The main settings for the Catcher in the Rye are New York City and Pencey Prep. The majority of the novel takes place in New York during post war America. The journey begins just a week before Holde's Christmas break. After Holden leaves Pencey Prep, he takes a train to New York City. Once he arrives in New York, since his parents are not expecting him, he checks into a hotel and his wanderings begin.
Some places he visits while in New York are Edmont Hotel, Central Park Lagoon and its ducks, Wicker Bar, Ernie's, and The Museum of Natural History. The Edmont Hotel is a seedy hotel wher Holden spends an eventful night. Here he meets some women in the hotel bar and is visited by a prostitute. Wicker Bar is the bar where Holden meets Carl Luce. After Luce leaves, Holden stays on and gets himself drunk. Ernie's is the piano bar where a man named Ernie plays the piano. Holden goes here for a few drinks, but leaves after he is patronized by one of his brother D.B.'s old girlfriends. Holden is very curios, throughout the story, about what happens to the ducks at Central Park lake when wintertime comes, and the lake freezes. Holden likes the Museum of Natural History because nothing changes, and everything is simple, understandable, and infinite. New York is the perfect setting for The Catcher in The Rye because just like Holden, New York is constantly changing and transforming.
This is a picture of New York City. The other picture shows The Museum of Natural History.
The beginning of the novel takes place in Agerstown, Pennyslvania at a school called Pencey Prep. At Pencey Prep, Holden lived in a dorm in the Ossenburger Memorial Wing. This wing was named after a gift-giving alumnus who Holden believes to be a huge phony.
Historical Context
The events in The Catcher in the Rye occurred in 1946, a year after the World War II. The Great Depression had also ended. Adults during this had probably experienced both tragic events and therefore wanted to do without their memories. According to history, during this period the nation prospered materially. It was during this also period that conservatism was at its peak.
The Catcher in the Rye was banned from children when it got into bookstores. Parents felt that Holden was not a very good role model for their children. One of the main reasons why parents kept this book from their kids was the fact that Holden was antisocial, unconventional and used vulgar language. Holden was alienated from the society enough to see its hypocrisy and its “phoniness” (as he’ll put it).
Even though there was a materialistic prosperity, some people were concerned with communism and the Soviet Union. During this time, the Soviet Union had advanced in nuclear technology and had even launched their first artificial satellite, Sputnik. Russians became a threat to the U.S. The fear of an eminent attack usually resulted in drill on how to “duck and cover” in just in case. Some families planned or even made backyard shelters and filled them up with food in case of a holocaust.
In the 1950s, there was an intense pressure to conform. This not only happened in politics but in the education system. Going to college was a passport to success. Jobs for white male were safe while women stayed home and raised the many steered by the war. This “Baby Boom” caused people to care about the younger generation. Lifestyles began to change especially, among teenagers. Teenagers became unruly and sexually active at a much younger age. This is a movement that caused parents to think that rock’n’roll, a new type of music, had lead to this dramatic change. Teen began skipping classes (a typical Holden behavior). Parents worried also were concerned the lack of respect for authority form their children.
Holden Caulfield was a symbol for the restlessness and rebellious behavior of teenagers during that decade. He, like other teenagers, was trying to find their identity (through sex and materialism) in the mist of a world that they lived in but was strangely unknown to them.
Author Biography
Jerome David was born January 1, 1919. He grew up in an apartment district in Manhattan, New York. His father was a prosperous Jewish importer of kosher cheese and his mother was an Irish Catholic. His family had a nice apartment on Park Avenue. After studying in prep school, he was sent to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Pency Prep in The Catcher in the Rye was based on this school. He only attended there for two years though. In 1937, J.D. Salinger spent five months in Europe. He studied at Ursinus College and New York University from 1937 to 1938. Salinger feel in love with Oona O’Neill. He was shocked when he later found out that she married Charles Chaplin, who was older than she was. In 1939, Salinger attended a Columbia University evening writing class. Whit Burnett, editor of Story magazine, was the first person to see some talent in Salinger’s writings.
During World War I, Jerome David Salinger was drafted into the infantry. He was involved in the invasion of Normandy. He was also involved in one of the bloodiest battles during the war in Hurtgenwald. There he witnessed the horror of wars. Salinger’s friends considered him as a very brave and genuine hero. In 1951, Jerome David Salinger published The Catcher in the Rye. The book was a major success. It became a Book-of-the-Month Club selection and won international acclaim. Some events in the novel are thought to be semi-autobiographical. Holden, the main character in the book, is a 16 year old restless hero as Salinger was said to be in his youth. The Catcher in the Rye is banned in some countries and in some local areas in the United States because of the offensive use of language. The novel still sells about 250,000 copies annually. A major theme in Salinger’s work is the strong but still delicate mind of disturbed adolescents.
Every once in awhile rumors spread that J.D. Salinger will publish another novel or that he's writing his work under a pseudonym. A pseudonym is a fake name a writer writes under.
Works Cited
Diane, Telegan. Novels for Students. Volume 1. Michigan: Gale Research, 1997.
BOOKRAGS STAFF. "The Catcher in the Rye: Objects/Places". 2000. April 14 2008. <http://www.bookrags.com/notes/citr/OBJ.html>.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Setting
The main settings for the Catcher in the Rye are New York City and Pencey Prep. The majority of the novel takes place in New York during post war America. The journey begins just a week before Holde's Christmas break. After Holden leaves Pencey Prep, he takes a train to New York City. Once he arrives in New York, since his parents are not expecting him, he checks into a hotel and his wanderings begin.
Some places he visits while in New York are Edmont Hotel, Central Park Lagoon and its ducks, Wicker Bar, Ernie's, and The Museum of Natural History. The Edmont Hotel is a seedy hotel wher Holden spends an eventful night. Here he meets some women in the hotel bar and is visited by a prostitute. Wicker Bar is the bar where Holden meets Carl Luce. After Luce leaves, Holden stays on and gets himself drunk. Ernie's is the piano bar where a man named Ernie plays the piano. Holden goes here for a few drinks, but leaves after he is patronized by one of his brother D.B.'s old girlfriends. Holden is very curios, throughout the story, about what happens to the ducks at Central Park lake when wintertime comes, and the lake freezes. Holden likes the Museum of Natural History because nothing changes, and everything is simple, understandable, and infinite. New York is the perfect setting for The Catcher in The Rye because just like Holden, New York is constantly changing and transforming.
This is a picture of New York City. The other picture shows The Museum of Natural History.
The beginning of the novel takes place in Agerstown, Pennyslvania at a school called Pencey Prep. At Pencey Prep, Holden lived in a dorm in the Ossenburger Memorial Wing. This wing was named after a gift-giving alumnus who Holden believes to be a huge phony.
Historical Context
The events in The Catcher in the Rye occurred in 1946, a year after the World War II. The Great Depression had also ended. Adults during this had probably experienced both tragic events and therefore wanted to do without their memories. According to history, during this period the nation prospered materially. It was during this also period that conservatism was at its peak.
The Catcher in the Rye was banned from children when it got into bookstores. Parents felt that Holden was not a very good role model for their children. One of the main reasons why parents kept this book from their kids was the fact that Holden was antisocial, unconventional and used vulgar language. Holden was alienated from the society enough to see its hypocrisy and its “phoniness” (as he’ll put it).
Even though there was a materialistic prosperity, some people were concerned with communism and the Soviet Union. During this time, the Soviet Union had advanced in nuclear technology and had even launched their first artificial satellite, Sputnik. Russians became a threat to the U.S. The fear of an eminent attack usually resulted in drill on how to “duck and cover” in just in case. Some families planned or even made backyard shelters and filled them up with food in case of a holocaust.
In the 1950s, there was an intense pressure to conform. This not only happened in politics but in the education system. Going to college was a passport to success. Jobs for white male were safe while women stayed home and raised the many steered by the war. This “Baby Boom” caused people to care about the younger generation. Lifestyles began to change especially, among teenagers. Teenagers became unruly and sexually active at a much younger age. This is a movement that caused parents to think that rock’n’roll, a new type of music, had lead to this dramatic change. Teen began skipping classes (a typical Holden behavior). Parents worried also were concerned the lack of respect for authority form their children.
Holden Caulfield was a symbol for the restlessness and rebellious behavior of teenagers during that decade. He, like other teenagers, was trying to find their identity (through sex and materialism) in the mist of a world that they lived in but was strangely unknown to them.
Author Biography
Jerome David was born January 1, 1919. He grew up in an apartment district in Manhattan, New York. His father was a prosperous Jewish importer of kosher cheese and his mother was an Irish Catholic. His family had a nice apartment on Park Avenue. After studying in prep school, he was sent to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Pency Prep in The Catcher in the Rye was based on this school. He only attended there for two years though. In 1937, J.D. Salinger spent five months in Europe. He studied at Ursinus College and New York University from 1937 to 1938. Salinger feel in love with Oona O’Neill. He was shocked when he later found out that she married Charles Chaplin, who was older than she was. In 1939, Salinger attended a Columbia University evening writing class. Whit Burnett, editor of Story magazine, was the first person to see some talent in Salinger’s writings.
During World War I, Jerome David Salinger was drafted into the infantry. He was involved in the invasion of Normandy. He was also involved in one of the bloodiest battles during the war in Hurtgenwald. There he witnessed the horror of wars. Salinger’s friends considered him as a very brave and genuine hero. In 1951, Jerome David Salinger published The Catcher in the Rye. The book was a major success. It became a Book-of-the-Month Club selection and won international acclaim. Some events in the novel are thought to be semi-autobiographical. Holden, the main character in the book, is a 16 year old restless hero as Salinger was said to be in his youth. The Catcher in the Rye is banned in some countries and in some local areas in the United States because of the offensive use of language. The novel still sells about 250,000 copies annually. A major theme in Salinger’s work is the strong but still delicate mind of disturbed adolescents.
Every once in awhile rumors spread that J.D. Salinger will publish another novel or that he's writing his work under a pseudonym. A pseudonym is a fake name a writer writes under.
Works Cited
Diane, Telegan. Novels for Students. Volume 1. Michigan: Gale Research, 1997.
BOOKRAGS STAFF. "The Catcher in the Rye: Objects/Places". 2000. April 14 2008. <http://www.bookrags.com/notes/citr/OBJ.html>.