Socratic Seminar Preparation

Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger: Socratic Seminar

Points for Discussion

In preparation for the Socratic Seminar on Catcher in the Rye, please consider the following points.  Please bring in notes to help guide your comments. Your notes should include specific references to the text, including page numbers and direct quotes.

1.  Consider the following statement:  We see the truth about people and the world through Holden's eyes.
Do you agree with this statement or not?  Point to specific places in the text to back up your opinion.

2.  In what ways is Holden a typical teenager?  In what ways is he atypical?  Is he a character you can relate to?  Why/why not?

3.  What aspects of people/life/the world does Holden find particularly enjoyable?  What does he find particularly abhorrent?  Is he justified in his views?

4.  In what ways does/doesn't Holden fit with the hero archetype?

5.  Consider this question as it relates to Holden: How does our past dictate who we become?

6. Which moments in the text are the most significant to the meaning of the book as a whole? Which had the greatest impact on you as the reader? Why?

7. What themes come up in this book?  How does Salinger develop these themes?  

9. What does this book help us to understand about the teenage (or, more generally, the human) experience?

10. Many people are dissatisfied with the book’s ending.  Were you?  Even if you were, how might the ending be considered appropriate for the book?

Click here for the rubric.