People Never Notice Anything

1. People Never Notice Anything Catcher In The Rye

2. I. About The Author “I'm sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody.” J.D. Salinger – 1919 – 2010 Drafted to WWII Fought on D-Day Was among first soldiers to enter a concentration camp Interrogated prisoners of war Emotionally scarred by time in war; hospitalized for PTSD D. Wrote numerous short stories, became famous for Catcher in the Rye (his only novel) E. Became a Buddhist and escaped fame, not writing another book after 1960

3. A Novel With A Tainted Legacy John Lennon Mark David Chapman “Dear Holden Caulfield, From Holden Caulfield, This is my statement” Reportedly, before shooting Lennon, Chapman visited NY and tried to re-enact scenes from the novel. After shooting him, he sat near the scene of the crime and read the book until police arrested him.

4. II. Theme • Salinger reflects on the pain of growing up by presenting a protagonist disillusioned by the adult world. • All adults are “phonies.” • Phoebe’s innocence is Holden’s inspiration • Holden longs to be a “catcher in the rye,” protecting children from doom

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6. “I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around – nobody big, I mean – except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff – I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going, I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be.” (225). Ironically, Holden gets this idea from a song called “Comin’ Through The Rye” which is about sex – the ultimate loss of innocence! Listen To This!

7. III. Salinger’s narrative explores the themes of disillusionment and lost innocence through use of symbolism. • Red Hat = desire for individuality, uniqueness • “Catcher in the Rye” = desire to protect youth and innocence • Ducks = fear of what happens to children when they grow up – where do they go? • D.B.’s story “Secret Goldfish” and Eskimos in Museum = Holden’s fantasy – a protected world where one never has to change And Numerous Others

8. IV. Phoebe’s Role • Embodied Innocence, yet catalyst for change. • Holden longs to be like her again. • Ironically, it is Phoebe who finally teaches Holden that he must grow up and that he cannot be the “catcher in the rye.” (Carousel Scene – chapter 25)

9. V. Elements of Modernism • Unique narrator who stands in opposition to society • Desperate quest for individualism, rejection of “phoniness.” • Simple, direct language that is rich in symbolic importance. • Self-conscious 1st person narrator with a unique “voice.”

10. Conclusion Holden is sometimes overwhelmingly hopeful, at other times darkly pessimistic. He wavers between irrational love and unrelenting abhorrence. He doesn’t want to grow up and resents adults as “phonies” who don’t understand him. What Does It Mean? He is just like most American teenagers today!