1. The Catcher in the Rye A perspective from the 1950s English 11

2. The Catcher in the Rye Author: J.D. Salinger Introducing literature’s most cynical teenager: circa 1951…

3. The 1950s

4. The classic American family Traditional roles: Dad was the only provider and head of the house Mom was a stay at home type; tended to: cooking, cleaning and child raising Kids spent most of their time outdoors exploring their community (it was safe)

5. And the TEENS? Education was much less of a priority than it is today If you finished high school, college was a relatively infrequent opportunity Getting a job and getting married straight out of high school were much more common Anyone interested in this way of life?

6. What changed?

7. After World War II ended in 1945, the conventional family structure and roles started to take on different perspectives: Victorious war effort left the U.S. much more financially stable…people had money again! And what do people do when they have money? WE WIN!

8. Spend it! In the late 1940s & early 50s, there were two consumer products that helped to create a modern concept of the teenager: The television The automobile

9. So…. How would an increase in TV and car purchases change families? More specifically, how would these purchases impact teenagers? Discuss…

10. TVs/Hollywood Advertising created demographics (men, women, old, young, AND… the teen) “Family time” changed Different shows appealed to different ages Music became more and more “rebellious”

11. 1950s2000s Anne Leo Marilyn James

12. Elvis Presley Justin Timberlake

13. Cars More accessible + more affordable Detract from family Sense of freedom Images of “cool” Emergence of fast food Possibilities for drinking + sex

14. The new Teenager Basically, the 1950s was the inception period of “the modern teenager” Holden Caulfield, the narrator of The Catcher in the Rye, is arguably the first ‘modern’ teenager of literature