CITR - The Fall of Man

Look over the main points of the Wikipedia page on The Fall Of Man from "Genesis"

  • What does it have to do with immortality, the ability of man to live forever? How does this relate to Holden?
  • What does it have to do with human acquisition of "physical frailty and death, and a darkened intellect and ignorance" as well as the concept of original sin (which has been interpreted differently by many faiths, including Judaism and Islam)?

This condition has been characterized in many ways, ranging from something as insignificant as a slight deficiency, or a tendency toward sin yet without collective guilt, referred to as a "sin nature", to something as drastic as total depravity or automatic guilt of all humans through collective guilt.

Reread the excerpt on Mr. Antolini's advice to Holden from chapter 24 of Catcher in the Rye - Headed for a Fall and answer the following questions on notebook paper:

  1. What does Mr Antolini mean by “some kind of terrible fall”?
  2. What cautions does Mr Antolini give Holden? Are these reasonable?
  3. Note the repetition of the word “fall”. What does Mr Antolini mean by this term?
  4. Find other references to “falling” prior to this and throughout the text (e.g. Ch. 25) — when do these occur and what is implied about Holden’s progress?
  5. Why does Mr Antolini quote Wilhelm Stekel?
  6. Explain the meaning of the following:
    • (a) “troubled morally and spiritually”
    • (b) “they have more humility than the unscholarly thinker”.
  7. What advice does Mr Antolini give Holden? Is this practical?
  8. What does Mr Antolini mean when he says “what size mind you have”? What does this suggest about the formation of identity?
  9. What did he mean by “dress your mind accordingly”?
  10. Could Mr Antolini be perceived as “the catcher in the rye”?
  11. In your view, why doesn’t this speech have any impact on Holden?
  12. Towards the end of Chapter 24, Holden wakes to find Mr Antolini stroking his hair. Describe Holden’s reaction. Can you recognize a pattern in the way Holden relates to others? In your view, is Mr Antolini’s action a sexual advance or a paternalistic gesture?
  13. What do we learn about Holden from this extract?