Conflicts in Catcher in The

Conflicts in Catcher in the Rye
1. As you have seen in your reading careers, conflict is generally what makes stories move, what
provides the energy. What is/are the conflict(s) in The Catcher in the Rye? At what point in the
novel do we become aware of them? Trace the rising action in relation to the conflict(s). Does the
novel have a climax or turning point? How is the conflict resolved, if at all? How do the
elements of the conflict (situations, ideas, feelings, people) change during the novel?
2. During the course of the novel, Holden expressed stronglyheld opinions toward many of the
features of the world he inhabits, including:
• various possessions and articles of clothing (hat, coat, gloves, houndstooth jacket);
• books he’s read;
• the performance style of actors famous in his time;
• the movie at Radio City Music Hall;
• the shabbiness of the bars, nightclubs, and hotels he visits;
• tourist attractions [Radio City Music Hall, Central Park, the Museum of Natural History];
• religion
Out of these feelings and opinions we can develop a sense of Holden’s values: What matters to
him? What does he consider good and bad? How well does he embody what he values (that is,
how closely do his own actions conform to what he thinks is good)?
3. The events of the novel – basically, Holden wandering around for a long weekend – seem to
unfold in no particular order and with no particular purpose. He just drifts from one thing to the
other. Is there any pattern or sequence to the things Holden does? Does he grow or change in
any way during the course of the story? Is he looking for something – and if so, does he find it?
Are his wanderings really aimless? Does he do things for reasons that he may be unaware of?
4. This book is full of episodes in which Holden is trying to communicate with someone or
someone is trying to communicate with Holden. He visits with people, meets them
unexpectedly, tries to telephone them arranges to see them, decides not to call them. Generally,
these efforts at communication are unsuccessful, or they turn out differently from what was
intended. How do these episodes develop a theme in the book?
5. Holden meets and talks with several women: Mrs. Spencer, Mrs. Morrow, Miss Faith
Cavendish, three movie fans from Seattle, Lillian Simmons, Sunny, two nuns, Sally Hayes, and
Phoebe. What traits do the women who appeal to him have in common? What about the ones
who don’t? How are Holden’s feelings about women different from his feelings about men?
6. Although Holden seems to have pretty much made a mess of his life up to this point and
cannot seem to connect to people or accomplish anything he sets out to do, he also seems to feel a
sense of superiority to almost everyone. What is the basis for this sense of superiority? Is it
entirely unwarranted? Does he look up to anybody, and, if so, what qualities in them earn his
esteem? How does disappointment feature in this book? Can so flawed a character as Holden be
worth devoting a whole book to?
7. Using Catcher as a model, investigate how an author uses imagery to create meaning in a work
of literature. Include such topics as: development of a specific image, repetition of certain images,
connections made among separate images, and how imagery adds to the work's richness and
layers of meaning.

Episodes in The Catcher in the Rye
The following is a listing, by chapter, of the major events in The Catcher in the Rye. You will
work in a group of three to study and discuss five of these events. Explain their significance to
readers’ understanding of Holden and how they reflect his confusions and struggles with fitting
in. Make sure you refer to specific quotes in your answers. Each answer should be about one
page.
Chapter Episode
2 Spencer
27 Stradlater
27 Ackley
8 Mrs. Morrow
9 Ducks…hotel “perverts”…Faith Cavendish
10 Three blondes from Seattle
11 Jane Gallagher
12 Ducks…Ernie…Lillian Simmons
13 Sunny
14 Maurice
15 The nuns
16 Museums
17 Sally Hayes
18 Movies
19 Luce
20 Holden drunk (and his fake wound)
2022 Phoebe (her books, her huge furniture, when she asks him what he
likes, etc)
2224 Mr. Antolini
25 Messages scrawled on walls
25 Phoebe on the carousel

Holden’s Maxims
9 – People never notice anything.
37 – People never believe you.
84 – People always clap for the wrong things.
87 – People are always ruining things for you.
149 – People never give your message to anybody.
170 – People never think anything is anything really.
Holden’s Values
Hates/Kills Him Bores Him Likes/Kills Him Phony

2 – movies (DB writing 1 – Dickensian 3 – Selma Thurman 3 – headmaster
for them) childhood “crap” doesn’t say her dad is
great
4 – leaving without a 9 – people telling 6 – Spencer getting a 9 – the word grand
proper goodbye you to act your age bang out of things
7 – old guys in pjs 12 – picking up the 18 – an author who 13 – the people at
papers Spencer keeps feels like a friend Elkton Hills
tossing wrong
9 – the word grand 29 – sitting in the can 27 – his hunting hat 16 – Ossenburger,
with Stradlater the benefactor at
school
10 – people say 127 – Sally Hayes 53 – trains 26 – Stradlater’s
something twice that knowing everybody friendliness
you already admit to
14 – Headmaster Haas 144 – Carl Luce 115 – the little boy 53 – magazines
ignoring less affluent singing on the street
parents
15 – Spencer’s answer: 119 – little polite kids 59 – Sally Hayes’
H: I mean, everybody letter
goes through phases
and all, don’t they?
S: I don’t know, boy. I
don’t know.
28 – someone yawns 120 – how the Museum 84 – Ernie’s playing
when asking you for a doesn’t change
favor
28 – guys no good at 100 – ministers
something tell you how
to do it
42 – Stradlater (after 106 – the word
date with Jane) grand
66 – go to bed when not 127 – the party
tired where Sally
must’ve met
George
71 – a guy that does a 127 – Sally and
lot of trick stuff on George’s
dance floor conversation
82 – macho hand 128 – the people
breakers George was
meeting
106 – word grand 131 – boys’ schools
are full of them
108 – when someone 139 – woman who
has cheap suitcases and cried all through
you don’t movie but wouldn’t
let child go to
bathroom
113 – people trying to 141 – A Farewell to
find out if you are Arms
Catholic
117 – actors 141 – Wicker Bar,
Seton Hotel
130 – practically 151 – Sally and her
everything: NY, friends
taxicabs, etc (goes off to
Sally)
133 – he and Sally hated 169 – advice the
each other guy visiting Pencey
gave him while
looking for his
initials in the
bathroom

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Hates/Kills Him Bores Him Likes/Kills Him Phony

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