Symbols
This represents the stable, unchanging world Holden wishes to live in.
What is the Museum of Natural History?
"The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move" (Salinger 135).
A literary device that interrupts the chronological order of a story to show a scene from the past
What is a flashback?
"I got about a hundred pages to read for history for Monday. How 'bout writing a composition for me, for English? I'll be up the creek if I don't get the goddam thing in by Monday, the reason I ask."
Who is Stradlater?
The place that Holden remembers fondly from school field trips in his youth.
What is the Museum of Natural History?
This represents Holden's fantasy of protecting children's innocence from the corrupt adult world.
What is the "catcher in the rye"?
"...I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all" (Salinger 191).
A literary technique that depicts a character's thoughts and feelings in a realistic, non-linear way
What is stream of consciousness?
“Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules.”
Who is Mr. Spencer?
The place where Holden sneaks into three days before he is expected.
What is Holden's home/apartment?
This represents both Holden's individuality and self-confidence, as well as his self-consciousness and insecurity, depending on its place in the novel.
What is Holden's red hunting hat?
"When I was all set to go, when I had my bags and all, I stood for a while next to the stairs and took a last look down the goddam corridor. I was sort of crying. I don’t know why. I put my red hunting hat on, and turned the peak around to the back, the way I liked it, and then I yelled at the top of my goddam voice, "Sleep tight, ya morons!" (Salinger 59).
A character in a story whose credibility is compromised, making their version of events untrustworthy
What is an unreliable narrator?
"Oh, do you go to Pencey? How lovely! Perhaps you know my son, then."
Who is Mrs. Morrow?
The school from which Holden is expelled at the beginning of the novel.
What is Pencey Prep?
This represents the curiosity of youth and a desire to protect what is innocent.
What are the ducks in Central Park?
"The ducks. Do you know, by any chance? I mean does somebody come around in a truck or something and take them away, or to they fly away by themselves--go south or something?" (Salinger 91).
Informal words and phrases used within a specific group or social context, often considered non-standard language
What is slang / colloquial language?
“I have a feeling that you’re riding for some kind of terrible, terrible fall. . . The whole arrangement’s designed for men who, at some time or other in their lives, were looking for something their own environment couldn’t supply them with. . . So they gave up looking.”
Who is Mr. Antolini?
The school at which Mr. Antolini taught Holden English.
What is Elkton Hills?
This represents the innocent and care-free nature of childhood, as well as Holden's realization that childhood is temporary and that is okay.
What is the carrousel in Central Park?
"Then the carousel started, and I watched her go round and round... All the kids tried to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she's fall off the goddam horse, but I didn't say or do anything" (Salinger 232)
A literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood (coming of age)
What is "bildungsroman"?
"It's 'If a body meet a body coming through the rye!' It's a poem. By Robert Burns."
Who is Phoebe Caulfield?
The name of the place where Holden tries (and fails) to order a drink before dancing with a group of older women.
What is the Lavender Room?