Listen to the novel at your pace.
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Read the novel at your pace.
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"I Am a Rock" is a 1965 song by Simon and Garfunkel. The lyrics are here: i_am_a_rock.pdf. The speaker of these lyrics claims that he has built a fortress around him and alienation is what he has willingly chosen for his mode of existence. But if you read it against its grain, the speaker thirsts for love and friendship.
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Chapter 1: Let me tell you my story if you want to know the truth . . .
The narrator confides that he is currently near Hollywood, California, trying to "take it easy" after going through the "madman stuff." What can you infer from this statement?
The narrator repeatedly says "if you want to know the truth." But he does not seem to know why he sabotages himself and habitually flunks out of school. What reason do you think makes the speaker to fail himself again and again?
He refuses to begin his narrative in the conventional way--what he calls, "all that David Copperfield kind of crap." Writing David Copperfield, Charles Dickens uses chronological order of his protagonist's life, from birth of David Copperfield to the present day. Even though the narrator of this novel rejects the conventional storytelling techniques, he directly and indirectly shares much information about his personality and background. Identify three biographical facts and come up with three adjectives that in your mind capture the narrator's personality.
The narrator claims that somebody stole his camel-hair coat while he was attending Pencey Preparatory Academy. What personal item, left in the coat pocket, was also stolen?
Why did the narrator go up on Thomsen Hill? Read between the lines:
"I was trying to feel some kind of a good-by. . . . when I leave a place I like to know I'm leaving it. If you don't, you feel even worse."
"If I get a change to remember that kind of stuff, I can get a good-by when I need one--at least most of the time I can."
How does the narrator react to the silent treatment he received from his fencing team?
Chapter 2: the last day at Pencey Prep and paying a visit to "Old Spenser"
Chapter 3:
Chapter 4:
Chapter 5:
Chapter 6:
Chapter 7:
Chapter 8:
Chapter 9:
Chapter 10:
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Chapter 12: Why does Holden leave Earnie's so abruptly?
Chapter 13: Holden returns to the Belmont. A bell boy accosts him to arrange a visit from a prostitute. Sunny in her green dress shows up, but Holden lies about his "clavichord" operation to avoid having sex with her.
👉What symbolic meanings does Holden associate with the color green?
👉Consider the popular allusion to the moon that the name Phoebe has. In what ways does Sunny similar and different from Phoebe?
Chapter 14: Maurice and Sunny fleece five more dollars from Holden.
Chapter 15: Assaulted by Maurice and deprived of food and sleep, Holden goes to a greasy spoon, where he meets two nuns.
👉Why does Holden insist on donating money ($10 to be exact) to the nuns?
Chapter 16: Holden asks Sally Hayes out, buys the Little Shirley Beans album, and considers visiting the Museum of Natural History.
👉Holden buys an album called Little Shirley Beans intending to give it to Phoebe as a gift. Why does Holden think the song about two missing front teeth "really kills"? Why does he think Phoebe will appreciate this song?
👉Holden fondly reminisces about a little boy singing a tune of "if a body catch a body coming through the rye."
What does the Robert Burns's poem "Comin' Thro' the Rye" describe?
Neither the singing boy nor Holden understands what the original Scottish tune means. Subsequently, Holden takes the "catcher" and "the rye" in their literal meanings and develops a fantasy about saving--"catching"--kids when they fall off the field of rye. In what ways do such details reveal the overall meaning of this novel?
Chapter 17:
Holden withholds certain truth and misrepresents his true feelings. Even though Holden is an unreliable narrator, his dialogue with Sally Hayes reveals a germ of truth. How does Sally Hayes respond to Holden's increasingly unstable behavior?
Chapter 18:
Holden watches a war movie, which makes him feel very depressed. In what ways do veterans and teenagers share similar emotions and stressors?
Chapter 19:
What does Carl Luce advise Holden to do?
Chapter 20:
How does the author use the symbol of innocence (the Little Shirley Beans album) to portray Holden's precarious mentality?
Chapter 21: Holden goes to his parents' apartment and meets Phoebe.
What three adjectives would you use to characterize Phoebe Caulfield?
Chapter 22:
Who was James Castle? Why is this character significant in Holden's "pattern of mind" (to borrow Carl Luce's words)?
Chapter 23:
What shared history makes Holden trust Mr. Antolini?
Chapter 24:
Chapter 25:
