1. The Catcher in the Rye
Oral Presentation
By Tony Luo, Terrence Carling and Sarah Nguyen

2. THE CATCHER IN THE RYE
INTRODUCTION

3. What challenges does
Holden face regarding
his reality?

4. Phony’s everywhere!
 Everyone generally
 Celebrities
 Concept of Materialism
 Himself
 Friends
 Women
 Adults
 Anyone who isn’t just a small
“innocent” child

5. Growing Up &
Adulthood
 Central Park

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

8. Loneliness and Alienation
 The Ducks
 Wandering in the streets of New York City

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

10. Does Holden construct
different realities?

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.

18. The End