Catcher in the Rye

& the 1950sAn Introduction by

Mrs. Kucaj

The Catcher in the RyeBringing you America’s most popular

loner teenager since 1951

The Catcher in the Rye• Author: J.D. Salinger• Publication date: 1951, although Salinger was

working on the novel for the last half of the 1940s, after he returned from his service in World War II.

The classic American family

Family roles were fairly traditional in Salinger’s day:•Dad was the sole provider and the head of the household•Mom was most often a homemaker – cooking, cleaning and taking care of her husband and kids

And the kids?• Education was much less of a priority than it is

today.• If the kids finished high school, college was a

relatively rare option.– Getting a job and getting married straight out

of high school were much more common.– How does this compare to your plans?

What changed?• After World War II ended (1945), the old-

school family structure and roles started to change a bit– Victorious war effort left the U.S. much more

financially stable…people had money again! Woohoo!

– And what do people do when they have money?

Spend it!

• In the late 1940s/early 50s, there were two consumer products that helped to create our modern concept of the teenager:– The television– The automobile

Hmmmm…

• So, how would an increase in TV and car purchases change American families?

• And more specifically, how would these purchases impact teenagers?– (insert brainstorm here)

TVs/Hollywood

• Advertising split Americans into demographics (men, women, old, young, teen, etc.)

• “Family time” changed• Different shows appealed to different ages• Attractive people – the pin-ups

1950s 2000s

Paris Hilton

Tom Brady

Marilyn Monroe

James Dean

1950s

Elvis Presley

2000s

Justin Timberlake

CarsMore accessible + more affordableDetract from familySense of freedomImages of “cool”Emergence of fast foodPossibilities for drinking + sex

The new teenager

• So all in all, the 1950s saw the birth of “the modern teenagers,” as we think of them

• Holden Caulfield, the narrator of The Catcher in the Rye, is arguably the first modern teenager of literature.

Key questions as we read Catcher:

• What are the pros, cons and responsibilities of each age group?

• Why does Holden have such a difficult time fitting in?• What makes Holden so relatable as a narrator?• Similarities/differences between Holden’s issues and

the issues of today’s teens?• What are Holden’s priorities? Why?• How does J.D. Salinger use symbolism to help develop

his themes over the course of the novel?