Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye 194-214 The Catcher in the Rye 194-214

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye

194-214

The Catcher in the Rye

194-214


194-214

Holden’s Health

• “I still had that headache. It was even worse. And I think I was more depressed than I ever was in my whole life.” (194)

• “What made it even worse, my eyes were sore and burny from not getting too much sleep. Besides that, I was getting sort of a cold.” (195)


194-214

Holden’s Health

• “I started to sort of laugh. It was about the worst thing I could’ve done, because the minute I started to laugh I thought I was going to vomit.” (196)

• “Only, I didn’t eat the doughnuts. I couldn’t swallow them too well. The thing is, if you get very depressed about something, it’s hard as hell to swallow.” (196)


194-214

Holden’s Health

• “I could hardly get my breath, and I was still sweating like a bastard.” (198)

• “I sort of had diarrhea, if you want to know the truth.” (204)


194-214

Holden’s Health

• “I sort of passed out.” (204)• “I got sort of dizzy and I thought I

was going to pass out or something again.” (206)


194-214

Mr. Antolini

• Pages 194-195• What is Holden doing?• Justifying the possibly inappropriate

behavior of Mr. Antolini• Common behavior of victims


194-214

The Magazine

• Societal Expectations• What influence do societal

expectations have on adolescents in our society?


194-214

Crossing the Street

• “Then all of a sudden, something very spooky started happening. Every time I came to the end of a block and stepped off the …curb, I had this feeling that I’d never get to the other side of the street. I thought I’d just go down, down, down, and nobody’d ever see me again.” (197)


194-214

Crossing the Street

• “Boy did it scare me. You can’t imagine. I started sweating like a bastard—my whole shirt and underwear and everything. Then I started doing something else. Every time I’d get to the end of a block I’d make believe I was talking to my brother Allie…


194-214

Crossing the Street

• …I’d say to him, ‘Allie, don’t let me disappear. Allie, don’t let me disappear. Allie, don’t let me disappear. Please, Allie.’ And then when I’d reach the other side of the street without disappearing, I’d thank him. Then it would start all over again as soon as I got to the next corner.” (198)


194-214

Crossing the Street

• What type of fall is Holden talking about?

• Mr. Antolini believed Holden was heading for a fall.

• Falling off the cliff while running in the field of rye?


194-214

Holden’s New Plan

• Move out west where no one would know him

• Pretend he was a deaf-mute– “That way I wouldn’t have to have any

… stupid useless conversations with anybody.” (198)

• Marry a beautiful deaf-mute woman.


194-214

Holden’s New Plan

• Live on the outer edge of the woods so it would be sunny all the time.

• “If we had any children, we’d hide them somewhere.” (199)

– Keep them in glass cases– Protect their innocence


194-214

Expletives on the Wall

• Holden sees expletives written on the walls in the school and museum.

• Who does Holden blame for writing these?

• “I figured it was some perverty bum that’d sneaked in the school late at night to take a leak or something and then wrote it on the wall.” (201)


194-214


• Who is really responsible for writing these expletives?

• Kids• Evidence?• One was written in crayon


194-214


• Purpose of this Scene?• Flaws of extremism• Not all kids are “good”• Because Holden believes the

expletives on the wall are bad things, he immediately assumes an adult did it.

• Not always true.


194-214

Holden’s Conclusion

• “It’s hopeless, anyway. If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn’t rub out even half the … signs in the world. It’s impossible.” (202)

• Similar to his dream job• He cannot catch every kid in the

field of rye.• Eventually, people will lose their

innocence.


194-214

Holden and Phoebe• Phoebe packs a bag so that she can go

out west with Holden.• Holden’s reaction:• “No. Shut up.” (206)• “I was almost set to hit her. I thought I

was going to smack her for a second. I really did.” (206)

• “That made her cry even harder. I was glad. All of a sudden I wanted her to cry till her eyes practically dropped out. I almost hated her.” (207)


194-214

Why Does He Have This Reaction?

• “I think I hated her most because she wouldn’t be in that play any more if she went away with me.” (207)


194-214

Why Does He Have This Reaction?

• The Play• Represents Phoebe’s childhood• Holden’s actions are depriving

Phoebe of her childhood.• Therefore, he is responsible for

taking away her innocence.


194-214

The Carrousel

• “It played that same song about fifty years ago when I was a little kid. That’s one nice thing about carrousels, they always play the same songs.” (210)

• Similar to the museum


194-214

The Carrousel

• “All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she’d fall off the … horse, but I didn’t say anything or do anything. 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.”(211)


194-214

Reaching For The Gold Ring

• Represents change• Risking falling off the horse to grab

the ring = falling of the cliff


194-214

The Red Hunting Hat

• Phoebe puts it on Holden’s head• Phoebe protects Holden• “People are always letting you

down.”– Finally, someone helps Holden


194-214

The Rain

• Holden gets soaked• Symbolism?• Baptism or New Life?• “I was damn near bawling, I felt so damn

happy, if you want to know the truth. I don’t know why. It was just that she looked so damn nice, the way she going around and around, in her blue coat and all. God, I wish you could’ve been there.” (213)


194-214

What Happens To Holden?

• Pages 213-214• Setting of the final chapter:• Holden is in a psychiatric facility in

California• Holden has a nervous breakdown


194-214

Final Lesson

• “Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.” (214)

• Consequences of taking risks– Especially in forming relationships

Documents

Geschke/English IV The Catcher in the Rye 194-214 The Catcher in the Rye 194-214