Catcher+in+the+Rye+Jungian


 * Opening Activity**

Pair up with another person and decide who the psychiatrist is and who the patient in search of help is. Then have a “session” where the psychiatrist will ask the patient the following questions and the patient has to respond with the first answer that comes to mind, and their reasoning behind it.

What would you do if you had to choose between…

· Going to a party //or// getting started on the 20 hours of homework you have? · Keeping your favorite one of a kind hat from washing down the sewer //or// catching that $50 bill that just flew past you? · Pigging out on those donuts your mom just bought //or// stick to your diet that you’ve successfully lost 7 pounds from? · Going to a concert by your favorite band that you have backstage passes to //or// cashing them in to help pay for a sick relative’s desperately needed hospital expense? · Staying up to go to the premier of Spiderman 3 //or// staying home to watch that addicting tv show that you can’t miss?


 * Jungian Approach**


 * An influential force in archetypal criticism.
 * Psychological critics are generally concerned with the concepts of:
 * //Individuation// -- the process of discovering what makes one different from everyone else
 * //Shadow// -- the darker, unconscious self (usually the villain)
 * //Persona// -- a man’s social personality (usually the hero)
 * //Anima// – a man’s “soul image” (usually the heroine)
 * //Neurosis// – occurs when someone fails to assimilate one of the unconscious components into his conscious and //projects// it on another


 * Summary**

http://www.levity.com/corduroy/salinger1.htm

The Catcher in the Rye has been up for controversy and debate ever since its publication in 1951. The content and moral issues have been criticized, while others feel that the human condition presented in Holden Caulfield’s character is “fascinating and enlightening, yet incredibly depressing.” The area that brings up these moot arguments revolves around Holden’s psychological battles and society. These points include: “depression, nervous breakdown, impulsive spending, sexual exploration, vulgarity, and other erratic behavior.” However disturbing that may sound, others argue that the novel expresses the problems that America’s youth faced in the 1950’s. The Catcher in the Rye is educational in a personal sense, and unsettling at the same time.


 * Questions**

opposite of what he should do, and he is aware of it.
 * 1) How would you describe Holden’s thought process? He always seems to do the
 * 1) What is noticeable about Holden’s attitude toward girls? Why does he think of them in such a degrading and useless manner?
 * 2) Who is Holden really criticizing when he finds fault in those around him? What does this explain about his own opinion of himself?
 * 3) Does Holden’s perspective of others accurately portray the image of “don’t judge a book by its cover?”
 * 4) Analyze this quote. “I swear to God, if I were a piano player or an actor or something and all those dopes thought I was terrific, I’d hate it. I wouldn’t even want them to //clap// for me. People always clap for the wrong things. If I were a piano player, I’d play it in the ... closet,” (Salinger 84).


 * Works Cited**

Salinger, J.D.. //The Catcher in the// //Rye////.// Massachusetts: Little, Brown and Company Edition, 1951.

//The Praises and Criticisms of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the// //Rye////.// Eric Lomazoff. 5 May 2007. .

Teresa Y.