Catcher in the Rye [Ch 1 - 7] Questions and Answers
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Ackley
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Ackley
Catcher in the Rye [Ch 1 - 7] Questions and Answers
unreliable narrator [literary element]
a narrator whose account of events appears to be faulty, misleadingly biased, deluded, or otherwise distorted
frame narrative [literary element]
a story in which one or more other stories are embedd...
Catcher in the Rye [Ch 1 - 7] Questions
and Answers
unreliable narrator [literary element] - answer a narrator whose account of events
appears to be faulty, misleadingly biased, deluded, or otherwise distorted
frame narrative [literary element] - answer a story in which one or more other stories
are embedded
symbol [literary element] - answer something that comes to represent an abstract
idea, quality, or instance aside from its literal meaning or function
Holden Caulfield [character] - answer He is the novel's first-person narrator, a teen
who must navigate, with little guidance, the transition from childhood to young adulthood
D.B. Caulfield [character] - answer He is Holden's older brother, a successful writer
of screenplays who lives in Hollywood.
Mr. Spencer [character] - answer He is Holden's history teacher at Pencey. He tries
to encourage Holden to do better in school but succeeds only in irritating Holden.
Robert Ackley [character] - answer He is Holden's suitemate at Pencey. He is an
irritating, badly groomed senior who has few friends
Ward Stradlater [character] - answer He is Holden's roommate at Pencey. He is a
popular senior. Even Holden likes him, despite his self-centered treatment of others.
Jane Gallagher [character] - answer She is Holden's former neighbor. She is
currently going on a date with Stradlater. Holden cherishes memories of time they spent
together one summer. She is the only girl he respects because her behavior strikes him
as genuine.
Allie Caufield [character] - answer He is Holden's younger brother who died of
leukemia at age 11.
the red hunting hat [symbol & motif] - answer The hat itself is a decidedly odd choice
considering he is not in the woods, tracking down deer. He wears this hat indoors and
around the streets of Manhattan. Holden even prefers to wear it backwards—making it
even more unusual. Holden's hat choice expresses his identity—his desire to be
unconventional in a world where convention is cruel and hurtful.
Much like a red hunting hat prevents hunters from being shot by others, Holden sees
this hat as his protector, allowing him to hold on to his childhood and his oddball identity
, rather than surrender to the quickly approaching adulthood of corruption that awaits
him.
While he loves the hat in private moments, in front of others, he feels fairly self-
conscious about it. He either horses around to overcompensate for his shame, or he's
too embarrassed to even wear it. This represents the conflict that Holden faces: the
need for authenticity vs. the need for acceptance.
Why is the hat red? Interestingly, Holden describes both Allie and Pheobe's hair as
being red. Perhaps this is a reason why Holden wears the hat. It could be symbolic of
Allie and Phoebe's innocence, something Holden is "hunting" for in the phony, corrupt
adult world that surrounds him.
Another important point: Holden buys the hat in New York after he left all the fencing
equipment on the subway. The entire team is furious with him, and he slips off into a
store to buy a hat. Imagine the awkwardness of this event. Holden must be feeling
particularly vulnerable in that moment, though he would certainly never own it.
phony vs. authenticity [motif] - answer Holden uses the words phony and phoniness
to describe what he perceives as the hypocritical nature of the adult world. His
observations are often accurate; adults do engage in behaviors that are less than
sincere for benign and selfish reasons. They may behave superficially to save time or
face; they may indulge in small talk to smooth over social situations; and they may lie,
flatter, or threaten in order to get what they want. Holden observes—and participates in
—these behaviors during the novel. He seems to think that only he sees the phoniness
for what it is; his willingness to call it out is what sets him apart. And he uses this sense
of special knowledge to avoid many adult interactions.
Calling Spencer's lecture phony, for example, lets Holden avoid the facts about his
disengagement in his classes. Sally's phony flirtation justifies his anger and crude
language—she's asked for his candor, in a way. Repeatedly Holden ducks opportunities
to connect by classifying the people involved as phony and thus not worth his time
when, in fact, he's using the accusation as a shield.
Allie's baseball mitt [symbol] - answer Holden's fear of change and his desire to
protect children stem partly from the love he feels for his younger siblings, and their love
protects him in turn. Allie's glove, covered in poetry written in green ink, acts as a
talisman for Holden. He lovingly describes the glove and his brother in the composition
he writes, and he is enraged when Stradlater so casually dismisses what is, to Holden,
nearly a sacred object. The glove also represents the importance of language to
Holden. Stories and poems help him make sense of the confusing things that happen to
him, which is perhaps why he speaks to Allie, the young poetry lover, when he is in
emotional distress.
alienation [theme] - answer Holden's loneliness parallels the alienation that many
teenagers, and even adults, feel as they search for identity and belonging. The two
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