Catcher in the Rye Journals

Journal #1 4/27/ Finish Chapter 1 of Catcher. (We left off on page 4) 2. Do you think Holden regrets being kicked out of Pencey Prep? Support your answer with evidence from the text that proves your opinion.

Journal #2 4/28/2015 All of the following refer to Chapter 1: 1.What do we learn about Holden’s relationship with his parents in this chapter? 2.What is Holden’s self-image? Find a quote that supports your claim. 3.Give an example of a broad generalization that Holden makes in this chapter. 4.At the bottom of page 7, Holden says that he feels like he is disappearing every time he crossed a road. What do you think he means by this? (Think in terms of what we’ve already discussed.)

Journal #3 4/30/2015 Holden is a very paradoxical character. He is very mature, yet very immature. He is extremely aware of his surroundings and the realities around him, but he also seems to be caught up in his own fantasy world. Find a quote from either Chapter 1 or 2 that you feel supports this assertion, and then explain why you chose that quote.

Ticket Out the Door Name at least four reasons why Ackley irritates Holden. Do you think Holden is really bothered by Ackley? Why or why not?

Journal #4 Read Chapters 5-6 (they’re short!) 1.Why do you think Holden doesn’t want to throw the snowball at the car? Remember, this scene isn’t random. What deeper meaning could Salinger have? 2.What effect did Allie’s death have on Holden? 3.What does the fight between Stradlater and Holden tell us about Holden? 4.In chapter 4, Holden tells us that Jane keeps all of her kings in the back row when she plays checkers. Knowing Salinger and the fact that Ms Donohue tells us that everything in here has a deeper meaning, make some inferences—what do you think this action tells us about JANE?

Journal #6 5/18/2015 Identify a scene from 6-8 that you feel is important. Try to pick a scene that is not obvious or one that we’ve already discussed (like the backward red hunting hat or the kings in the back row). a. Why did you pick this scene? b. Why do you feel it is important? c. What do you think Salinger was thinking when he wrote this scene? d. How do you think he used this scent to help develop the story? e. Is there any symbolism here? (think: YES!) Explain the symbolism.

Journal #7 Round Robin 1.What is lying, according to Holden? (Look at chapter 3). Why do you think Holden lies so much, then? 2.Holden is very quick to recognize irony. Find at least one example from the chapters we’ve read where Holden recognizes irony. What IS the irony in this scene? 3.What characteristics make Phoebe so important to Holden? (look in chapter 10). Why do you think these qualities are so important for Holden? 4.In his description of Jane in chapter 11, what characteristics does Holden point out about her that are also true about Phoebe? Why do you think Salinger makes Jane and Phoebe so similar?

Quiz 5/26/2015 Summarize chapters Tell me what happened in these chapters. The more detail you can give me, the better your chances to earn more points. Prove to me that you read!

Journal #8 5/26/2015 “One of my troubles is, I never care too much when I lose something—it used to drive my mother crazy when I was a kid. Some guys spend days looking for something they lost. I never seem to have anything that if I lost it I’d care too much” (100). 1.What does Holden mean by this? 2.Holden’s mom can’t understand why he cares so little for his things. Why? How does Salinger use this remark to show the difference between generations? What social comment is Salinger making here about the value of “things” for adolescents? For adults?

Journal #9 6/1/2015 Salinger once commented that Catcher was written as a postmodern response to war, and you can certainly feel his disillusionment after returning home from fighting. How does Holden feel about the war? How does DB feel about the war? How do you feel about war?

Chp Holden actually calls Jane in chapter 18. What do they talk about? 2. Who is Carl Luce? 3. What does Holden do to kill time while he is waiting to meet Carl? 4. Holden meets Carl at the Wicker Bar in chapter 19. What do they talk about? 5. Holden keeps asking Carl about Carl’s father. What does he want to know? 6. In Chapter 20, Holden is drunk and wanders into Central Park to sit next to the pond. What does he think about? 7. After Holden leaves the park, where does he go?