Poster Session 4, 2:15 PM - 3:00 PM: Campus Center Auditorium [A15]

Taking Phoniness Out of the Classroom: Evaluating The Catcher in the Rye and Examining Alternatives for 21st Century High School Curriculum

Presenter: Creighton DeMoura

Faculty Sponsor: Brenna M. Casey

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Education & Educational Research

ABSTRACT

The Catcher in the Rye is still valued as a young adult novel 75 years after first publishing because of the teenage voice at its heart. In a high school classroom setting that teenage voice is critical, as educators use novels to influence students’ thoughts and behaviors. The Catcher in the Rye’s classroom ossification occurred largely because of its narrator’s rebellion and social questioning. There are many more novels in 2026, however, which provide those same teenage perspectives and include commentary on how those rebellions exist outside of the vacuum of an individual story.

This thesis begins with an academic history and scholarly analysis of The Catcher in the Rye followed by close readings of the text to draw out aspects from Salinger’s depiction of the midcentury teenager which no longer align with that age demographic. Next is an auto-ethnographical account of reading Catcher as a high school student which the particular circumstances around discussing Catcher in contemporary classrooms. Finally, I offer alternatives to the novel through a discussion of newer coming-of-age fiction offerings. I offer The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Poet X, which give educators the opportunity to explore similar themes of gender, sexuality, and class tackled by Salinger, as well as further questions around concepts like religion, mental health, and teenage friendships. This research process is ultimately meant to analyze the use of The Catcher in the Rye in high school English classrooms to answer questions I have about assigned readings.

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