Catcher in the Rye By J.D. Salinger Extended Text (3 external credits)

 "What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though." (Holden Caulfied in The Catcher in the Rye)

About the Author  J(erome) D(avid) Salinger  ( ), American  Salinger published one novel and several short story collections between

About the Author  Born into a rich Manhattan, New York Family  Father was Jewish, Mother was Scottish- Irish  Had an unsettled adolescence at various Prep (private) school  Attended university and spent 5 months in Europe  Joined the Army and fought at bloody WWII battles, was considered a hero  Extremely private

The Title The novel took its title from a line by Robert Burns, in which the protagonist Holden Caulfied misquoting it sees himself as a 'catcher in the rye' who must keep the world's children from falling off 'some crazy cliff'.

Analysis Salinger uses this misquoting to show us that while Holden well intentioned, his understanding of the world, like the quote, is misplaced. Impressively, Salinger shows the reader Holden’s adolescent, incomplete understanding of the world.

Narrator:1 st Person  The story is written in a stream-of- consciousness monologue and in lively slang. The 16-year old restless hero – as Salinger was in his youth – runs away from school during his Christmas break to New York to find himself and lose his virginity.

1 st Person

Stream-of-Consciousness