Catcher in the Rye Outline Main Theme

Catcher Main Theme – Alienation INTRO: Topic Sentence: Holden Caufield, the misfit, hypocritical boy in J. D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, sees the world from a different view, that often times make him feel extremely misunderstood by everyone he talks to. Thesis Statement: It is evident by his many actions throughout the novel that Holden sees the phoniness and fakeness of the adult world and therefore shields himself from it by alienating and isolating himself. PARAGRAPH 1: Topic Sentence: The first instance of Holden isolating himself is when he is watching the football game from the hill instead of from the stands with other people. Quotes: Anyway, it was the Saturday of the football game. I remember around three o'clock that afternoon I was standing way the hell up on top of Thomsen Hill. You could see the whole field from there, and you could see the two teams bashing each other all over the place. You could hear them all yelling. (Chapter 1 paragraph 3) Talking Points: He is above interacting with people He prefers watching people, not talking PARAGRAPH 2: Topic Sentence: A second instance of Holden’s isolation is at Penn Station where he goes into the phone booth, but realizes there is nobody to call. Quotes: The first thing I did when I got off at Penn Station, I went into this phone booth. I felt like giving somebody a buzz but as soon as I was inside, I couldn't think of anybody to call up. My brother D. B. was in Hollywood. My kid sister Phoebe was out. Then I thought of giving Jane Gallagher's mother a buzz. Then I thought of calling this girl Sally Hayes. I thought of calling Carl Luce. So I ended up not calling anybody. I came out of the booth, after about twenty minutes or so. (Chapter 9 paragraph 1) Talking Points: His hesitation is a result of a judgment on others PARAGRAPH 3: Topic Sentence: Third and finally, Holden lives vicariously through other people as a way to combat his isolation. Quotes: But there was one nice thing. This family that you could tell just came out of some church were walking right in front of me – a father, a mother, and a little kid about six years old. They looked sort of poor. The kid was swell. He was making out like he was walking a very straight line, the way kids do, and the whole time he kept singing and humming. It made me feel better. It made me feel not so depressed anymore. (Chapter 16 paragraph 3) Talking Points: Combating isolation by observation CLOSER: Topic Sentence: Holden copes with the problems of not liking the world by just isolating himself from it. Talking Points: Misunderstood leads to frustration Way to cope with his feelings