ThEMES

1. ThEMES

2. Isolation • Exclusion • Feeling trapped • Isolation as self protection • Alienation as cause of pain

3. Difficulty of Growing up • Growth to Maturity • Resistance to Maturity • Fantasy that adulthood is hypocritical “phony” while childhood is “white= innocence, purity”

4. Phoniness • Most famous phrase of Holden • Excuse for Holden’s isolation • In search of everyone else’s phoniness, he never realizes his own • The world isn’t as simple as Holden wants/ needs to be

5. Motifs

6. Loneliness • Helps to create Holden’s isolation • Dependent upon isolation to keep him from the world, he ruins his chances to end his loneliness • Results in his source of pain and security

7. Fibbing • Kind of phoniness that suggests cruelty, insensitivity • Holden is very much guilty of this • Random/ repeating lying acknowledges his own self- deception • His lying/ deception proves he’s guilty of phoniness

8. Symbols

9. Title: The Catcher in the Rye • “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye” – Robert Burns • Holden’s image: “catcher through the rye” children playing near a cliff and he would be the “catcher” to save them • Mispronunciation of the Verse • Song represents a romantic outing of two ppl who aren’t committed to one another • Substitution of ‘catch’ instead of ‘meet’

10. Museum of Natural History • Symbolizes: frozen/ unchanging • Represents the world he wants to live in his “Catcher in the Rye”

11. Red Hunting Hat • Symbol of uniqueness/ individuality • Shows Holden’s desire to be different from everyone else • Marks the conflict: isolation vs. companionship • Same color as Phoebe/ Allie’s hair= purity and innocence

12. Ducks in Central Park Lagoon • Reveals his youthful, genuine side and willingness to engage in mysteries of the world • Marks the only moment of willingness to do anything in Holden • Ducks - sparks Holden’s own situation in their habitat/ environment - vanishings • Pond - represents partly frozen/ partly unfrozen = Holden’s transition from childhood to adulthood