The Catcher in the Rye has been controversial since its publication in 1951 due to its explicit language and open treatment of sensitive topics. The protagonist, Holden Caulfield, has just been expelled from boarding school and spends three days in New York City feeling disconnected from others and disgusted by what he sees as phoniness in the adult world. By the end, with his sister's help, Holden comes to accept that childhood innocence cannot last and the imperfections of the adult world cannot be avoided.

1. Banned by many schools and libraries when first
published in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye has
been courting controversy for half a century.
In the deeply conservative early 1950s, many
Americans were shocked by its explicit language
and open treatment of delicate issues such as
psychological instability and sexuality. Most of the
controversy nowadays , however, concerns how
the book and its precocious hero are interpreted.
INTRODUCTION

2. JEROME
DAVID “J.D”
SALINGER
An American contemporary writer,
born in Manhattan, New York on the
1st of January in 1919. He died in
2010. He attended public school on
the West Side of Manhattan and then
the Mcburney School

3. At the beginning of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden
has just been kicked out of yet another boarding
school. Having a few days to kill before returning
home for the Christmas break, he hops on a train to
New York.
There he spends his time wandering aimlessly from
one brief encounter to another, getting
progressively more disgusted with what he calls the
phoniness of the adult word
PLOT
SUMMARY

4. Holden craves the innocence and
simplicity of childhood, while at the same
time doing a number of things such as
trying to get a drink in a bar and meeting
with a prostitute.
Eventually, with the help of his younger
sister, he comes to the realisation that
children cannot be protected forever from
the imperfections of the adult world.

5. Critics generally agree that Holden is the only
substantial character in the novel. However,
opinions are divided on the outcome of
Holden's constant raging against the
hypocrisy of the adult world:
Some see his eventual acceptance of reality
as a positive view of his maturation ,while
others view his capitulation as an
indictment of an oppressive society.

6. (1) Loss of Innocence
(2) Phoniness vs. Authenticity
(3) Lack of Authority Figures
(4) Life and Death
THEMES

7. (1)Holden vs Himself : Holden has a difficult
time dealing with everyday life
(2) Holden vs Society : Holden is unable to
relate to other characters in the novel
CONFLICTS

8. THANK YOU