In What Ways Does Our Narrator Appear To Be An 'Outsider'?
Preliminary English Standard 2013
Area of Study: Change
The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
Analysis Questions
Chapter 1 - We meet Holden Caulfield (pp. 1- 5)
1. What evidence is there to suggest that our narrator is currently receiving medical treatment/ recuperating? (Please refer to p. 1 & p. 4).
2. In what ways does our narrator appear to be an ‘outsider’?
3. Why does Holden get expelled from Pencey Prep?
4. Consider why Salinger waits until the end of the chapter to reveal Holden’s name?
Chapter 2 - Holden’s school history (pp. 6- 13)
5. Given Holden’s description of Mr. Spencer, how do you think he feels about elderly people and aging?
6. Why has Holden avoided telling his parents that he has been …show more content…
Why is Holden so ‘nervous’ when he asks Stradlater about his date with Jane? Why do they start to fight?
22. Why do you think Holden puts on his red hunting hat after his fight with Stradlater?
Chapter 7 - Holden leaves Pencey Prep (pp. 41- 46)
23. What do Holden and Ackley fight about? What is ironic about Ackley’s comment to Holden just before he walks out of his room?
24. Explain why Holden decides to leave Pencey Prep that same night instead of waiting till Wednesday? Where does he plan on going? Why?
25. Why does packing his ice skates make him feel ‘depressed’? What do you think Holden means when he states, “Almost every time somebody gives me a present, it ends up making me sad” (p. 46)?
26. Describe Holden’s emotional state when he is about to leave Pencey.
Chapter 8 - The train to New York (pp. 47-52)
27. How does Holden respond when Mrs. Morrow asks him if he likes Pencey Prep?
28. What does Holden tell Mrs. Morrow her son Ernest is like at school? How does Holden really feel about ‘old Ernie’? How does he justify lying to Mrs. Morrow?
29. In what ways does Holden attempt to mimic adult behaviour in this scene? Why does he feel compelled to do …show more content…
Holden says he wants to be the ‘catcher in the rye’, based on his misinterpretation of the words to the poem. Why is this significant? (Consider both how he views his role in society and also his misinterpretation of the line)
Chapter 23 – An evening with Phoebe (pp. 157 - 162)
86. “She was sitting smack in the middle of the bed, outside the covers, with her legs folded like on of those Yogi guys.” Why is this an effective description?
87. “Then I took my hunting hat out of my coat pocket and gave it to her.” What is significant about this action? What does it demonstrate about Phoebe and Holden’s relationship?
Chapter 24 – An upsetting encounter (pp. 163- 174)
88. “They had this course you had to take, Oral Expression. That I flunked.” How does Holden feel about Oral Expression? Why?
89. “That’s something that annoys the hell out of me – I mean if somebody says the coffee’s all ready and it isn’t.” What does this demonstrate about Holden’s personality?
90. “The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.” What is Mr Antolini trying to communicate to Holden through this verse?
Chapter 25 – The climax of Holden’s tale (pp. 175 - 191)
91. What does the narration on page 178 demonstrate about Holden’s
Area of Study: Change
The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
Analysis Questions
Chapter 1 - We meet Holden Caulfield (pp. 1- 5)
1. What evidence is there to suggest that our narrator is currently receiving medical treatment/ recuperating? (Please refer to p. 1 & p. 4).
2. In what ways does our narrator appear to be an ‘outsider’?
3. Why does Holden get expelled from Pencey Prep?
4. Consider why Salinger waits until the end of the chapter to reveal Holden’s name?
Chapter 2 - Holden’s school history (pp. 6- 13)
5. Given Holden’s description of Mr. Spencer, how do you think he feels about elderly people and aging?
6. Why has Holden avoided telling his parents that he has been …show more content…
Why is Holden so ‘nervous’ when he asks Stradlater about his date with Jane? Why do they start to fight?
22. Why do you think Holden puts on his red hunting hat after his fight with Stradlater?
Chapter 7 - Holden leaves Pencey Prep (pp. 41- 46)
23. What do Holden and Ackley fight about? What is ironic about Ackley’s comment to Holden just before he walks out of his room?
24. Explain why Holden decides to leave Pencey Prep that same night instead of waiting till Wednesday? Where does he plan on going? Why?
25. Why does packing his ice skates make him feel ‘depressed’? What do you think Holden means when he states, “Almost every time somebody gives me a present, it ends up making me sad” (p. 46)?
26. Describe Holden’s emotional state when he is about to leave Pencey.
Chapter 8 - The train to New York (pp. 47-52)
27. How does Holden respond when Mrs. Morrow asks him if he likes Pencey Prep?
28. What does Holden tell Mrs. Morrow her son Ernest is like at school? How does Holden really feel about ‘old Ernie’? How does he justify lying to Mrs. Morrow?
29. In what ways does Holden attempt to mimic adult behaviour in this scene? Why does he feel compelled to do …show more content…
Holden says he wants to be the ‘catcher in the rye’, based on his misinterpretation of the words to the poem. Why is this significant? (Consider both how he views his role in society and also his misinterpretation of the line)
Chapter 23 – An evening with Phoebe (pp. 157 - 162)
86. “She was sitting smack in the middle of the bed, outside the covers, with her legs folded like on of those Yogi guys.” Why is this an effective description?
87. “Then I took my hunting hat out of my coat pocket and gave it to her.” What is significant about this action? What does it demonstrate about Phoebe and Holden’s relationship?
Chapter 24 – An upsetting encounter (pp. 163- 174)
88. “They had this course you had to take, Oral Expression. That I flunked.” How does Holden feel about Oral Expression? Why?
89. “That’s something that annoys the hell out of me – I mean if somebody says the coffee’s all ready and it isn’t.” What does this demonstrate about Holden’s personality?
90. “The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.” What is Mr Antolini trying to communicate to Holden through this verse?
Chapter 25 – The climax of Holden’s tale (pp. 175 - 191)
91. What does the narration on page 178 demonstrate about Holden’s