Catcher in the Rye: Journal Prompts

1. How are you different now than you were in third grade? Middle school?
2. What are the things you look forward to about getting older? What bothers you about getting older?
3. What do you like most and least about high school?
4. What do you like most and least about the groups listed below?
1. adults in general?
2. your parents?
3. siblings?
4. your peers?

Questions Ch 1-4

1. What bothers Holden so much about his interaction with Mr. Spencer? Come up with at least three distinct points and a quotation to back up each point.

2. How would you describe Ackley? Find two direct quotations that characterize him well.

3. How would you characterize Stradlater? Find two direct quotations that characterize him well.

4. What do we learn about Holden from the way he reacts to others? Consider how he interacts with Mr. Spencer, Ackley, and Stradlater. Remember to distinguish between his thoughts and his words/actions.

5. What can you infer about Holden's relationship with Jane Gallagher? Find one line that is suggestive of something significant about their relationship.

6. Identify a tangent/aside that Holden goes off on. What function does this tangent serve?

7. What are a few key phrases that you have noticed that Holden uses a lot?

8. What, if anything, have you noticed about his thought or speech patterns? In other words, how does he talk and/or think?