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Plot Diagram, The Catcher in the Rye
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The Catcher in the Rye
Plot Diagram
Exposition
The Catcher in the Rye is set in the 1950s with protagonist Holden Caulfeild narrating the story from his perspective. Taking place over four days, we journey with Holden as he goes from a pretentious private school in Pennsylvania, to the heart of New York City. The setting is often quite dismal, matching with Holden's analytical and depressed personality.
Inciting Force
When Holden returns from a trip with the fencing team, he's brought back to the harsh reality that is his terrible private school. He's failing all classes, causing him to flunk out of the school he so despises, while also causing conflicts with his roommates and classmates.
Inciting Force
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Conflict
Conflict
The conflict in The Catcher in the Rye is Man VS Self and Man VS Society. This is because Holden not only gets himself into a lot of bad situations, but also suffers in a world that seems unfit for him. No one person is the cause of Holden's issues other than himself, and an example of this is on page 199, when the author writes, " I just felt blue as hell. Then something terrible happened just as I got in the park. I dropped old Phoebe's record." In this scene Holden had just gotten incredibly drunk and ends up dropping the record he bought for his sister, causing another issue for himself and spiraling into a cloud of worries and fears. An example of Man VS Society is when Holden says to himself on page 147, "Goddamn money. It always ends up making you blue as hell". Money is a societal concept and Holden often runs out of it. As a consequence, he enters an over-analyzing mode where he hates the world, again deteriorating his mental state further.
Climax
The climax of the story happens rather early on in the story when Holden decides to leave Pencey and take a train to New York. I feel this is the climax of the book as it shows the most growth of our protagonist. During this part of the book, Holden is fed up with everything that has happened to him at this place he hates, and he decides to go back home to New York. Instead of leaving when the school wanted him to, he shows defiance by leaving when he wanted to. From this point onwards, the events that happen seem to seal his fate as an outcast which solidify this period as the climax.
Rising Actions
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Climax
Rising Action 1
Rising Action
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Holden returns from a trip to New York only to find he's been kicked out of Pencey and expected to leave and not return in the upcoming Winter Break. He feels discouraged by this and goes on a long rant about the school and its issues.
Rising Action 2
Holden talks with his roommates and declares them "phony". He hates phony people and this encourages him to leave the school. His roommates constantly taunt and ask things of him, overall being jerks.
Rising Action
2
Rising Action 3
Rising Action
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Holden visits his old teacher, finding it an unenjoyable experience. He was lectured on the importance of the school he just flunked out of. The visit furthers his depression and want to escape the ridicule of others.
Rising Action 4
Rising Action
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Holden gets into a fight with one of his roommates, "A real phony guy I tell you." (Pg. 46). He gets punched, and as a result packs his bags with all his things from the dormitory and prepares to leave the place he hates so much.
Resolution
Falling Actions
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Resolution
The resolution of The Catcher in the Rye actually happens at the end of the book when Holden takes his sister Phoebe to the zoo after she is mad at him. Most of the time in the zoo, Phoebe won't talk to him but she slowly warms up and Holden takes her on the merry go round. Watching his sister on the ride makes Holden tear up and for the first time through the whole book he actually says that he is happy. We then cut to Holden, writing his story that we were reading the whole time in a mental institution, re-telling everything to us.
Resolving Action 1
Holden is staying at a hotel and decides to have a drink at a bar, getting drunk and encountering many issues as he stumbles and wishes to communicate with people.
Resolving Action
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Resolving Action 2
Resolving Action
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Holden is stuck and decides to walk fifth avenue. He finds a shop after much looking and discovers a record he wanted to get for his sister, the one person he shows a consistent liking to through out the book. He buys the record and feels something that isn't just "blue" for the first time in a while.
Resolving Action 3
Resolving Action
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Holden has snuck into his house to visit his sister, and while she is excited to see him, Phoebe brings him back into real life. She reminds Holden about how displeased his dad will be and the issues the family will have with him flunking. She also asks him what he likes as Holden shares his negative view of the world. Holden had nothing to share and leaves, worried about his parents finding him back before winter break. While Holden's visit to Phoebe crushes his mood, it also lifts it as he got to see his sister again.