History Literature / TheCatcherInTheRye

* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Holden claims that his younger siblings, Allie and Phoebe, are pretty intelligent for their age. Phoebe definitely seems to be, as she's mentioned to even write her own detective novels, and it's ultimately her who brings her brother to reason.

* InsanityEstablishmentScene: Holden's AmbiguousDisorder becomes clear when he starts talking to his dead brother, Allie, while walking, even though he's been dead 2 years.

* NewMediaAreEvil: Holden hates movies and, throughout his life, Salinger blocked all attempts to make TheFilmOfTheBook. Which is ironic, as Salinger himself was a cinephile. The reason for that is because Salinger hated how the 1949 film ''My Foolish Heart'' (based on his short story "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut") came out. To date that film is the only authorized film adaptation of his work.

* AuthorUsurpation: Ask a bunch of people to name some J.D. Salinger books; you'll be hard pressed to find one who doesn't start the list with this one. Even finding one that can remember any others may take some work.

* TheForties: Despite being published in the early [[TheFifties fifties]], it's obvious the novel is set in this decade. TV is never mentioned, {{newsreel}}s are still a thing, and everyone knows who Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne are. More specifically, the Lunt-Fontanne play that Holden and Sally go to see (''I Know My Love'') places the story in December of 1949. However, it's worthy to note many reviewers and cultural commentators consider the novel's subjects as more emblematic of [[TheFifties fifties]], due to its portrayal of a teenager rebelling against hypocrisy, social conventions, and hidden cruelty.

The book is regularly found in critical lists of the greatest English-language works of fiction and the best novels of all time, and is practically the [[TropeCodifier textbook]] for [[PointOfView First-Person Narration]]. However, it is also a frequent target of MoralGuardians for its ([[SeinfeldIsUnfunny allegedly]]) offensive language and nihilistic attitude, not to mention the fact that it was [[HitlerAteSugar caught in the possession of a few notorious murderers]] (making it a sort of [[UrExample prototype]] of the post-UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} scares [[NewMediaAreEvil about violent video games]]). It is also the most popular novel [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking never to have been adapted into a movie]].

The book is considered one of the best novels of all time, is practically the textbook for [[PointOfView First-Person Narration]], and is regularly found in critical lists of the greatest English-language works of fiction. However, it is also a frequent target of MoralGuardians for its ([[SeinfeldIsUnfunny allegedly]]) offensive language and nihilistic attitude, not to mention the fact that it was [[HitlerAteSugar caught in the possession of a few notorious murderers]] (making it a sort of [[UrExample prototype]] of the post-UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} scares [[NewMediaAreEvil about violent video games]]). It is also the most popular novel [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking never to have been adapted into a movie]].

* AuthorAvatar: Holden. J.D. Salinger stated that he would have allowed a stage adaptation of the work on the condition that he be allowed to play Holden, [[DawsonCasting despite being significantly older than Holden]] by the time this was a possibility. Although this may have been simply because Salinger didn't want a stage play made at all, as he implied he would allow a film adaptation to happen only upon his death, partly to provide for his children, and partly so he wouldn't have to see it. In his later novella "Seymour: An Introduction," narrator Buddy Glass implies authorship of ''Catcher'' and emphatically denies Holden is based on Buddy's elder brother Seymour. Both Seymour and Buddy have been suggested as the more likely AuthorAvatar of Salinger himself.

** Holden's favorite insult, "phony."

** He also often says, "That killed me." Depending on the context, this phrase could mean whatever "killed him" is annoying, funny, or a mix of the two.
%%* ChildrenAreInnocent: And then they're not anymore.

* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: A group of children are playing on "some crazy cliff," and Holden's task is to [[TitleDrop catch]] them before they fall off the edge. Imagining this, he wishes it could be his purpose. Never mind the entire mental construct is based on a mondegreen. Most Salinger characters are hothouse flowers; to survive, they need a rare element... one which the world could never provide.
* DrivenToSuicide: Holden mentions James Castle, a boy he knew at school committed suicide because of bullying or something worse. Castle called another boy, Phil Stabile, a "very conceited guy," so Stabile and six of his friends tried to force him to take it back.

* HaveAGayOldTime: Holden frequently describes Stradlater as "sexy," and he remarks on his good looks more than once. In the 1940s, though, the term could still be taken to mean "obsessed with sex" (its original definition) rather than "sexually attractive." A more modern equivalent would be "horny."

** Holden writes a paper about ancient Egypt, which reads thus: "The Egyptians were an ancient race of Caucasians residing in one of the northern sections of Africa. The latter as we all know is the largest continent in the Eastern Hemisphere. The Egyptians are extremely interesting to us today for various reasons. Modern science would still like to know what the secret ingredients were that the Egyptians used when they wrapped up dead people so that their faces would not rot for innumerable centuries. This interesting riddle is still quite a challenge to modern science in the twentieth century." If it's not enough by this point, the quote also happens to be the "paper" in its entirety.
** The title of the book comes from Holden mistaking a line from the song "Comin' Through the Rye". He thinks it's "If a body catch a body comin' through the rye," but it's really "If a body ''meet'' a body comin' through the rye".

* MisaimedFandom: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]]. Holden does this with the song "Comin' Thru the Rye." It's actually about two lovers meeting in a field. Holden adopts it as an image of himself protecting children from their own inevitable maturity (especially sex) and phoniness (like, say, lying about where you're going and screwing some guy in a field instead). He [[MondegreenGag mishears it]], after all. Interestingly, the word ‘rye’ might actually refer to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Garnock#Rye_Water Rye Water]] in Scotland. The poem then discusses a girl named Jenny who lets her petticoat down and get wet instead of holding it up while crossing it, so she can push away the boys who would run by to kiss the girls who would hold their petticoats on one hand and whatever they were carrying on the other instead, leaving no free hand to ward off the boys. Holden decided to interpret the word ‘rye’ [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant as actual rye]], which is the more ‘adult’ version, but misinterprets the meaning of the poem as talking about kids playing in a rye field.

* RealisticDictionIsUnrealistic: You can practically call this book "Realistic Diction Is Unrealistic: The Novel." Holden (both in his InnerMonologue and in his spoken dialogue) and the majority of the other characters speak in either sloppy or imprecise language, frequently and unnecessarily repeating themselves while simultaneously losing track of the original subject, making keeping track of the narrative an awkward trial in of itself.

** Holden's little sister, who to him is the epitome of what he's trying to protect, is named Phoebe. This is an epithet of [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Artemis]], who is occasionally associated with the moon; in its male form, "Phoebus," it is also an epithet her twin brother Apollo, who is associated with the sun. The prostitute Holden hires, who is one of the apexes of the things Holden ''hates',' is named Sunny. Artemis is also the goddess of maidenhood and innocence. On the other hand, Apollo, god of the sun, was known for having many affairs with women, like most Greek gods.
** That's far from the only example; the novel contains symbolism in spades, as Salinger was a master of the technique (as shown in his expertly-crafted short stories, e.g., ''A Perfect Day For Bananafish''.) It's most apparent in the penultimate chapter; the scene with Phoebe on the carousel is a cornucopia of symbolism. The Gold Ring that Phoebe tries to catch is widely interpreted as a metaphor for adulthood, with Holden's comment that "it's bad if you say anything to them" when children fall off the horse while attempting to reach it, is seen as an indicator he's ready to accept the inevitability of growing up.

-->"The Egyptians were an ancient race of Caucasians residing in one of the northern sections of Africa. The latter as we all know is the largest continent in the Eastern Hemisphere. The Egyptians are extremely interesting to us today for various reasons. Modern science would still like to know what the secret ingredients were that the Egyptians used when they wrapped up dead people so that their faces would not rot for innumerable centuries. This interesting riddle is still quite a challenge to modern science in the twentieth century."

** "I'm not kidding."
** "If you want to know the truth..."
** "Boy..."

** He tends to say something and begin the next sentence with "I mean," and then say the exact thing he said before without actually explaining what he means.
** Carl Luce is noted as an In-Universe example by Holden, who points out this tendency to say "Certainly."

* WordSaladTitle: In-context, it refers to Holden misremembering "If a Body Meets A Body Comin' Through the Rye" as "If a Body ''Catch'' a Body," giving him the mental picture of himself watching over children as they play in a huge rye field, and catching them before they get too close to a cliff's edge.
* WritersCannotDoMath: In-universe. Phoebe writes about a girl detective named [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Hazle]] Weatherfield whose father is described as a "tall attractive gentleman about 20 years of age." This strikes as odd, considering she's 10 years old, well over the age in which most children master the most basic math, and very smart in general. Charitably speaking, it might be just a botched attempt to state that he looked youthful enough to pass as 20, or perhaps a weird way to tell the reader the gentleman was secretly not Hazle's real father.

* TheForties: Despite being published in the early [[TheFifties fifties]], it's obvious the novel is set in this decade. TV is never mentioned, {{newsreel}}s are still a thing, and everyone knows who Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne are. More specifically, the Lunt-Fontanne play that Holden and Sally go to see (''I Know My Love'') places the story in December of 1949. However, it's worthy to note many reviewers and cultural commentators consider the novel's subjects as more emblematic of [[TheFifties fifties]], due to its portrayal of a teenager rebelling against hypocrisy, social conventions, and hidden cruelty.

* PrecisionFStrike: Despite a large amount of other profanities, there is only one appearance of an actual F-bomb in the last chapter, where Holden sees it in clearly visible graffiti and tries to cover it up, because he doesn't want kids to see it. A very good example of how the word can be appropriately shocking when used correctly.

* HaveAGayOldTime: Holden frequently describes Stradlater as "sexy," and he remarks on his good looks more than once. In the 1940s, though, the term could still be taken to mean "obsessed with sex" (its original definition) rather than "sexually attractive". A more modern equivalent would be "horny."

** The title of the book comes from Holden mistaking a line from the song "Comin' Through the Rye". He thinks it's "If a body catch a body comin' through the rye", but it's really "If a body ''meet'' a body comin' through the rye".

* MisaimedFandom: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]]. Holden does this with the song "Comin' Thru the Rye". It's actually about two lovers meeting in a field. Holden adopts it as an image of himself protecting children from their own inevitable maturity (especially sex) and phoniness (like, say, lying about where you're going and screwing some guy in a field instead). He [[MondegreenGag mishears it]], after all. Interestingly, the word ‘rye’ might actually refer to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Garnock#Rye_Water Rye Water]] in Scotland. The poem then discusses a girl named Jenny who lets her petticoat down and get wet instead of holding it up while crossing it, so she can push away the boys who would run by to kiss the girls who would hold their petticoats on one hand and whatever they were carrying on the other instead, leaving no free hand to ward off the boys. Holden decided to interpret the word ‘rye’ [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant as actual rye]], which is the more ‘adult’ version, but misinterprets the meaning of the poem as talking about kids playing in a rye field.

** Holden's little sister, who to him is the epitome of what he's trying to protect, is named Phoebe. This is an epithet of [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Artemis]], who is occasionally associated with the moon; in its male form, "Phoebus", it is also an epithet her twin brother Apollo, who is associated with the sun. The prostitute Holden hires, who is one of the apexes of the things Holden ''hates'', is named Sunny. Artemis is also the goddess of maidenhood and innocence. On the other hand, Apollo, god of the sun, was known for having many affairs with women, like most Greek gods.

* UnusualEuphemism: When Stradlater has sex with a girl, Holden refers to it as "giving her the time". It was [[GetTheeToANunnery much dirtier]] in the time period this book is set in.

** "I'm not kidding"

** He tends to say something and begin the next sentence with "I mean", and then say the exact thing he said before without actually explaining what he means.

* WordSaladTitle: In-context, it refers to Holden misremembering "If a Body Meets A Body Comin' Through the Rye" as "If a Body ''Catch'' a Body", giving him the mental picture of himself watching over children as they play in a huge rye field, and catching them before they get too close to a cliff's edge.

* DrivenToSuicide: Holden mentions James Castle, a boy he knew at school committed suicide because of bullying or something worse. Castle called another boy, Phil Stabile, a "very conceited guy", so Stabile and six of his friends tried to force him to take it back.

* FirstGrayHair: Played with. Seventeen-year-old Holden acknowledges having a great deal of grey hair, but does not seem concerned by it, except as a means to disguise his age in order to buy alcohol. Nevertheless, it is listed as being one of his 'adult-qualities', which is significant considering the themes of the novel...

* HaveAGayOldTime: Holden frequently describes Stradlater as "sexy", and he remarks on his good looks more than once. In the 1940s, though, the term could still be taken to mean "obsessed with sex" (its original definition) rather than "sexually attractive". A more modern equivalent would be "horny".

* RealisticDictionIsUnrealistic: You can practically call this book "Realistic Diction Is Unrealistic: The Novel". Holden (both in his InnerMonologue and in his spoken dialogue) and the majority of the other characters speak in either sloppy or imprecise language, frequently and unnecessarily repeating themselves while simultaneously losing track of the original subject, making keeping track of the narrative an awkward trial in of itself.

-->"The Egyptians were an ancient race of Caucasians residing in one of the northern sections of Africa. The latter as we all know is the largest continent in the Eastern Hemisphere. The Egyptians are extremely interesting to us today for various reasons. Modern science would still like to know what the secret ingredients were that the Egyptians used when they wrapped up dead people so that their faces would not rot for innumerable centuries. This interesting riddle is still quite a challenge to modern science in the twentieth century".

** Carl Luce is noted as an In-Universe example by Holden, who points out this tendency to say "Certainly".

* YoungerThanTheyLook: 17-year-old Holden Caulfield is 6'2" and has gray hairs. As such, [[InformedAbility or so he claims]], he can easily pass as an adult. But he's more often called out on being a minor than he is successfully able to pass. Sunny, for example, not only wouldn't believe he was 22, but may have also compared him to 13-year-old Freddie Bartholomew from the 1937 movie ''Captains Courageous''.