The Catcher in the Rye Questions Summary PDF

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The Catcher in the Rye Book Summary Questions...

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The Catcher in the Rye Homework Questions I. A Study of Motivation 1. What is Holden's view of the world at the beginning of the novel? Holden’s view of the world at the beginning of the novel is that the world is an evil and corrupt place where there is no peace. 2. How does Holden change his viewpoint? Holden changes his viewpoint gradually throughout the novel as he comes to realize that he cannot change the fact that this is what the world is. Although he does not realize this, he realizes that he cannot change to stop children from maturing and therefore cannot become the “catcher in the rye.” 3. What forces change his view of the people in his past? He realizes that the Phoebe is not always going to be as innocent as she was when she was younger when they go to the zoo. During their trip to the zoo, they go on the carousel and as they are sitting, he sees Phoebe grab for the gold ring, and he starts to be afraid that she is going to fall but then says “The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you just 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” (Salinger 211). 4. What was Holden's original view of childhood innocence? Holden’s original view is that in an ideal world, everyone is a child. Holden believed that as someone grows up, they become corrupted by society and the world, and they lose their innocence. 5. What forces alter his attitude? Mr. Antolini says to Holden “The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.” Holden’s opinions on childhood and adulthood change as he grows throughout all these experiences that he has. 6. Why does Holden feel so alienated from the world? Holden feels alienated from the world because he can’t fit in with the expectations that everyone and the world have around him. He tries to protect himself, but this makes him lonely and depressed because he does not have anyone around him to support him. 7. How does his attitude change?

His attitude toward the world does not change. He is still holding onto the fact that people need innocence and everything is corrupt and evil in the world. II. A Study of Influences 1. How has the cinema influenced Holden? Holden thinks that cinema and movies are unrealistic and messy. He thinks that the movies are phony and the people that go see them are even phonier. He states on page two: “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s the movies. Don’t even mention them to me.” 2. Holden sees evil in the world's coldness and hypocrisy. How does he define his vision of good? Holden defines his vision of good by comparing innocence and corruption, and phony and honesty. 3. Who are Holden's heroes? Holden has two heroes throughout the novel, his brother Allie and his sister Phoebe. He thinks of them as heroes because of their childlike innocence. He kept repeating throughout the novel, “God, would you have liked Phoebe,” referring to her as someone who could get along with everyone because of her innocence. III. A Study of Lifestyle 1. In what ways does Holden seem like a typical teenager and the product of his upbringing? Some of the ways Holden seems like a typical teenager is he uses profanity in order to show that he is rebellious and tough. He shows a lack of respect and dislikes for his authority figures and he wants to be independent. Although he shows signs of being a typical teenager, he also shows how he is a product of his upbringing. He is depressed and does not like to socialize with people his own age. He pushes himself away from people who care about him and does not like to share his feelings throughout the novel. 2. What kind of people are Holden's parents? Holden does not talk about his parents very often, but he does say they are both normal, and caring. He mentions from time to time that his mother is “insane” as every mother is but he does not discuss them as much as he discusses his siblings. 3. What characteristics render Holden unable to fit in? Some of the characteristics that render Holden unable to fit in because unlike other teenagers, he has a wave of intense anger inside of him and he takes on the world in a

very pessimistic way. He separates himself from the outside world and keeps to himself, but then he complains about being lonely all the time. He admits throughout the novel that he is a compulsive liar and that he just cannot help but lie sometimes. Holden does not realize that his actions and words affect the people around him. 4. Does Holden belong in the sanitarium? I think that Holden does belong in a sanitarium because he is mentally unstable and unhealthy, he is unwilling to accept the world as it is, and his views on the world are very limited. Holden is not as mature as he thinks he is and still holds onto the idea of innocence in the world. This is dangerous for others around him because he cannot accept the fact that other people live their lives differently. An example of mental instability from Holden is when he was in a hotel when Maurice stormed into Holden’s room and started to get into an argument after he refused to pay him five dollars. After their argument, Holden says, “All of a sudden, I started to cry” (Salinger 103). This means that he could not control his emotions and he should need help....