Lesson 3: The Catcher in the Rye—Chapters 1–13
Overview
Just as Huckleberry Finn matured while confronting challenges during his river adventures, Holden Caulfield, the narrator of J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye (1951), matures while confronting challenges during his adventures at a northeastern prep school (high school boarding school) and in New York City. Holden’s adventures take place in the early 1950s, one hundred years after Huck. But are there similarities in the conflicts that Holden and Huck face? Are there differences?
Chapters 1 through 7 of The Catcher in the Rye orient you to the character and voice of Holden Caulfield. Like Huck Finn, the teenaged Holden tells us his story from his perspective. And like Huck, Holden uses language that some people might find offensive. Salinger doesn’t use this language merely to shock his readers. Rather, he includes it to create a realistic portrayal of a young man who is bitter, cynical, and alienated from the world around him. You might like Holden or you might not, but you’ll find his “take” on the world unmistakable.
