The Catcher in the Rye ThemesTopics Watch for

The Catcher in the Rye

Themes/Topics Watch for these themes during your reading of the novel. You will be expected to pull examples of each theme out of the novel. 1. Phonies/Social Pressures – “phony” implies snobbery – Holden hates phonies

Themes 2. Growing up/ Loss of Innocence/Identity Formation – Holden is at the in between stage of life, in between a child an adult. – Holden wants to be accepted by children and adults, however, he doesn’t fit into either category.

Themes 3. Conformity vs. Resistance How does Holden conform to his environment? What is society asking from teenagers? 4. Perception of Truth/ Is it ok to lie? Holden considers himself an honest person but is he really? 5. Alienation/ Isolation/Depression

Symbolism “Catcher in the Rye” By: JD Salinger

Symbols • Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

SYMBOLS • • 1. the ducks 2. the carousel 3. the museum of natural science 4. Allie’s baseball mitt 5. the red hunting hat 6. Phoebe’s notebooks 7. the catcher in the rye

DUCKS IN THE POND • Childhood • Innocence • Holden sees it, because it is “partly frozen and partly not frozen. ” The pond is in transition between two states, just as Holden is in transition between childhood and adulthood

THE CAROUSEL • Life at its best possibilities • Innocence, childhood • Happiness

THE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY • Everything stays the same • Unchanging Jurassaic • Simple • Predictable

Allie’s Baseball Mitt • Reminds him of his brother. • Allie’s authentic uniqueness • Privacy (has shown it to only Jane outside his family)

RED HUNTING HAT • • • Uniqueness Symbol of his alienation Attachment to childhood Protection/comfort Reminds him of Phoebe and Allie.

PHOEBE’S NOTEBOOK • Not phony, authentic • Childlike • Innocence

CATCHER IN THE RYE • • Holden’s dream Holden’s job/purpose Protector of innocence In Chapter 22, when Phoebe asks Holden what he wants to do with his life, he replies with his image, from the song, of a “catcher in the rye. ” Holden imagines a field of rye perched high on a cliff, full of children romping and playing. He says he would like to protect the children from falling off the edge of the cliff by “catching” them if they were on the verge of tumbling over.