Catcher in the Rye JD Salinger Breakdown on

Catcher in the Rye JD Salinger

“Breakdown on Fifth Avenue” o o Salinger started this story as a short story and later turned it into a novel Chapter 25

Fifth Avenue

Point of View o 1 st Person (naïve) n Direct Address o n Flashback o n “If you really want to hear about it…” Holden tells about the day he left Pencey Prep just before Christmas break Digression o Reference to D. B. in Hollywood

Setting o o The novel is framed by the first and last chapters which are set somewhere in California during the 1950 s Agerstown, Pennsylvania n o Pencey Prep Boarding School Various places in NYC n n Grand Central Station Greenwich Village Radio City Music Hall Central Park

“Oh, the places you’ll go…”

Plot o Quest (journey) motif n n Actual journey Metaphorical journey

Structure Picaresque (rogue) Framework o Escapades of the hero n o Holden and his misadventures Realistic n n o bookends NYC is accurately represented NYC is a metaphor for the commercial world which is devoid of feelings Satiric n n Holden’s loss of human connectedness He cannot connect to Jane because the “phone didn’t answer”

Salinger’s Technique and Style o o o First Person Narration Flashback Holden’s memory of situations Sarcasm Humor

Conflicts o External n n n o Man vs Society Man vs Nature Internal n Man vs Himself q. Ultimate Conflict §Holden’s external conflicts meet his internal conflict

Protagonist and Antagonist o Holden Caulfield n n n 16 years old Troubled Values: o o o o o n Honesty Friendship Compliments Neatness Down to earth people Manners Respect Usefulness Getting things we really need Does Not Value: o o o Money Superficiality Fakeness o Holden Caulfield n Holden is unable to fit into society and is at odds with o o o Different Characters Social Situations Educational Environments Technology the World in general

Chapters 1 -3 o Holden/expelled/Pencey Prep n o o o now 17/16 when action takes place D. B. /Hollywood/prostitute Fencing Team/foils/subway Spencer/history essay/crud/sarcastic/ cover up lack of knowledge/Spencer reads/to shock Holden English/passed NYC/red hunting cap Ackley/roommate/annoying/lonely/dirty/ intrusive

Chapters 4 -6 o o o Stradlater/ladies’ man/thinks highly of himself/player Jane Gallagher/Holden/Stradlater/favor/Holden agrees Allie/Holden/death/composition/baseball glove/poems Holden/fight Stradlater/Jane/ protection

Chapters 7 -11 o o o o o Holden/decision/NCY Holden/train/Ernie Morrow/lie Penn Station/call Holden/cabbie/ducks Hotel/perversions Faith Cavendish/companionship Phoebe/Holden’s relationship Phoebe/Allie’s relationship n “She killed Allie, too” (68). Holden/3 girls/movie stars Jane/kiss/stepfather

Chapters 12 -14 o o o o Ernie’s/depression/Ernie’s piano playing/people clap Holden/cabbie/ducks/fish n Holden/fear/change Holden/drunk/Lillian Simmons Holden/”yellow”/virgin/Sunny/talk/ operation n Human companionship n Adult situations Holden/religion/parents Maurice/$5. 00/cries/Holden insults Maurice Holden/the movies n Reality Holden/suicide/”rubbernecking”

Chapters 15 -16 o o o Sally/phony Holden/parent’s finances Holden/nuns/Dick Slagle/suitcases n o o o Compassion/respect Money “making you blue” Holden/walking/kid singing Phoebe/Little Shirley Beans Jane/phone/Mom Museum of Natural History

Chapters 17 -18 o Sally/good looking/Holden phony/run away/”pain in the ass”/yelling (doesn’t know it) n o Phone calls/Jane/Carl Luce/Wicker Bar n o o “break down” 3 people in phone book (Jane, dad’s work, teacher) Movies/crying woman Atomic bomb/war

Chapters 19 -23 o o o o o Wicker Bar/Luce (Whooten School)/sex/psychiatrist n Adult situations Phone/Sally Hayes/hangs up Central Park/ducks/Phoebe’s record/ Allie’s funeral/Holden’s death/ Holden’s hand “All you have to do is say something nobody understands and they’ll do practically anything you want them to” (158). Holden/home/DB’s room/Phoebe and record Phoebe/Holden like? /why? James Castle/Elkton/suicide/Mr. Antolini Holden/catcher in the rye/innocence Holden/Phoebe dancing/money/red hunting cap

Chapters 24 -26 o o o Mr. Antolini/”headed for a fall”/pat on the head Kinsella/oral expression/digression Grand Central Station/psychological and physical symptoms/street/Allie “Don’t let me disappear. ” Holden/deaf-mute Holden/Phoebe’s school/”FUs”/his tombstone n o o o Phoebe/suitcase/red hunting cap Play Benedict Arnold Carrousel/Phoebe n o Can’t get rid of all the “FUs” in the world Permanent (round and round, same song) Holden/rest home n ”Don’t tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody. ”

Comin thro’ the Rye by Robert Burns Chorus O, Jenny’s a’weet, poor body, Jenny’s seldom dry: She draigl’t a’ her petticoatie, Coming thro’ the rye! I Coming thro’ the rye, poor body. Coming thro’ the rye, She draigl’t a’ her petticoatie, Coming thro’ the rye! II Gin a body meet a body Coming thro’ the rye. Gin a body kiss a body, Need a body cry? III Gin a body meet a body Coming thro’ the glen. Gin a body kiss a body, Need a warld ken? Chorus O, Jenny’s a’weet, poor body, Jenny’s seldom dry: She draigl’t a’ her petticoatie, Coming thro’ the rye!