This story is about a disgruntled teen, looking for his place in the world. Holden Caulfield is your typical misfit trying to find out who he is. This book opens up with him at Pencey Prep, the school that he is currently attending. After a few introductory paragraphs, you are immedietly sucked into the world that is Holden Caufield. You will follow this boy as he journeys into New York, meets with almost every type of person, and does some of the craziest and un-imaginable things. From paying a whore just to talk to him, from lying to one of his school mate's moms, so she's happy that her son is doing well. You will relate this book to your own personal self, simply because Holden goes through everything imaginable in 2 days, in what most people go through in their whole lives. This book will swallow you up, and spit you out a completely different person.

J.D. Salinger, also Jerome David Salinger was born in Manhattan, New York on January 1, 1919 to a Jewish father, and Catholic mother. He is known for his controversial writings, that have lead to many of his books being deemed controversial. In his youth, Salinger was actually called "the worst English student in the history of the college" by one of his professors. Salinger bounced around from college to college, from job to job. He started school at NYU, and then traveled overseas to perfect his german and french. After he was done with that, he then went back to the states and went to Ursinus College in Pennsylvania, but then a semester later dropped out yet again. He was discovered when he attended a regular writing class, and the professor of the class saw the talent in him, and began to correspond with him. This is when he produced his first book, The Young Folks, which lead him to become one of the most famous authors of the day.

Explore Catcher In The Rye

Question his meanings.

-The Young Folks (1940)

-The Heart of a Broken Story (1941)

-Personal Notes on an Infantryman (1942)

-The Varioni Brothers (1943)

-Both Parties Concerned (1944)

-Soft Boiled Sergeant (1944)

-Last Day of the Last Furlough (1944) Holden Caulfield

-Once a Week Won't Kill You (1944)

-Elaine (1945)

-The Stranger (1945)

-I'm Crazy (1945) Holden Caulfield

-A Young Girl in 1941 with No Waist at All (1947)

-The Inverted Forest (1947)

-Blue Melody (1948)

-Hapworth 16, 1924 (1965) Glass Family

1. What do you think Holden Caulfield is searching for?

2. Would you say that Holden is crazy/dilusional?

3. Why do you think Holden chose to lie to the bully's mother? Do you think that he is generally a nice person?

4. Why do you think that Holden sees the world in so much detail? Why does he choose to explain the way he does things, the way he does?

5. Why do you think he chickened out with prostitute? Why did he merely pay her just to talk?

6. What was the symbolism of the merry-go-round? How does that connect to Holden directly?

7. Do you think Holden is gay? Are there any allusions in the book that would point to him being gay?

8. Would you say that Holden is a social outcast? Do you think he's capable of killing somebody? (Allude to The Stranger by Albert Camus)

9. Can you, yourself, relate to Holden Caulfield at all? If so, how?

1. Why do you think this book was so controversial?

2. Why do you think it was banned by some schools to be read by students?

3. Why was this book added to the list of banned books?