THE CATCHER IN THE RYE: CH. 22-25
PASSAGE ANALYSIS TASK (40 Points)
ENGLISH III
STUDENT NAME: Maya Bradford PERIOD: 7
INSTRUCTIONS: Read and annotate each of the passages carefully. Then answer the
questions that follow in the space provided, making sure to directly quote from the passage
being referenced in your response. Each response should be at least 5-8 sentences and
answers all parts of the question. Be prepared to share your responses with your classmates.
PASSAGE ONE: (p. 173)
“Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all.
Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around—nobody big, I mean—except me. And I’m standing on
the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the
cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from
somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know
it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d like to be.”
What does Holden’s fantasy “job” reveal about what he values most in life and why? What can we
infer about how he views the adult world? Do you think he’s right? Explain why or why not.
Holden’s dream job reveals that one of his most important values is protecting the innocence of
children. We can infer that he views the adult world as boring, melancholy, and maybe even scary. I
do believe that Holden is right because when you're a kid, you don't have to worry about bills,
relationships, steady income, ect. Most adults also take things very seriously which is why they all
mostly turn unhappy, but when you're a kid you don't have these stressors in your life.
PASSAGE TWO: (p. 187)
“This fall I think you’re riding for—it’s a special kind of fall, a horrible kind. The man falling isn’t
permitted to feel or hear himself hit bottom. He just keeps falling and falling. The whole
arrangement’s designed for men who, at some time or other in their lives, were looking for something
their own environment couldn’t supply them with. Or they thought their own environment couldn’t
supply them with. So they gave up looking. They gave it up before they ever really got started. You
follow me?”
What does this passage reveal about Mr. Antolini’s fears for Holden’s future? Apply his metaphor to
Holden—for example, how has Holden been “falling and falling” throughout the novel? Be specific.
PASSAGE ANALYSIS TASK (40 Points)
ENGLISH III
STUDENT NAME: Maya Bradford PERIOD: 7
INSTRUCTIONS: Read and annotate each of the passages carefully. Then answer the
questions that follow in the space provided, making sure to directly quote from the passage
being referenced in your response. Each response should be at least 5-8 sentences and
answers all parts of the question. Be prepared to share your responses with your classmates.
PASSAGE ONE: (p. 173)
“Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all.
Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around—nobody big, I mean—except me. And I’m standing on
the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the
cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from
somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know
it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d like to be.”
What does Holden’s fantasy “job” reveal about what he values most in life and why? What can we
infer about how he views the adult world? Do you think he’s right? Explain why or why not.
Holden’s dream job reveals that one of his most important values is protecting the innocence of
children. We can infer that he views the adult world as boring, melancholy, and maybe even scary. I
do believe that Holden is right because when you're a kid, you don't have to worry about bills,
relationships, steady income, ect. Most adults also take things very seriously which is why they all
mostly turn unhappy, but when you're a kid you don't have these stressors in your life.
PASSAGE TWO: (p. 187)
“This fall I think you’re riding for—it’s a special kind of fall, a horrible kind. The man falling isn’t
permitted to feel or hear himself hit bottom. He just keeps falling and falling. The whole
arrangement’s designed for men who, at some time or other in their lives, were looking for something
their own environment couldn’t supply them with. Or they thought their own environment couldn’t
supply them with. So they gave up looking. They gave it up before they ever really got started. You
follow me?”
What does this passage reveal about Mr. Antolini’s fears for Holden’s future? Apply his metaphor to
Holden—for example, how has Holden been “falling and falling” throughout the novel? Be specific.
