to be very good at golf/almost in a movie short
• Funny/Liked poetry/Pretty?
• Cried about step-dad but why?
• Head to Ernie’s
Things That Drive Him Nuts
Phony Things
• Reminded that being
in a movie is phony
(golf short)
Chapter 12
• Asks cab driver about ducks
• Driver compares to fish
• “If you was a fish, Mother Nature’d take
care of you, wouldn’t she? You don’t think
them fish just die when it gets to be winter,
do ya?”
• Sits at Ernie’s alone and orders drinks
• Seems upset with everything that is going on
• Piano playing, crowd, seating, etc.
• Hates Ernie’s piano playing but feels sorry for him
• Does he know when he screws up?
• Runs into DB’s ex, Lillian Simmons, and her navy date,
“Commander Blop”
• Makes up excuse to leave in order to avoid sitting with
Lillian
Interesting Quotes
• “People always clap for the wrong things.”
• “If you want to stay alive, you have to say that
stuff, though.”
• “Glad to’ve met you.”
• “People are always ruining things for you.”
Things That Drive Him Nuts
• If people were to
Phony Things
• Ernie’s bow
think he were terrific • Lillian Simmons
at something (piano,
acting)
• Strong hand shakes
Chapter 13
• Thinking about gloves
• Wouldn’t want to fight thief – “yellow”
• Able to predict entire interaction line
for line
• Hates fist fights. Would rather be
blindfolded…or chop head off (!)
• Meets with prostitute
• Gets cleaned up
• Virgin
• “The trouble with me is, I stop.”
• Feels sorry for her (and the green dress)
• Backs out but offers to pay
• Glad he didn’t say “Thank you”
Things That Drive Him Nuts
Phony Things
• Phony innocent look
of thief
Chapter 14
• Apologizes to Allie when depressed
• Religion
• Parents are of different religions
• Siblings are atheists
• Hates the Disciples (“they keep letting Him down.”)
• Disagrees with classmate on Judas
• Maurice returns. Claims Holden owes $5.
• Holden cries
• Feels suicidal but doesn’t want people to see
his body
• Imagines movie like scene about getting shot
instead of punched.
Things That Drive Him Nuts
Phony Things
• Minister voices
Chapter 15
• Calls Sally Hayes (not ready to call Jane)
• Parents
• Wealthy
• Dad is a corporation lawyer
• Mom is nervous since Allie died
• Holden Vitamin Caulfield
• Meets two nuns
• Enjoys conversation
• Donates money (regrets it later)
• Money “always ends up making you blue
as hell.”
Things That Drive Him Nuts
• Cheap suitcases….and owners
(because owners don’t like you
for having nicer ones?)
Phony Things
• Eating a better breakfast than
• Sally Hayes
someone
• If someone gets killed that’s
entertaining and it wasn’t their
fault (Mercutio)
• Worrying about a person’s
religion
• The word
“Grand”…still
Chapter 16
• Wants to buy a record, “Little Shirley Beans,” for
Phoebe about a girl who loses who two front teeth
• Cheered up boy singing, “If a body catch a body
coming through the rye.”
• Thinks about museum while looking for Phoebe
in park
• “The best thing…was that everything always
stayed right where it was.”
• “Certain things they should stay the way they
are.”
• “The only thing that would be different would
be you.”
• Suddenly doesn’t want to go in
Chapter 17
• Impulsive with love (“I’m crazy.” “I’m a madman.”)
• Doesn’t understand bores (secret whistlers?)
• The plan to escape with Sally
• Summarizes thoughts about society
• Sally points out he is a child
• Doesn’t want to wait until after college. Those
years will change him. (Salinger’s army years?)
Things That Drive Him Nuts
Phony Things
• Cigarette breakers at
show
• George the Ivy
Leaguer
• Makes room to
answer questions
Chapter 18
• Inferiority complex vs. Conceited
• Jesus would like the kettle drum player
• Lady cries during movie but dismisses child
• DB served on D-Day
• Allie thinks it gave him something to write about
• Hated army more than the war
Things That Drive Him Nuts
Phony Things
• Carl Luce – former
schoolmate at
Whooton
• A Farewell to Arms
Chapter 19
• Meets at Wicker Bar
• Used to have French singers, Tina and Janine
• Carl
• Former Student Advisor at Whooton
• Always talking about gays (“flits”) and lesbians
• Holden suspects he could be gay
• Holden respects his intelligence/vocabulary
• Likes older women (has 30 something Chinese girlfriend)
• Carl accuses Holden of immaturity
• Holden “defends honor” of Carl’s former
girlfriend
• Protecting the underdog again
• Carl recommends a psychoanalyst (his Dad is one)
• Asks if Carl’s Dad psychoanalyzed Carl (Why?)
Things That Drive Him Nuts
Phony Things
• Everyone at Wicker
Bar
Chapter 20
• Gets very drunk (contradicts statement about ability to drink)
• Calls Sally
• Despite late, drunk call and earlier incident at rink, still
wants him to trim tree
• Dunks head in bathroom then leaves crying
• Has nowhere to go and no money so heads to see the ducks
• Breaks Phoebe’s record. Takes pieces with him.
• Imagines dying of pneumonia and his funeral.
Thinks of Allie.
• Discover in brief statement he was in hospital with
hand injury during Allie’s funeral
• Hates the idea of Allie alone in the cemetery
• Hates the thought of leaving Phoebe if he died
• Decides to sneak in back home to see her
Chapter 21
• Kids look alright when they sleep
• Phoebe is a good speller (although she misspelled
her character’s name)
• Phoebe saw movie about mercy killing (Theme?)
• Phoebe sees through lie/knows Holden got kicked
out
Chapter 22
• “You don’t like anything that’s happening.” –
Phoebe
• Thinks of classmate’s suicide when challenged to
think of something he likes
• He likes Allie and talking to Phoebe
• Thinks lawyers are like they are in the movies –
wanting praise (View of father?)
• Holden would be The Catcher in the Rye
• Based on Robert Burns poem
• “If a body MEET a body….”
• Phoebe still tries to impress Holden with a belch
• Leaves room to call former teacher, Mr. Antolini
Things That Drive Him Nuts
Phony Things
• People never
• Advice about the
thinking anything is
anything
future - depressing
Chapter 23
• Dances with Phoebe
• Phoebe thinks she can control her temperature
• Parents come home. Phoebe covers for Holden
• Gives Holden her Christmas spending money ($8.65)
• Holden cries/scares Phoebe
• Gives Phoebe his hat and promises to stick around for
her play
• Sneaks out but wants to get caught
Things That Drive Him Nuts
• People that dance
with little kids
Phony Things
Chapter 24
• Mr. Antolini married to older woman
• Mrs. Antolini thinks good writers shouldn’t go to Hollywood
• Digression vs. Stick to Point
• Holden thinks digression is interesting
• “Don’t you think there’s a time and place for everything
• Don’t interrupt if the speaker is interested
• “lots of time you don’t know what interests you most till you start
talking about something that doesn’t interest you most.”
• “you’re riding for some kind of terrible,
terrible fall.”
• Give up looking before getting started
• Dying nobly for unworthy cause
• Holden says he doesn’t hate everyone…for
long.
• Mr. A gives Holden a quote
• Recognizes that Holden needs education and is meant
to be educated
• Educated men know who to document their
experiences
• Tells Holden he needs to find path quickly and start on
it immediately
Chapter
• Sleeps on couch
• Wakes up to feel Mr. A’s hand on his head
• Panics and leaves
Things That Drive Him Nuts
• Yelling “Digression!”
• Saying coffee is ready
when it isn’t
Phony Things
Chapter 25
• Sleeps at Grand Central . Most depressed he’s ever been
• Considers going back to Mr. A’s
• Magazine convinces him he has bad hormones and
cancer
• Has fear of falling (like Mr. A said) while crossing
streets. Talks to Allie to get through it.
• Decides to hitchhike west and live on edge of woods as
deaf-mute working at gas station
• Decides to see Phoebe one last time
• Takes note to her school
• Hates curse word on wall/thinks of violent revenge
• You can never erase all of the curse words in the world
• It’ll even be on his tombstone
• Passes out in bathroom
• Decides people can visit him at his cabin if they don’t do
anything phony
•
•
•
•
•
Phoebe wants to leave with Holden. Holden says no.
Phoebe tells Holden to shut up. This hurts.
Tells her he isn’t leaving anymore.
Let’s her skip school and “leads” her to the zoo
Carrousels always play the same song – “one nice thing”
• Watches Phoebe on carrousel
• “…if they want to grab for 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.”
• This makes him happy – watches in the rain
• Convinced to stay
Things That Drive Him Nuts
• Yelling “Good Luck!” at someone depressing
Phony Things
Chapter 26
• Decides not to talk anymore
• “I mean how do you know what you’re going
to do till you do it?”
• Thinks he might apply himself when he heads
back to school in September
• “Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do,
you start missing everybody.”
Things That Drive Him Nuts
Phony Things