4. The People around him
Loss of his brother Allie
His parents’ misunderstanding of Holden
D.B. in Hollywood
“…I was surrounded by phonies. They were coming in the
goddam window.”
Sally and Jane
Innocent Children
People in bars like the 3 women
Adults
5. Family
Loss of his brother Allie
His parents’ misunderstanding of Holden
Social Caste
D.B in Hollywood
Phoebe
6. Growing Up &
Adulthood
Central Park
Half-Frozen Lake
The Ducks
The Catcher in the Rye
Transition from child to man
7. Death and Mortality
Loss of Allie from Leukemia
Holden is confused and depressed
James Castle’s Death at Elkton Hills
Desires the thought of death – Innocence
The Mummies
Suicidal Thoughts
8. Phony’s everywhere!
Everyone generally
Celebrities
Himself
Friends
Women
Adults
Anyone who isn’t just a small
“innocent” child
Actors
9. Loneliness and Alienation
The Ducks
Wandering in the streets of New York City
Uses people he doesn’t like for company
Tries to use a prostitute for company instead of giving her
‘the time’
He tries to alienate himself
11. “The Catcher in the Rye”
What happened?
“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 – 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… I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only
thing I ‘d really like to be…” (Ch.22
pg.156)
What realities did he construct and what
does it mean?
12. The Incident with Holden
Caulfield and Maurice
What happened?
“…I'm crazy. I swear to God I am. About halfway to the bathroom, I sort of started pretending I had a
bullet in my guts. Old 'Maurice had plugged me. Now I was on the way to the bathroom to get a
good shot of bourbon or something to steady my nerves and help me really go into action. I
pictured myself coming out of the goddam bathroom, dressed and all, with my automatic in my
pocket, and staggering around a little bit. Then I'd walk downstairs, instead of using the elevator. I'd
hold onto the banister and all, with this blood trickling out of the side of my mouth a little at a time.
What I'd do, I'd walk down a few floors--holding onto my guts, blood leaking all over the place--
and then I'd ring the elevator bell. As soon as old Maurice opened the doors, he'd see me with the
automatic in my hand and he'd start screaming at me, in this very high-pitched, yellow-belly voice,
to leave him alone. But I'd plug him anyway. Six shots right through his fat hairy belly. Then I'd throw
my automatic down the elevator shaft--after I'd wiped off all the finger prints and all. Then I'd crawl
back to my room and call up Jane and have her come over and bandage up my guts. I pictured
her holding a cigarette for me to smoke while I was bleeding and all. ”
(Ch.14 pg.94)
What realities did he construct
and what does it mean?
13. Holden Pretends His Deaf-Mute
What happened?
“I thought what I’d do was, I’d pretend I was one of
those deaf-mutes. That way I wouldn’t have to
have any goddam stupid useless conversations
with anybody… Everybody’d think I was just a
poor deaf-mute and they’d leave me alone…I’d
meet this beautiful girl that was also a deaf-mute
and we’d get married… I got excited as hell
thinking about it. I really did…”
(Ch.25 pg.178-179)
What realities did he construct and what does it
mean?
14. Holden Caulfield and
Sally Hayes
What happened?
“Here’s my idea. I know this guy down in
Greenwich Village that we can borrow his
cab for a couple of weeks. He used to go to
the same school I did and he still owes me
ten bucks… We’d stay in these cabin
camps and stuff like that… I could get a job
somewhere and we could live somewhere
with a brook and all and, later on, we could
get married or something… Honest to god,
we could have a terrific time!”
(Ch.17 pg.118-119)
What realities did he construct and what
does it mean?
15. Holden at the Wicker Bar
What happened?
“…I started that stupid business with the bullet in my guts again.
I was the only guy at the bar with a bullet in their guts. I kept
putting my hand under my jacket, on my stomach and all,
to keep the blood from dripping all over the place. I didn't
want anybody to know I was even wounded. I was
concealing the fact that I was a wounded sonuvabitch.”
(Ch.20 pg.135)
What realities did he construct and what does it mean?
16. The F**k You Signs on the Wall
What Happened?
“I figured it was some perverty bum that'd sneaked in the
school late at night to take a leak or something and then
wrote it on the wall. I kept picturing myself catching him at it,
and how I'd smash his head on the stone steps till he was
good and goddam dead and bloody.” (Ch.25, pg.181)
What realities did he construct and what does it mean?
17. Summary
Holden faces a lot of challenges:
1. Family
2. Phony’s Everywhere
3. Growing Up and Adulthood
4. Death
5. Loneliness
6. People around him
He does indeed construct different realities:
1. Himself being the ‘Catcher in the Rye’
2. Incident with Maurice
3. Pretending to be Deaf-Mute
4. Holden and Sally Hayes
5. Holden at the Wicker Bar
6. The F**K You Signs on the Wall
