The Catcher in the Rye Lesson Plans

Does the 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye still hold the same acclaim that it did 20, 30, 40 years ago? Read it with your class to find out.

Do you remember reading J.D. Salinger’s influential novel The Catcher in the Rye? If you attended high school in the United States, you probably read it. As you prepare your class to dive into the text, study J.D. Salinger’s personal life, as there are several direct links between Salinger and his protagonist, Holden Caulfield.

Who Was J.D. Salinger?

Despite living a full 91 years, there are still many mysteries surrounding the author. He became a recluse at 41, spending 50 years of his life in seclusion. Like Caulfield, he flunked out of school, saw several flawed relationships, and looked towards his teachers for guidance. To prepare for a comparison, have your class read his biography or an account of his life from the New York Times, recording information on this graphic organizer.

The Catcher in the Rye

Published in 1951 but set in the 1940s, this book shot to fame despite its mixed reviews, making J.D. Salinger one of the most influential American authors of the 20^th century. The novel follows Holden Caulfield, an angst-ridden and lost teenager as he refuses to apply himself at school, ultimately fails out, and travels back to New York City just a few days early of his expected return. Not wanting his parents to know he’s in town, he stays at a hotel and has a three-day drinking binge, complete with a hooker’s encounter and a few odd dates with a past flame. Some of his inner struggles are brought to the surface, and it doesn’t take long for the reader to notice his dislike (possibly hatred) for people he labels as phonies. At the novel’s close, we learn that he is sick and currently living in a rest home. While the narrator’s voice is a tad dull, there’s a well-illustrated video presenting a 10-minute summary of the text thanks to sparknotes. 

Post-Reading Ideas

Is Holden Caulfield still the iconic representation of a teenager as he was decades ago? Does he still have the same riveting effect on readers? Before holding a class discussion, bring in a non-fiction reading to spur discussion. This article, “Get a Life, Holden Caulfield” discusses how many teenage readers of today are dissatisfied and unable to connect with the protagonist. Use this reading to discuss what your class liked and didn’t like about the text’s characters and themes.  

Here are some possible discussion questions:

• Describe Holden Caulfield.
• Do you like Holden Caulfield? What is your reaction to his character?
• Do you connect with Holden Caulfield’s character? How?
• Do you think all teenagers experience angst and desire some sort of rebellion?
• What types of conflict are represented in the text?
• What themes are developed?
• Explain your attitude towards the novel in five words or less.
• Do you think Caulfield was modeled directly after Salinger? Why or why not?
• Do you think time was well spent reading this novel? Do you think it should be skipped over next year? Why or why not?

 

The Catcher in the Rye Lesson Plans:

Catching on to The Catcher in the Rye

This unit makes the novel come alive as pupils analyze the characters and the story from a modern perspective.  This unit outlines specific questions and writing prompts that a teacher can give to his/her class while studying the book.  

Salinger and the Vocabulary of the Vernacular

Pupils write a dialogue incorporating slang from J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Additionally, they analyze slang words and expressions from the novel. In order to better comprehend the meaning of the slang words, they use a visual thesaurus.