The Catcher in the Rye

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of mental illness.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The Catcher in the Rye is told from the subjective first-person perspective of Holden Caulfield. How does the novel’s distinctive narrative style impact your understanding of the protagonist and your experience of the novel as a whole?

2. How does Salinger’s novel compare to other coming-of-age stories with male protagonists, such as Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner or John Green’s Looking for Alaska? Consider the different obstacles the main characters face and whether their arcs represent a positive growth into self-knowledge and maturity, a negative loss of childhood innocence, or a combination thereof. 

3. Are you familiar with any of J. D. Salinger’s other works, such as “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” or Franny and Zoey? If so, what common themes and techniques do you see across his works?