The Catcher in the Rye, novel by J.D. Salinger published in 1951. The novel details two days in the life of 16-year-old Holden Caulfield after he has been expelled from prep school. Confused and disillusioned, Holden searches for truth and rails against the “phoniness” of the adult world. He ends up exhausted and emotionally unstable. The events are related after the fact.
Plot summary
From what is implied to be a sanatorium, Holden, the narrator and protagonist, tells the story of his adventures before the previous Christmas. The story begins with Holden at Pencey Prep School on his way to the house of his history teacher, Spencer, so that he can say goodbye. He reveals to the reader that he has been expelled for failing most of his classes. After he visits Spencer, he encounters his roommate, Ward Stradlater, who asks Holden to write an essay for English class for him while he goes on a date with a longtime friend of Holden’s. Having agreed, Holden writes about the baseball glove of his younger brother, Allie, who died of leukemia. When Stradlater returns, he tells Holden that the essay isn’t good, and Holden gets angry when Stradlater refuses to say whether he had sex with his date. This causes Holden to storm out and leave Pencey for New York City a few days earlier than planned for Christmas break. Once he arrives in New York, he cannot go home, as his parents do not yet know that he has been expelled. Instead, he rents a room at the Edmont Hotel, where he witnesses some sexually charged scenes through the windows of other rooms. His loneliness then causes him to seek out human interaction, which he does at the Lavender Room, the hotel’s nightclub. After interacting with some women there, he goes to another nightclub, only to leave after seeing his elder brother’s ex-girlfriend. When he gets back to the hotel, he orders a prostitute to his room, only to talk to her. This situation ends in him being punched in the stomach.
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The next morning, Holden calls Sally Hayes, an ex-girlfriend of his. They spend the day together until Holden makes a rude remark and she leaves crying. Holden then meets up with a former schoolmate, Carl Luce, at a bar, but Luce leaves early because he becomes annoyed by Holden’s immature comments. Holden stays behind and gets drunk by himself. After he leaves, he wanders in Central Park until the cold drives him to his family’s apartment. He sneaks in, still not prepared to face his parents, and finds his 10-year-old sister, Phoebe. She is upset when she hears that Holden has failed out and accuses him of not liking anything. It is at this time that Holden describes to his sister his fantasy of being “the catcher in the rye,” which was inspired by a song he heard a little boy singing: “If a body catch a body comin’ through the rye.” Phoebe tells him that the words are “If a body meet a body coming through the rye,” from a poem by Robert Burns. (Burns’s poem, “Comin thro’ the Rye,” exists in several versions, but most render the lines as “Gin a body meet a body / Comin thro’ the rye.”) Soon they hear their parents come home after a night out, and Holden sneaks away. He calls his former English teacher, Mr. Antolini, who tells Holden he can come stay at his apartment. Holden falls asleep on Antolini’s couch and awakes to Antolini stroking his forehead, which Holden interprets as a sexual advance. He immediately excuses himself and heads to Grand Central Station, where he spends the rest of the night. When he awakes, he goes to Phoebe’s school and leaves a note telling her that he plans to run away and asking her to meet him at a museum during lunch. She arrives with a packed bag and insists on going with him. He tells her no and instead takes her to the zoo, where he watches her ride the carousel in the pouring rain. This is where the flashback ends. The novel closes with Holden explaining that he has fallen “sick” but is expected to go to a new school in the fall.
Interpretation
The Catcher in the Rye takes the loss of innocence as its primary concern. Holden wants to be the “catcher in the rye”—someone who saves children from falling off a cliff, which can be understood as a metaphor for entering adulthood. As Holden watches Phoebe on the carousel, engaging in childlike behaviour, he is so overcome with happiness that he is, as he puts it, “damn near bawling.” By taking her to the zoo, he allows her to maintain her childlike state, thus being a successful “catcher in the rye.” During this time, however, watching her and the other children on the carousel, he has also come to accept that he cannot save everyone: “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.”
Holden’s name is also significant: Holden can be read as “hold on,” and Caulfield can be separated into caul and field. Holden’s desire is to “hold on” to the protective covering (the caul) that encloses the field of innocence (the same field he wishes to keep the children from leaving). Holden desperately wants to remain true and innocent in a world full of, as he puts it, “phonies.” Salinger once admitted in an interview that the novel was semi-autobiographical.
Publication and initial reception
The Caulfield family was one Salinger had already explored in a number of stories that had been published by different magazines. Holden appeared in some of those stories, even narrating one, but he was not as richly fleshed out in them as he would be in The Catcher in the Rye. The novel, unlike the other stories of the Caulfield family, had difficulties getting published. Originally solicited by Harcourt, Brace and Company, the manuscript was rejected after the head of the trade division asked whether Holden was supposed to be crazy. It was then that Salinger’s agent, Dorothy Olding, approached Little, Brown and Company, which published the novel in 1951. After Little, Brown bought the manuscript, Salinger showed it to The New Yorker, assuming that the magazine, which had published several of his short stories, would want to print excerpts from the novel. The New Yorker rejected it, however, as the editors found the Caulfield children too precocious to be plausible and Salinger’s writing style exhibitionistic.
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The Catcher in the Rye’s reception was lukewarm at first. Many critics were impressed by Holden as a character and, specifically, by his style of narration. Salinger was able to create a character whose relatability stemmed from his unreliability—something that resonated with many readers. Others, however, felt that the novel was amateur and unnecessarily coarse.
Legacy
After publishing The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger became a recluse. When asked for the rights to adapt it for Broadway or Hollywood, he emphatically declined. Despite Holden’s never having appeared in any form subsequent to that in Salinger’s novel, the character has had a long-lasting influence, reaching millions of readers, including two particularly notorious ones. In 1980 Mark David Chapman identified so wholly with Holden that he became convinced that murdering John Lennon would turn him into the novel’s protagonist. The Catcher in the Rye was also linked to John W. Hinckley, Jr.’s attempted assassination of U.S. Pres. Ronald Reagan in 1981. The novel remained influential into the 21st century; indeed, many American high schools included it in their curriculum. The novel has been banned numerous times because of its salty language and sexual content.
Kate LohnesThe Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaFAQs
What is the main message of Catcher in the Rye? ›
As its title indicates, the dominating theme of The Catcher in the Rye is the protection of innocence, especially of children. For most of the book, Holden sees this as a primary virtue. It is very closely related to his struggle against growing up.
What is The Catcher in the Rye about short summary? ›The Catcher in the Rye Summary. What is The Catcher in the Rye about? It is the story of Holden Caulfield, a 16-year-old boy who narrates two days of his life from the previous Christmas after he has been expelled from Pencey Prep School for failing most of his classes.
How was The Catcher in the Rye received? ›In retrospect, it might be easy to assume that The Catcher in the Rye was an immediate smash hit, critically and commercially, when it was published by Little, Brown and Company on July 16, 1951. In fact, the reviews were mixed.
What is so special about Catcher in the Rye? ›The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger has been a staple in high school English classrooms for decades because of its revolutionary treatment of a teenage protagonist. The book puts its reader right in the head of a wayward sixteen year-old boy struggling with the process of growing up.
What does Holden symbolize? ›Holden represents the attempt to shelter kids from growing up, and more personally, represents his desire to avoid the harshness of adult life. The Catcher in the Rye, Part 2: The symbol is ironic.
What are 3 themes in The Catcher in the Rye? ›- Self-alienating for the purpose of self-protection.
- Growing pains and loss of innocence.
- Adulthood is “Phony”
- Inability to take action.
- Maintaining appearances and performing happiness.
The importance of this book is its portrayal of PTSD and how it can affect every aspect of your life, even if you aren't aware of it. Holden struggles to build friendships, relationships and always feels like he is on the outside looking in. He is overwhelmed with untreated grief and depression.
What lesson does Catcher in the Rye teach? ›Try to listen to yourself, have a break, when in need of one. Holden gives a great example of courage when he is not stopping and backing off. Do not let sadness and anxiety get to you, face the challenges and you'll get over them. The Catcher in the Rye is not only a beautiful piece of writing.
Why is it called Catcher of the Rye? ›The book's title stems from a scene in Chapter 16 when Holden observes a young boy who, ignored by his parents, walks in the street while singing “If a body catch a body coming through the rye.” Holden interprets this scene as a perfect expression of the innocence of youth.
How did Catcher in the Rye impact society? ›Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye introduced an iconoclastic image of adolescence that has captured our imagination ever since. Over the years the story--and voice--of Holden Caulfield has permeated our classrooms, shaped our youth culture and influenced the branding of American-style rebellion.
What does the end of The Catcher in the Rye mean? ›
In a brief final chapter, Holden concludes the story, telling us that he doesn't know what he thinks about everything that has happened, except that he misses the people he has told us about. Holden's anxiety as he crosses streets on Fifth Avenue is reminiscent of the feelings that he had on his way to Mr.
How did Catcher in the Rye end? ›The Catcher in the Rye ends ambiguously. The ambiguity is mostly due to the significant time gap between the book's last two chapters. Chapter 25 concludes with Holden feeling happy as he watches Phoebe ride on the Central Park carousel.
What is Holden Caulfield obsessed with? ›Holden is obsessed with the ducks at the Central Park Lagoon because they symbolize youthful innocence while demonstrating that change isn't permanent, and survival is possible even in the harshest environment.
Why do schools teach Catcher in the Rye? ›They wouldn't have wanted their kids to read that.” According to English Department Chair Jennifer Pust, though teachers can choose which book to teach, most cover “The Catcher in the Rye” because of it being a classic coming of age story and the fact that its literary devices are valuable for students to learn.
What is the most important symbol in The Catcher in the Rye? ›The red hunting hat is one of the most recognizable symbols from twentieth-century American literature. It is inseparable from our image of Holden, with good reason: it is a symbol of his uniqueness and individuality. The hat is outlandish, and it shows that Holden desires to be different from everyone around him.
What does Holden's smoking symbolize? ›Answer and Explanation: Cigarettes symbolize the aftermath of an unsatisfying or depressing event in Holden's life. Unlike the smell of rain, Holden seeks cigarettes after a fistfight with Ward Stradlater over a girl named Jane Gallagher.
What are the two most important ideas that come from Catcher in the Rye? ›In Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger focuses on two main themes: protecting the innocent and isolation. One of the primary themes in the novel is protecting the innocent. Throughout the novel, Holden reminisces about his younger brother, Allie, who has passed away.
What does Holden's red hunting hat symbolize? ›Here, the red hunting hat symbolizes Holden's alienation from society and his intentional isolation from people. In addition, buying the hat is Holden's way of trying to protect himself from society's consequences, such as the ridicule he probably received after losing his team's equipment.
What do the ducks symbolize in Catcher in the Rye? ›Although Salinger did not directly state it, he intended for Holden's curiosity about ducks to symbolize his desire to protect the childhood innocence that they represent. In addition, the ducks symbolize the uncertainty of the future.
What is the main cause of Holden's depression? ›Why is Holden Caulfield depressed? After Holden's brother, Allie, died his emotional world turns upside down and he cannot grasp reality or the need to grow up. He struggles with loneliness, feelings of suicide, and discontentment with the world.
Does Holden blame himself for Allie's death? ›
Holden's relationship with Allie enables him to see "the beauty of a child's innocence," but he feels a great deal of guilt and "blames himself for not being able to 'catch' Allie[,] even though there was nothing he could do to save him from cancer." There is an appropriate, rather than rich, use of language about ...
Is Holden a narcissist? ›Many critics have depicted him as having narcissistic traits.
What are the moral lessons of the story? ›The moral of a story is the lesson that story teaches about how to behave in the world. Moral comes from the Latin word mores, for habits. The moral of a story is supposed to teach you how to be a better person.
What is the lesson that the story is trying to teach? ›A theme is the message, or lesson, that the reader learns by reading the story. Sometimes a story has a particular kind of message, known as a moral. A moral is a type of message that teaches a reader a life lesson, such as what is right or wrong, how to make decisions, or how to treat other people.
What is a good thesis statement for The Catcher in the Rye? ›"With the suicide of James Castle as seeming proof, Holden Caulfield, of J.D Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, fears that he will not survive the transition from childhood into adulthood only to find that in by being a responsible adult figure for Phoebe he is able to live honestly in a corrupt world."
Why was The Catcher in the Rye banned in the US? ›The American Library Association states that The Catcher in the Rye has been banned by schools and public libraries for having “excess vulgar language, sexual scenes, things concerning moral issues, excessive violence and anything dealing with the occult” and “communism,” among other things.
What is ironic about the poem in Catcher in the Rye? ›Even more ironic is that Holden says he wants to be the catcher in the rye—he wants to be "catching" all those little children playing in the rye. But the poem isn't about preserving childhood innocence at all—it's about sex. Holden exists in a world that is steeped in sexuality.
Where and why was Catcher in the Rye banned? ›The book was banned in 1989 from classrooms in Boron High School in California for profanity.
What controversial issues are connected to The Catcher in the Rye? ›six controversial elements in The Catcher in the Rye: profanity, dishonesty, atheism, alcoholism, sexual promiscuity, and homosexuality. our protagonist. The way in which Holden expresses himself reflects his state of mind.
Where does Holden see the F word? ›During his pilgrimage around New York City, young Holden Caulfield bumps into the word as graffiti in the stairwell of his little sister's school and again in the Egyptian tombs of the Museum of Natural History.
What does Holden realize at the end of the book? ›
Holden does evolve toward the end of the novel. His acceptance of Phoebe's need to "grab for the gold ring" indicates that he sees her as a maturing individual who must be allowed to live her own life and take her own risks. At this point, he finally sees that children have to do this, and adults must let them.
What does the gold ring symbolize in Catcher in the Rye? ›So the gold ring represents a hope, a dream, and the chances that we must take to grab it. It is a major step for Holden to accept that kids will grab for the gold ring and adults must let them. It is part of life and part of growing up.
Why did Holden Caulfield get kicked out? ›Holden has been expelled from Pencey Prep because he has flunked four subjects (passing only English), including Mr. Spencer's history class. On his way to Spencer's home to say good-bye, Holden feels terribly cold.
What is the meaning of the end of Catcher in the Rye? ›In a brief final chapter, Holden concludes the story, telling us that he doesn't know what he thinks about everything that has happened, except that he misses the people he has told us about. Holden's anxiety as he crosses streets on Fifth Avenue is reminiscent of the feelings that he had on his way to Mr.
What lessons are taught in The Catcher in the Rye? ›- You're not alone in your frustrations. ...
- Social niceties aren't always phony. ...
- Excellent writing can transport you. ...
- Growing up means channeling your frustrations towards something productive. ...
- Beauty is rare, and worth holding onto.
Here, the red hunting hat symbolizes Holden's alienation from society and his intentional isolation from people. In addition, buying the hat is Holden's way of trying to protect himself from society's consequences, such as the ridicule he probably received after losing his team's equipment.
What are important quotes in The Catcher in the Rye? ›“The thing is, it's really hard to be roommates with people if your suitcases are much better than theirs.” “The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.” “And I have one of those very loud, stupid laughs.
What are the three 3 parts of a thesis statement? ›Parts of a Thesis Statement
The thesis statement has 3 main parts: the limited subject, the precise opinion, and the blueprint of reasons.
- The thesis is obvious, uncontroversial, or simply factual. Examples: ...
- The thesis is vague. ...
- The thesis is too broad to be addressed comprehensively in just a few pages. ...
- The thesis is too detailed. ...
- The thesis addresses multiple issues or makes more than one argument.