The Catcher in the Rye
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Key Facts
full title · The Catcher in the Rye
author · J. D. Salinger
type of work · Novel
genre · Bildungsroman (coming-of-age novel)
language · English
time and place written · Late 1940s–early 1950s, New York
date of first publication · July 1951; parts of the novel appeared as short stories in Collier’s, December 1945, and in The New Yorker, December 1946
publisher · Little, Brown and Company
narrator · Holden Caulfield, narrating from a psychiatric facility a few months after the events of the novel
point of view · Holden Caulfield narrates in the first person, describing what he himself sees and experiences, providing his own commentary on the events and people he describes.
tone · Holden’s tone varies between disgust, cynicism, bitterness, and nostalgic longing, all expressed in a colloquial style.
tense · Past
setting (time) · A long weekend in the late 1940s or early 1950s
setting (place) · Holden begins his story in Pennsylvania, at his former school, Pencey Prep. He then recounts his adventures in New York City.
protagonist · Holden Caulfield
major conflict · The major conflict is within Holden’s psyche. Part of him wants to connect with other people on an adult level (and, more specifically, to have a sexual encounter), while part of him wants to reject the adult world as “phony,” and to retreat into his own memories of childhood.
rising action · Holden’s many attempts to connect with other people over the course of the novel bring his conflicting impulses—to interact with other people as an adult, or to retreat from them as a child—into direct conflict.
climax · Possible climaxes include Holden’s encounter with Sunny, when it becomes clear that he is unable to handle a sexual encounter; the end of his date with Sally, when he tries to get her to run away with him; and his departure from Mr. Antolini’s apartment, when he begins to question his characteristic mode of judging other people.
falling action · Holden’s interactions with Phoebe, culminating in his tears of joy at watching Phoebe on the carousel (at the novel’s end he has retreated into childhood, away from the threats of adult intimacy and sexuality)
themes · Alienation as a form of self-protection; the painfulness of growing up; the phoniness of the adult world
motifs · Relationships, intimacy, and sexuality; loneliness; lying and deception
symbols · The “catcher in the rye”; Holden’s red hunting hat; the Museum of Natural History; the ducks in the Central Park lagoon
foreshadowing · At the beginning of the novel, Holden hints that he has been hospitalized for a nervous breakdown, the story of which is revealed over the course of the novel.
Rye
by DaveMacDonald, September 01, 2012
'The song “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye” asks if it is wrong for two people to have a romantic encounter out in the fields, away from the public eye, even if they don’t plan to have a commitment to one another.'
I thought the 'Rye' referred to in Robert Burns' poem was the river Rye, hence the lines: 'Jenny's a wet poor body, Jenny's seldom dry'. In this regard it is about two people who meet at a river with no crossing, which will cause people to question why one of them is wet and what they have been doing.
13 out of 30 people found this helpful
6Additional Important Quotation: Epiphany/Climax
by juliaaparkerr, September 27, 2012
I have found one very important quotation from this novel to have been left out on this page. It is very useful for many papers and is a VERY important quotation!
Chapter 25 (towards the end)
"The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them."
This occurs while Holden is watching Phoebe ride the carousel in Central Park and fears Phoebe will fall off her house while reaching for a gold... Read more→
871 out of 899 people found this helpful
0Jenny Is Wet
by catcher61, October 02, 2012
"I thought the 'Rye' referred to in Robert Burns' poem was the river Rye, hence the lines: 'Jenny's a wet poor body, Jenny's seldom dry'. In this regard it is about two people who meet at a river with no crossing, which will cause people to question why one of them is wet and what they have been doing."
No. Rye means a field of rye. Remember that this is a sexually-themed poem. When Burns says that "Jenny is rarely dry," he is referring to her vaginal lubrication. Jenny is sexually active, so her genitals are seldom dry.
42 out of 50 people found this helpful
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