Catcher in the Rye Help?

Question

What would be a few significant quotes that could be found in the book? Or, how would I discuss the theme of disillusionment?

Answer 1

Disillusionment permeates the book.  Holden is disillusioned with the world around him.  He believes that all adults are phony and superficial, and that adult society is full of hypocrisy and meaningless.  He projects his own shortcomings onto others.  He doesn't care at all about his future.  Phoniness, for Holden, stands as an emblem of everything that's wrong in the world around him and provides an excuse for him to withdraw into his cynical isolation.

These sites should help you put your answer together.

http://www.bellmore-merrick.k12.ny.us/ca...

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/catcher/

http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/t...

http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guide...

http://www.allgreatquotes.com/catcher_in...

http://classiclit.about.com/od/catcherin...

Answer 2

Catchers coverage of the idea of disillusionment is so vast and deep I don't think I could cover it here. If you really want to talk about it e-mail me. But as for quotes:

It was that kind of a crazy afternoon, terrifically cold, and no sun out or anything, and you felt like you were disappearing every time you crossed a road.  ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 1

People always think something's all true.  ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 2

Anyway, I'm sort of glad they've got the atomic bomb invented.  If there's ever another war, I'm going to sit right the h**l on top of it.  I'll volunteer for it, I swear to God I will.  ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 18

Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all.  Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me.  And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff.  What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them.  That's all I do all day.  I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all.  I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be."  ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 22, spoken by the character Holden Caulfield

Don't ever tell anybody anything.  If you do, you start missing everybody.  ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 26