Setting

The setting of a literary work is the general location, historical time, and social circumstances in which the fictional or dramatic takes place. The setting is usually established through some kind of description, either through one of the characters or through the narrator.


In The Catcher in the Rye, the time of the setting remains mostly the same- it takes place during a long weekend in the late 1940's or early 1950's. But location wise, the setting changes several times. Holden begins to tell his story in Pennsylvania, which is the location of his former school, Pencey Prep. Then, Holden begins to recount his adventures during his long weekend in New York City. The author did a good job describing the various places that Holden visited during his short stay in the city, making it a lot easier to distinguish between the different places throughout the story.

In his relatively short visit, Holden visits apartments and bars and even the zoo. Descriptions written by the author, J.D. Salinger, are told through Holden's slightly limited but nonetheless perceptive point of view. Despite the many places Holden wanders through, there are three main settings. The first of the three is Pencey Prep, the previously mentioned school that Holden had just been expelled from in the beginning of the novel. The second is Holden's older brother D.B.'s room, where Holden stayed after sneaking into his own house for a place to sleep. The final important setting is at the zoo, where Holden takes Phoebe to ride the carousel.

Although Holden might not have spent a lot of time in these three different places, they all hold a sort of significance. Pencey Prep was an extremely important setting because if Holden had not been expelled, the entire story could not have taken place. The events at Pencey Prep is what started the novel off. D.B.'s room in Holden's parents house is also an important setting, because it displays how childish Holden is and how he didn't want his parents to know that he had been expelled and that he had snuck home for the weekend.

The setting at the zoo, however, is probably the most important. When Holden takes Phoebe to the carousel and watches her ride, he feels happier than he has in a very long time. Seeing Phoebe's childhood and innocence and simplicity reminds Holden of all that he belives is good in life.