4. Phony’s everywhere!
Everyone generally
Celebrities
Concept of Materialism
Himself
Friends
Women
Adults
Anyone who isn’t just a small
“innocent” child
6. Family
Loss of his brother Allie
His parents’ misunderstanding of Holden
Social Caste
7. The People around him
Holden’s relationships with his parents and siblings have
deteriorated
Loss of his brother Allie
His parents’ misunderstanding of Holden
9. Death and Mortality
Loss of Allie from Leukemia
Holden is confused and depressed
James Castle’s Death at Elkton Hills
Desires the thought of death – Innocence
The Mummies
Old Ossenburger
11. The Incident with Holden
Caulfield and Maurice
What happened?
“Then he smacked me… About hallway to the bathroom, I sort of started
pretending I had a bullet in my guts…I pictured myself coming out of
the goddam bathroom, dressed and all… What I’d do, I’d walk down
a few floors –holding onto my guts, blood leaking all over the place…
As soon as old Maurice opened the doors, he’d see me with the
automatic in my hand and he’d start screaming at me… But I’d plug
him anyway. Six shots right through his fat hair belly… Then I’ll have
Jane come over and bandage up my guts. I pictured her holding a
cigarette for me to smoke while I was bleeding and all”
(Ch.14 pg.94)
What realities did he construct
and what does it mean?
12. “The Catcher in the Rye”
What happened?
“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 – 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… I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only
thing I ‘d really like to be…” (Ch.22
pg.156)
What realities did he construct and what
does it mean?
13. Holden Caulfield and
Sally Hayes
What happened?
“Here’s my idea. I know this guy down in
Greenwich Village that we can borrow his
cab for a couple of weeks. He used to go to
the same school I did and he still owes me
ten bucks… We’d stay in these cabin
camps and stuff like that… I could get a job
somewhere and we could live somewhere
with a brook and all and, later on, we could
get married or something… Honest to god,
we could have a terrific time!”
(Ch.17 pg.118-119)
What realities did he construct and what
does it mean?
14. Holden Pretends His Deaf-Mute
What happened?
“I thought what I’d do was, I’d pretend I was one of
those deaf-mutes. That way I wouldn’t have to
have any goddam stupid useless conversations
with anybody… Everybody’d think I was just a
poor deaf-mute and they’d leave me alone…I’d
meet this beautiful girl that was also a deaf-mute
and we’d get married… I got excited as hell
thinking about it. I really did…”
(Ch.25 pg.178-189)
What realities did he construct and what does it
mean?
15. Holden at the Wicker Bar
What happened?
“When I was really drunk, I started that stupid business with the
bullet in my guts again. I was the only guy at the bar with a
bullet in their guts. I kept putting my hand under my jacket,
on my stomach and all, to keep the blood from dripping all
over the place… Boy, was I drunk.”
(Ch.20 pg.135)
What realities did he construct and what does it mean?
16. The F**k You Signs on the Wall
What Happened?
“I kept picturing myself catching him at it, and how’d I smash
his head on the stone steps till he was good and goddam
dead and bloody.” (Ch.25, pg.181)
What realities did he construct and what does it mean?
17. Summary
Holden faces a lot of challenges:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
He does indeed construct different realities:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.