Rivka de Leon
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE
“PEOPLE NEVER NOTICE ANYTHING”
, 1 Essential
a) Title of the work.
The catcher in the rye
b) Author
J. D. Salinger
c) First date of publication.
July 16, 1951
2 Setting
a) When does the story take place? How can you tell?
The story is told by the main character, Holden Caulfield. He describes two days of his
life after he, yet again, has been suspended from a prep school. There is no specific
mention of a year in the book. I could imagine it being set in the 50s (or really anywhere
post-World War II). This is because of the lack of usage of modern equipment (such as
smartphones, the internet, etc. ). Furthermore, Holden's brother (D.B. Caulfield) fought
in the army during the 2nd World War. During the story, he is back in the States. He
pursues being a writer in Hollywood. This indicates that the war is in the past.
Other, lesser obvious indicators of time:
But also the addressing of certain minorities in the book, such as members of the LGBTQ
community, make me think the book is taking place a few decades ago. The attitude
towards these groups was a lot less inclusive (and ‘ woke’).
“A flitty-looking guy with wavy hair came out and played the piano, and then this new
babe, Valencia came out and sang”
And of course the frequent sexist ‘sexy thoughts’ of Holden.
“Real women’s clothes – silk stockings, high-heeled shoes, brassiere, and one of those
corsets with the straps hanging down and all.”
b) Where does the story take place? How can you tell?
The story takes place in New York City. Holden lives here and strolls around the city
throughout the book. He sometimes visits the famous sights of New York, such as the
duck pond in Central Park.
“and I was thinking about the lagoon in Central Park, down near Central Park South. I was
wondering if it would be frozen over when I got home, and if it was, where did the ducks
go.”
c) What social circumstances does the story present?
The story portrays Holden’s constant battle with maturation, therefore social issues like
loneliness and being timorous about the future are recurring throughout the book.
“They’d get bored as hell doing that after a while and then I’d be through with having
conversations for the rest of my life. Everybody’d think I was just a poor deaf-mute bastard
and they’d leave me alone. They’d let me put gas and oil in their stupid cars and they’d pay
me a salary and all for it, and I’d built it right near the woods, but not right in them
because I want it to be sunny as hell all the time. I’d cook my own food, and later on, if I
2
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE
“PEOPLE NEVER NOTICE ANYTHING”
, 1 Essential
a) Title of the work.
The catcher in the rye
b) Author
J. D. Salinger
c) First date of publication.
July 16, 1951
2 Setting
a) When does the story take place? How can you tell?
The story is told by the main character, Holden Caulfield. He describes two days of his
life after he, yet again, has been suspended from a prep school. There is no specific
mention of a year in the book. I could imagine it being set in the 50s (or really anywhere
post-World War II). This is because of the lack of usage of modern equipment (such as
smartphones, the internet, etc. ). Furthermore, Holden's brother (D.B. Caulfield) fought
in the army during the 2nd World War. During the story, he is back in the States. He
pursues being a writer in Hollywood. This indicates that the war is in the past.
Other, lesser obvious indicators of time:
But also the addressing of certain minorities in the book, such as members of the LGBTQ
community, make me think the book is taking place a few decades ago. The attitude
towards these groups was a lot less inclusive (and ‘ woke’).
“A flitty-looking guy with wavy hair came out and played the piano, and then this new
babe, Valencia came out and sang”
And of course the frequent sexist ‘sexy thoughts’ of Holden.
“Real women’s clothes – silk stockings, high-heeled shoes, brassiere, and one of those
corsets with the straps hanging down and all.”
b) Where does the story take place? How can you tell?
The story takes place in New York City. Holden lives here and strolls around the city
throughout the book. He sometimes visits the famous sights of New York, such as the
duck pond in Central Park.
“and I was thinking about the lagoon in Central Park, down near Central Park South. I was
wondering if it would be frozen over when I got home, and if it was, where did the ducks
go.”
c) What social circumstances does the story present?
The story portrays Holden’s constant battle with maturation, therefore social issues like
loneliness and being timorous about the future are recurring throughout the book.
“They’d get bored as hell doing that after a while and then I’d be through with having
conversations for the rest of my life. Everybody’d think I was just a poor deaf-mute bastard
and they’d leave me alone. They’d let me put gas and oil in their stupid cars and they’d pay
me a salary and all for it, and I’d built it right near the woods, but not right in them
because I want it to be sunny as hell all the time. I’d cook my own food, and later on, if I
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