LibGuides: Catcher in the Rye Literary Criticism: Home

Characters in the Novel

J.D. Salinger

Portrait of the author for Time magazine.

The Catcher in the Rye

Original cover art of first edition.

WWII

J.D. Salinger wrote much of The Catcher in the Rye in Europe during the Second World War.

Humor

Annotated Suggested Topics

Topic Suggestion Descriptions

Adolescence

How does Holden struggle with adolescence? What problems are common among teenagers that he faces? In what ways is Holden a typical teenager? In what ways has adolescence caused Holden problems?

Adversity

What adversity does Holden face in the novel? How does Holden react to adversity in his life? How has adversity effected his outlook on the world and society? What adversity has Holden overcome? Which ones has he failed to conquer?

Adults

How did Holden deal with predatory adults in his life? How has Holden’s frustration and fear in dealing with predatory adults shaped his mentality on life?

Alienation

What life experiences shaped Holden’s alienation from society?

Allie’s baseball mitt

What does it symbolize to Holden? What does it tell us about Holden’s opinion of Allie?

Allie’s death

What is the significance of Allie’s death in the novel? Why does Holden react to his brother’s death with violence? Why does the author include so many incidents involving descriptions and thoughts of violence and death?

Carrousel’s Gold Ring

What does it symbolize?

Compassion

Although Holden mostly has a negative view of the world, who does he have compassion for? Why does Holden want to be “the catcher in the rye”? How might Holden’s compassion for Phoebe help him recover and cope with his depression and mental illness?

Conformity

How does Holden struggle with conforming to society’s norms? What life experiences causes Holden to resist conformity? How is Holden’s non-comformity a contributing factor to his depression and mental illness?

Cowardice

How is Holden a coward in the novel? Is his cowardice typical of adolescence or is it shaped by his life experiences? During instances where Holden lacked courage to face something, how has his failure shaped his life afterwards?

Criticism of society

What are some causes that led to Holden’s criticism of society? What decisions does Holden make that are shaped by his negative view of society? Are Holden’s opinions on society right or wrong? How has his criticism of society led to his unhappiness? Did his depression shape his viewpoints or did his viewpoints cause his depression? Why is Holden rebelling against his society?

Deceitfulness

What motivates Holden to lie to other characters? What are the consequences of his lies? Does Holden ever deceive himself? Why does Holden struggle with honesty?

Depression

What are the leading factors that led to Holden’s depression? What thoughts does Holden have that prove he suffers from depression? What actions does Holden take that prove he has depression? How might Holden overcome his depression?

Disillusionment

What disappointments does Holden deal with in life? How does Holden struggle with disappointment? What thoughts does Holden have that show disillusionment? What actions does Holden take that show disappointment? What problems have resulted from these life experiences?

Ducks in the pond

What do the ducks on the pond symbolize? Why is Holden obsessed with the ducks on the pond? What does the duscks’ absence from the Central Park lagoon in chapter 20 signify? What does Holden’s interest in the ducks show about his personality and thinking?

Fear of growing up

What examples (thoughts and actions) show Holden’s fear of growing up? What factors cause him to hold on to childhood? Does Holden’s fear of adulthood cause his depression and/or mental illness?

Holden’s Girlfriends - Sally and Jane

Why does Holden call Sally when he wants to call Jane? What are the differences between Jane and Sally? What makes Sally more approachable than Jane? How do both girls disappoint Holden and what does that tell us about Holden’s view of the superficial world of adulthood?

Holden’s Thoughts

What are the effects of having Holden tell his story as an interior monologue? Why did Salinger choose to tell the story through a teenage boy’s first-person narration? What techniques does Salinger utilize to make Holden’s thoughts convincingly realistic to the reader?

Hypocrisy

Who does Holden believe are hypocrites and why? How does the hypocrisy Holden identifies shape his personality or thoughts? How does hypocrisy lead to Holden’s disillusionment? In what ways is Holden a hypocrite himself? Why does Holden believe that he is a voice of authenticity in a world that is mostly inauthentic?

Inadaptability

How does Holden struggle to adapt to changes in his life? How does Holden struggle to adapt to the adult work? Is Holden’s inadaptability a character flaw? If so, how does this flaw cause him problems and do those problems lead to his depression and mental illness? Does Holden’s mental issues cause inadaptability or does his inadaptability cause him mental issues?

Innocence

What images and events are used by the author to show that Holden yearns to keep children in a state of innocence? Why does Holden want to be “the catcher in the rye”? What might Holden believe children will gain from keeping their innocence? How did Holden lose his own sense of innocence?

Irony

What are some example of irony in the novel? Why does the author (J.D. Salinger) use irony as a literary device and how is it a good fit for the subject matter? Why is it ironic that Holden is a phony and hypocrite?

Loneliness

What examples (thoughts and actions) show Holden’s loneliness? How does he deal with feelings of loneliness? How might his loneliness have contributed to his eventual mental illness? Do you think Holden’s depression caused feelings of loneliness or did loneliness cause his depression?

Loss

What are some examples in the book of the affect of loss on Holden? How does Holden deal with death? Besides Allie’s death, in what other ways has Holden lost something he cared about and how has that effected his outlook on life?

Maturation

In what ways did Holden struggle with typical transitions into adulthood? What factors contributed to him struggling with changes from adolescence to adulthood? Does Holden’s mental problems cause him to struggle with initiation into adulthood or are his struggles typical of teenagers? Why is Holden reluctant to become an adult? How does he compare childhood to adulthood? How does Holden change during the novel?

Mental illness

Which events indicate Holden’s deteriorating mental stability? What are some factors that caused Holden to be committed to a mental institution? What examples show how Holden’s mental state caused him problems in life? Besides depression, what other mental illness might Holden suffer from such as bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder or psychosis? How do the contradictions in Holden’s narration contribute to the suggestion of mental illness?

Mr. Antolini

Why does Holden visit Mr. Antolini and what results from his stay with him? What does Holden’s reaction to Mr. Antolini show about his mental state and viewpoint of the world?

Museum of Natural History

What does it symbolize? Why is the museum one of the few things Holden likes in life? What is it about the museum that appeals to Holden and what does that tell us about Holden? Why does Holden want things to remain static like in the museum? When he goes into the museum, he acts as a guide to two young boys- how does he respond to his new role in the museum?

New York City

How does the particularized time and place of the New York City setting contribute to the development of the characters? What do the different locations in New York City symbolize?

Outsider

What has made Holden an outcast? Why does Holden feel he is an outsider? What thoughts and actions does Holden have that show his feelings of not being accepted by society? Is Holden trully an outsider or does he just feel that way? Is he a self-made outsider due to his opinion of society or has society cast him out due to his behavior? Why is Holden unable to fit it with his peers? Why is he struggling to find a sense of identity? What characteristics does he have that are alienating or that cause him to be alienated from himself? Why does he always set himself apart from other people and situations?

Parents

How has parental absenteeism shaped Holden’s life? Does this absenteeism cause Holden to want to save children from a similar fate and if so, how? What examples show how Holden is searching for a spiritual father? What parent issues does Holden have?

Phoebe

What is significant about Holden’s relationship with his younger sister, Phoebe? During his secret visit back home, why does he only want to see Phoebe and not his parents?

Phoniness

What examples (thoughts and actions) show how Holden thinks adults are phony? How does this effect his outlook on society and life? What is ironic about Holden’s opinion about adult’s phoniness? Is Holden always genuine himself, or does he show signs of phoniness sometimes? How does Holden use his theory of “phonies” to justify his failures?

Preparatory school life

What are Holden’s opinions of prep schools? How has his experiences at prep school impacted and shaped his life?

Radio City Music Hall

What does it symbolize? What is his attitude to the arts associated with popular culture such as films or musicals? What defines good art or bad art according to Holden?

Red hunting hat

What does it symbolize? What does it symbolize Holden hunting? What is significant about when he decides to wear the hat and other times take it off?

Relationships

What is significant about Holden’s relationship with his older brother, D.B.? What does Holden think about his dorm neighbors at Pency and what does that tell the reader about his outlook on life? How does Holden respond to characters who take a fatherly interest in him? How does Holden depict mother figures? What is the conflict that is inherent in Holden’s dealings with both father and mother characters? How does Holden perceive men who are aggressive and assertive?

Relationships with women

How does Holden struggle to form relationships with women? How does his mental state (i.e. depression) negatively effect his relationships with women? What are the consequences to his mental state after he has conflicts with women? Why does Holden push women away when they want to be close to him? Why does Holden undermine his own efforts at intimacy?

Religion

How and why is can Holden be considered a spiritual rebel? How and why is Holden conflicted about Christianity? What are some examples of how he struggles with religion in the novel?

Self-control

How does Holden struggle with self control? How does he maintain self control?

Siblings protection

Why does Holden want to protect Phoebe from the adult world? What happened to Holden that fueled his desire to protect his younger sister from a similar fate? What does Holden’s sibling protection mentality tell about his personality?

Stradlater

How would you describe Holden’s attitude toward athletic types? Why is Holden so hurt by Stradlater’s rejection of his work? Why does Holden punch Stradlater? How is their fight a turning point for Holden? Why is Stradlater’s relationship with Jane Gallagher important to Holden?

Symbolism

What are some ways that Salinger uses symbolism to describe Holden’s personality? How is symbolism used to show Holden’s subconscious mind?

Telephone Calls

Why does Holden spend so much time thinking about whom he can call? Why does he rarely follow through on his impulse to make a call? What prompts him to actually pick up a phone?

Truth and Reality

How does Holden struggle with deception/perception versus reality in the adult world? What makes Holden susceptible to conflicts with people who are deceptive? How did Holden’s conflict with truth and reality lead to his entrance to a mental institution?

Violence

Which of Holden’s violent behavior are examples of his depression or mental illness? How does Holden respond to Allie’s death and how does that foreshadow his future mental struggles? What examples of violence in the book result from Holden’s mental state?

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