Cornell Notes

Topic/Objective: Catcher in the Rye

Name: Ms. Ryan

Chapter 1

Class/Period: English 11
Date: July 6, 2016

Essential Question: How does Salinger structure the exposition? (Literature talk)
What is the introduction like? What important information is included? (Plain Language)
Questions:
Why is nothing happing?
Point is to develop
character and give reader
enough background
information to get into the
novel.
Philosophical novel purpose is to show authors
view of the world around
him

Where is Holden? Is it a
regular hospital or is it a
mental institution or rehab?

Where is Holdens
obsession with authenticity
coming from?
Why is the time jumping
around so much?
Holden is remembering the
past. Adds to the realism of
the story. Makes book read
like a conversation.

Is Holden supposed to be
likeable?

Notes:
Plot Summary
Holden Caulfield is telling the story of the madman stuff that happened to me around last
Christmas(p. 3). He begins by describing the events which led to his move to California.
He is standing on a hill rather than watching the game because he has lost the fencing teams
gear in NYC on the subway. He remembers a past event and decides to visit Mr. Spencer, his
History teacher. He runs to the house and knocks on the door. Ms. Spencer answers and
invites him in.

Setting
Time
o 1950s
Geographic Place
o California
Some sort of institution
o Agerstown, Pennsylvania
Pencey Prep
Expensive private boys boarding school
o The more expensive a school is, the more crooks it has
Im not kidding (p. 6)
Well known
o Youve probably heard of it. Youve probably seen the
ads, anyway. (p. 4)
Pretentious/Phony/Fake
o Like as if all you ever did at Pencey was play polo all of
the time. I never even once saw a horse anywhere near
the place (p. 4)
Culture
o Wealthy American
Private boarding school
Brother has a Jaguar
Hes got a lot of dough, now. He didnt use to. (p. 3)
Hour
o Novel present - unclear
o Narrative begins on a Saturday in late December
Where I want to start telling is the day I left Pencey Prep. (p. 4)
it was the Saturday of the football game with Saxon Hall (p.4)
Anyway, it was December and all, and it was cold as a witches teat (6)

Characters
Holden
o Narrator
o Protagonist
o Troubled
Is in some sort of hospital at start of story (p. 3)
Has conflict with parents
Theyre nice and all Im not saying that but theyre also
touchy as hell (p. 3)
Has authority problems (throughout chapter)
o Doesnt fit in
Has negative attitude towards other Pencey students
Pencey was full of crooks. (p. 6)
o Lazy student
Doesnt try at school
They gave me frequent warning to start applying myself
especially around mid-terms, when my parents came up for a
conference with Old Thurmer but I didnt do it (p. 6)
o Careless
Loses the fencing teams equipment
I left all the foils and equipment and stuff on the goddam
subway (p. 5)
o Immature
Doesnt care that the team is upset with him
It was pretty funny in a way (p. 6)
Diction
Uses many swears and slang words.
Doesnt take into account the audience.
o Emphasizes realness/ hates fakes and phonies
Critical of brothers job
Calls DB a prostitute (p. 4)
If theres one thing I hate, its the movies. Dont even mention
them to me (p. 4)
Critical of Pencey
Strictly for the birds. They dont do any damn more molding at
Pencey than they do at any other school (p. 4)
Speaks positively about Selma Thurmer
She probably knew what a phony slob he was (p. 5)
DB (minor character)
o Holdens brother
Hes my brother and all (p.3)
o Lives in Hollywood
Hes in Hollywood (p. 3)
o Screenwriter/novelist

How important are these

characters to the story?

Confused about conflict.

Its only chapter 1, hes
leaving his school, how is
Salinger going to keep this
story going?

What is the purpose of

using 1st person P.O.V.?
Used to develop
voice/character of
narrator/protagonist
Summary: Opening chapter is largely about character development. Author uses a variety of literary devices,
including point of view and diction to create a believable world for readers. More questions than answers at this
point in the novel.