Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye The Catcher in the Rye Pages

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Holden and Allie “Boy, I felt miserable. I felt so depressed, you can’t imagine. What I did, I started talking, sort of out loud, to Allie. I do that sometimes when I get very depressed.” (98) How do you sort of talk out loud? Is this normal behavior?

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Holden and Allie Holden tells Allie to go home and get his bike. What does this say about Holden? Regret Guilt

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Holden and God “Finally, though, I got undressed and got in bed. I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn’t do it. I can’t always pray when I feel like it. In the first place, I’m sort of an atheist.” (99) Again, how can Holden be sort of an atheist? If he sees himself as an atheist, why does he feel like praying?

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Holden and God What does this tell us about Holden? Desires the existence of a higher power? Reaching out for help? Sense of hopelessness.

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Holden and the Disciples Does not like them Likes “that lunatic and all, that lived in the tombs and kept cutting himself with stones.” (99) Holden can better relate to the lunatic than the disciples

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Holden and the Disciples Why doesn’t Holden like the Disciples? They let Jesus down. “People are always ruining things for you.” (87) What does this say about Holden? People have hurt him People have let him down

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Holden and Maurice “The … movies. They can ruin you. I’m not kidding.” (104) Phony Hates the movies but allows his current situation to become a movie- like fantasy.

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Suicide “What I really felt like, though, was committing suicide. I felt like jumping out the window. I probably would’ve done it, too, if I’d been sure somebody’d cover me up as soon as I landed. I didn’t want a bunch of stupid rubbernecks looking at me when I was all gory.” (104)

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Suicide Progression of the death imagery More and more, suicide is being referenced by Holden What stops him from killing himself? Other people staring at him. –Does this make sense? –Therefore, is the suicide threat just talk or is Holden seriously contemplating it?

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Jane “I thought of giving old Jane a buzz, to see if she was home yet and all, but I wasn’t in the mood.” (105) “I figured maybe I’d give old Jane a buzz and see if she was home for vacation yet…But I didn’t feel like it. You really have to be in the mood for that stuff.” (116)

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Sally Hayes “What I did do, I gave old Sally Hayes a buzz. She went to Mary A. Woodruff, and I knew she was home because I’d had this letter from her a couple of weeks ago. I wasn’t too crazy about her, but I’d known her for years.” (105)

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Sally Hayes Why does Holden call Sally and not Jane? He doesn’t like Sally as much. Therefore, the risk is removed.

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Holden’s Dad “My father’s quite wealthy, though. I don’t know how much he makes— he’s never discussed that stuff with me—but I imagine quite a lot. He’s a corporation lawyer. Those boys really haul it in.” (107)

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Holden’s Mom “She hasn’t felt too healthy since my brother Allie died. She’s very nervous. That’s another reason why I hated like hell for her to know I got the ax again.” (107)

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Suitcases Tone Depressing Holden tries to do something nice for someone and his roommate is completely blind to it. In fact, the roommate’s actions are tremendously sad Once again, Holden is disappointed by people.

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye The Nuns Depressing “All the two of them were eating for breakfast was toast and coffee. That depressed me. I hate it if I’m eating bacon and eggs or something and somebody else is only eating toast and coffee.” (110)

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye The Nuns What does this say about Holden? Feels depressed when he has something better than someone else. –Similar to the suitcases Does he feel he is not worthy?

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Romeo and Juliet “The thing is, it drives me crazy if somebody else gets killed—especially somebody very smart and entertaining and all—and it’s somebody else’s fault. Romeo and Juliet, at least it was their own fault.” (111)

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Romeo and Juliet Reference to Allie? Why would Holden feel guilt or responsibility over Allie’s death?

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye The Nuns “That’s what I liked about those nuns. You could tell, for one thing, that they never went anywhere swanky for lunch. It made me so damn sad when I thought about it, their never going anywhere swanky for lunch or anything. I knew it wasn’t too important, but it made me sad anyway.” (114)

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye The Nuns Logic? What he likes about the nuns is that they never eat at a fancy restaurant. The nuns not eating at fancy restaurants make Holden sad. Therefore, what he likes about them makes him sad.

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye The Catcher in the Rye The kid is singing “If a body catch a body coming through the rye.” (115) “It made me feel better. I made me feel not so depressed any more.” (115)

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Hamlet “I hate actors. They never act like people. They just think they do.” (116) Phony

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Hamlet Dislikes Hamlet –“He was too much like a … general, instead of a sad, screwed-up type guy.” (117) Likes Ophelia –“old Ophelia was horsing around with her brother” (117) –Acts like a kid

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Setting “It was lousy in the park. It wasn’t too cold, but the sun still wasn’t out, and there didn’t look like there was anything in the park except dog crap and globs of spit and cigar butts from old men, and the benches all looked like they’d be wet if you sat down on them. It made you depressed, and every once in a while, for no reason, you get goose flesh while you walked. It didn’t seem at all like Christmas was coming soon. It didn’t seem like any thing was coming.” (118)

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Holden and the Girl “She was a very nice, polite little kid. God, I love it when a kid’s nice and polite when you tighten their skate for them or something. Most kids are. They really are. I asked her if she’d care to have a hot chocolate or something with me, but she said no, thank you. She said she had to meet her friend. Kids always have to meet their friend. That kills me.” (119)

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye The Museum “I get very happy when I think about it. Even now.” ( ) Why?

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye The Museum “It always smelled like it was raining outside, even if it wasn’t, and you were in the only nice, dry, cosy place in the world. I loved that damn museum.” (120) Offers protection What type of protection?

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Glass Cases “Then you’d pass by this big glass case, with Indians inside it rubbing sticks together to make a fire, and a squaw weaving a blanket. (121) “Boy, that museum was full of glass cases.” (121)

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Purpose of Glass Cases Glass cases stop change from happening

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Purpose of Glass Cases “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move. You could go there a hundred thousand times, and that Eskimo would still be just finished catching those two fish, the birds would still be on their way south,…

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Purpose of Glass Cases the deers would still be drinking out of that water hole, with their pretty antlers and their pretty, skinny legs, and that squaw with the naked bosom would still be weaving that same blanket. Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you. ” (121)

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Purpose of Glass Cases “I mean you’d be dif ferent in some way—I can’t explain what I mean. And even if I could, I’m not sure I’d feel like it.” (122)

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Holden Doesn’t Go To The Museum “Then a funny thing happened. When I got to the museum, all of a sudden I wouldn’t have gone inside for a million bucks. It just didn’t appeal to me…” (122)

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Holden Doesn’t Go To The Museum Why? Afraid to take a risk. What if something has changed in the museum?

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Holden’s Philosophy “Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone. I know that’s impossible, but it’s too bad anyway.” (122)

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Holden’s Philosophy Bad things happen when change occurs What does Holden believe should stay the way it is? Innocence

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye Holden’s Philosophy Who does Holden believe should stay the way they are? Jane Phoebe Allie