LI TERATURE SECTI ON A:

Post 1914 pr ose

The Cat c her i n t he Rye

In the GCSE Literature examination you will be asked to write one
question about the novel you have studied in class. You will have 45
minutes.

You will need to:
- Analyse the decisions the writer has made
- Explore the techniques used by the writer
- Understand how context can change our perception of the novel


1. The story is told by Holden Caulfield. Therefore, it is his actions and motivations
that would interest an examiner the most. In the table below are a number of things
that Holden did in the novel. You need to decide what this tells us about Holden. In the
final column you are expected to suggest an alternative perspective, with a different
interpretation.
Event in the novel What does it tell us about
the character of Holden?
Is there another way of viewing
it?
He loses the equipment for
the fencing team which he
captains. Therefore the
team has to return to school
without competing.

He smashed up his parents
garage when he heard about
the death of his younger
brother Allie from Leukemia.

He meets Mrs. Morrow on
the train and lies to her
twice. Once to say he liked
her son and then to tell her
he was returning home for
an operation on a brain
tumour.

He gave two nuns some
money in a caf because he
likes the fact that their
motivations are different to
his mothers.

He breaks into his parents
apartment and speaks to his
sister Phoebe.

The exam board wants you to be able to talk about the characters in
the novel. It wants you to explore the different interpretations of
their personalities and the possible motivations for their actions.
2. Complete this activity for other events in the book, until you form a full picture
of Holden
Event in the novel What does it tell us about
the character of Holden?
Is there another way of viewing
it?

.



3. We can also get to know Holden by looking at his relationships with other characters
in the book. Getting to know these characters ourselves is difficult, as we only ever
hear about them filtered through Holden. Fill in the circles below exploring what we
learn about Holden from his opinions of these characters and what we learn about the
characters themselves. You may wish to copy this diagram onto A3 paper.
Parents
Mr Antolini
DB Caulfield J ane Gallagher
Sally Hayes
Carl Luce
Phoebe Caulfield


Holden

Plot
The plot is the events in the novel, the story that is being told. It is important to know
the plot well, as it will help you provide evidence to support any of your arguments..
However, in your examination essay you need to avoid retelling the story.

1. Below is a list of events from the novel. They happen over a three day period. Number them
to put them in the order they appear in the novel. You will then have an overview of the plot
of the novel. The first stage in the novel has been done for you.

Events Plot
He watches Phoebe on the carousel 1. He is in a psychiatric ward
He is in a psychiatric ward 2.
He has a fight with Stradlater 3.
He tells us about J ames Castle 4.
He goes to see Phoebe at their home 5.
He is expelled from Pencys Prep 6.
He visits Mr Antolini 7.
He talks to the taxi driver about ducks 8.
He meets up with Sally Hayes 9.
He recounts the story of The Catcher in the Rye 10.
He gets drunk and goes to the park 11.
He checks into the Edmont Hotel 12.
He gets beaten up by Maurice, the pimp 13.
He is in a psychiatric ward 14.
He meets up with Carl Luce 15.

Structure
The structure of the novel is the way i t i s organised. This i s much more i mportant than the pl ot
when answeri ng exami nati on questi ons, as it tel l s us a l ot about the i ntenti ons of the wri ter, as
they choose the way we hear about the events. The exami ner i s interested i n your i nterpretation
of how the structure of the novel changes our perspective of events.

2. We know that Holden is recounting the events from a psychiatric hospital; this
is where the story begins and ends. We know that he is telling us about the
three days in New York when he finally realises he has had a mental breakdown.
What does this tell us about The Catcher in the Rye?











1. The setting of the book is important as it contributes to our understanding of Holden,
as it has an impact on his personality. Below are the three places that Holden visits.
Describe the things we learn about the places and the impact they have on Holden,
explaining why they have this impact.

Pency Prep




New York City




Central Park and the museums






Setting and context are often thought to be the same thing. They both are
defined as the time and place the book is set in. However there are
important differences and they produce different responses to the book.

Setting is the actual places the character visits and what the time is when he
does this. They tell us something about the character and the effects of the
environment on the character.

Context is the time and place the writer produced his novel and how this is
different to ours. This changes the ideas, beliefs and attitudes of the reader
to the events. This is a much more important idea, as it is part of the grade
descriptions for the higher grade.
Tips:
- some of these places represent the ideas that Holden has

- these places have people in them who perhaps should have done better by Holden

- the places add to the atmosphere of the book and to Holdens emotions
2. To explore the context of a book it is important to do some research. Using the
internet or books find something out about the topics introduced below. You should
then try to explain how this knowledge helps us understand Salinger and Catcher in
the Rye better.

Idea Researched facts Relevance to Catcher in
the Rye
The book is set in America
soon after WW2 when
America was rich and
beginning to be considered a
super power. America
believed itself to be the
greatest country in the
world.

People and politicians at this
time were very conservative.
They were intolerant of
people who tried to be
different or to be an
individual. It was at this
time that McCarthy held his
witch hunts.

Before the 1950s there
wasnt really such a thing as
a teenager. During the
1950s American teenagers
began to find an identity for
themselves.


3. The Catcher in the Rye was a very controversial novel. It was banned by a number of
school districts. It is also renowned for being read by Mark Chapman who killed John
Lennon and Lee Harvey Oswald who killed JFK. It is hard for us to understand today,
in England, why it deserves this reputation. Try to find out why there is a difference
in attitude between the different times by looking on the Internet.




1. What does Salinger have to say about each of the following ideas? For each idea
that you suggest you need to say which part of the book makes you think this.
Some bullet points have been given to help you.
2. Which of these do you believe to be the most important message in the novel? Sit
down for 45 minutes and form an extended answer to this question.
Theme 1:
The relationships Holden
has with other people in
the novel, such as his
parents, his sister, his
peers and his teachers.

Theme 2:
Holden tries to be an
Individual, rather than
conforming to rules of the
society.

Theme 3:
The difference between
innocence and maturity
and its effects on Holden/

These are the ideas behind the novel. Salinger wanted to tell a story
but importantly he wanted to communicate important messages about
the way he saw things.

1. The novel is written in the first person using the language of Holden. Therefore we
only ever hear the opinions and descriptions of Holden. Can you pick out three
examples of where this has a real impact on how we see the events in the novel?
a)




b)




c)





2. Because we hear the voice of Holden throughout, the language is quite distinctive.
The novel uses slang, swear words, poor sentence structure, exaggeration and vague
expression. Below is the opening to the novel. It clearly introduces us to the language
and the style of the novel. Annotate the extract, labeling the language and the
effects of the narrative perspective. Can you say what effect it has?
If you really want to hear about it, the
first thing youll probably want to
know is where I was born, and what
my lousy childhood was like, and how
my parents were occupied and all
before they had me, and all that
David Copperfield kind of crap, but I
dont feel like going into it
The most important part of writing an essay on a novel is making sure you
answer the question. It is easy to fall into telling the story; therefore you
need to pick out the key word(s) and use topic sentences effectively.

1. Finding the key word(s) in the question is the first step to success. Look closely at
some possible examination questions:















Pick out the key idea(s) from each of the questions above. The first one has been done
for you:
a) sympathy/ Holden
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)

a) Do you sympathise with the character of Holden Caulfield?
b) Does Salinger create a believable character?
c) What roles do women play in Catcher in the Rye?
d) How does Salinger represent authority?
e) How does Salinger use symbolism in Catcher in the Rye?
f) How does Holdens way of telling the story affect the readers response?
g) Explore the theme of childhood in Catcher in the Rye.
h) Catcher in the Rye is a story about one individuals attempt to fight against
society. Discuss.
i) How important are Holdens relationships in understanding Catcher in the
Rye?
j) Catcher in the Rye covers three days in one boys life. How does Salinger
structure his novel so that the reader gets to know the story of Holden?

3. These key words are the words that should go in the middle of a mind map when you
are planning. You are going to produce the plan for the first question in the list:



The mind map has been started for you, complete it with as many ideas as you can
think of.




























Select the best four or five ideas from this mind map. These will be the sections of your
essay. Before beginning to write it is important to put these ideas into a sensible order.
Try this before moving on.
Do you sympathise with the character of Holden Caulfield?
Sympathy for
Holden
Swearing and
abusive language
makes him easy to
dislike
School hasnt
helped him
4. When writing your essay you should use these key words and the ideas you have come
up with to write topic sentences. These topic sentences should begin the different
sections of your essay.

Below is an example of a topic sentence for the essay on whether we should
sympathise with Holden.








Write topic sentences for the four or five ideas you have come up with.
It is hard to sympathise with Holden when you consider how abusive
his language can be about others and to others.
Key words from the question
The idea from the mind map

Here is the mark scheme that your examiner will use to mark the essay that you write.

1. Circle the key words in the mark scheme.

Grade Description
U Something specific about the text
Some specific features identified
Some awareness of content of text
G Familiarity with specific part(s) of a text; Familiarity with the narrative sequence; Reference to
some detail(s); Simple comment; Simple response to text and task
F Selection of appropriate material; awareness of explicit meaning(s); range of details, some
inference/deduction; simple identification of a method or an effect; simple response to
characters/ situations/ ideas
E Support points made; generalization(s) about text/ subject matter; some comment on specific
details; some awareness of specific details; some awareness of a writer at work; supported
response to characters/ situations/ ideas
D Some focus on question; awareness of feeling(s) and attitude(s); range of comment on specific
details; awareness of effects intended/ achieved; explained response to character/ situation/
ideas.
C Structured response to question; sustained relevant knowledge; appropriate comment on
meaning/ style; understanding of how effects are achieved; effective use of details to support
answer; sustained response to situations or ideas
B Sustained and measured response to the question; some exploration; appreciation of writers
concerns/ attitudes/ ideas; details linked to writers intentions and purposes; measured/ qualified
response to writers ideas and/ or methods
A Exploratory response to terms of the question; insight into writers methods, purposes and
characteristics; developed exploration of context/ meaning/ response; insight into structure and
significance of patterns of detail; evaluative
A* Subtle/ forceful response to implications of the question; consistent insight; independent
discovery and interpretation of significant details; convincing interpretation; close textual
evaluation or analysis; independent, analytical, evaluative

2. In your own words explain what you have to do well to get the grade that you want.







Here is an answer to the question:



3. Think carefully about what grade you would give this essay and why.




























What grade would you give it? Why? How would they achieve the next grade?




What roles do women play in Catcher in the Rye?
There are a number of women in Holdens life in The Catcher in the Rye. Women often appear in
the book to illustrate Holdens youth, such as the prostate Sunny. However, two women of greatest
influences on Holden and his actions actually make no appearance in the book. His mother and his
ex-girlfriend J ane Gallagher reoccur in Holdens thoughts and can be seen to contribute to his
present state of mind.

J ane Gallagher is an important woman in Holdens life. Much of The Catcher in the Rye is written
using flash backs. Holden remembers back to episodes when he perceived he was happy. J ane
Gallagher is a big part of these memories, as she existed in his life before his brother died. As a
character she seems to represent Salingers central theme of innocence in this novel. Holden
idolises J ane and does not want the image of her shattered. This is clear at the beginning of the
book when he attacks Stradlater because he has been on date with J ane. Clearly Holden cannot
bear the idea of J ane becoming part of the adult world that he despises.

Holdens mother, in contrast, very much reinforces the pain of his brothers death in his mind. There
is a suggestion in Holdens account of his younger brothers death that his parents lied to him to
spare him from the pain of knowing his brother was about to die. This resulted in Holdens violent
response in their garage and his dislike of phonies that appears throughout the book. She is
viewed badly in the novel and as readers we only have Holdens perspective of her behaviour. This
is clearly illustrated when Holden compares her to the nuns he meets in the coffee shop. He sees
their motives in collecting money as pure, whilst he condemns his mothers charity works as
phony, believing she only does it to make people like her. His mother has clearly hurt him,
therefore as a reader we cannot trust Holdens perspective.

Sunny, on the other hand, is merely in the book to illustrate Holdens immaturity and inability to cope
with the adult life he has chosen. Holden perceives he is old enough to have casual sex, which he
seems to pursue when he first gets to New York. When he finally gets his chance with Sunny all he
wants to do is talk. Sunny acts as a reminder to readers that Holden merely wants companionship
and is too confused to understand this.

As with most things in The Catcher in the Rye, the women in the novel act as a tool to help us
understand Holden and his mental state better. As we only ever view them through the warped
perspective of Holden we can never truly get to know them as characters. Yet, Salinger cleverly
allows insight into Holdens troubles through these interactions with women.