Cultural references to the novel The Catcher in the Rye

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This article lists references to the novel Catcher in the Rye in popular culture.

1 Movies
2 Songs
3 TV series and animation
4 Books

[edit] Movies

In the 1965 British film The Collector, the book is briefly discussed leading to a heated exchange between the film's two main characters. Ironically, given the book's reputation as a favorite among loners and outcasts, the film's lonely and troubled "hero" Freddie Clegg (Terence Stamp) professes a great hatred of the book.

The 1997 film Conspiracy Theory, featuring Mel Gibson, uses the book quite prominently, although it does not explicitly link the book's content to the theme of mind control but rather to the bibliomania of an assassin.

The 1997 film Chasing Amy features characters named after Holden Caulfield (Ben Affleck's "Holden McNeil") and Ed Banky (Jason Lee's "Banky Edwards"). Both characters make appearances in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, also directed by Chasing Amy director Kevin Smith.

In the 1993 film Six Degrees of Separation, the character Paul (played by Will Smith) pretends to be writing a thesis on the book and gives a brief analysis of it.

In the 2002 film, The Good Girl, Jake Gyllenhaal's character calls himself Holden and is seen reading the book and constantly referring to it.

In the film Annie Hall, Woody Allen says that he only has books with the word death or dying in them. But Diane Keaton holds a copy of The Catcher in the Rye and says, "What about this one?"

In the movie Pleasantville Bud is asked by one of the teenage residents of Pleasantville what the book is about, as all literature had been out of reach to the citizens, on account of its controversial themes in that period of time. Bud tells the crowd of people what the book is about, then later it is one of the many images painted on the Police Station wall by Bud and a friend.

In the movie Big Fat Liar, there is a scene where Amanda Bynes' character is a tutoring a jock. Before Frankie Muniz comes in, Amanda Bynes gives a very brief thematic summary of The Catcher in the Rye to the jock.

In the 2002 film Igby Goes Down, there are numerous similarities between the film and the novel. It could nearly be described as loosely based on the book.

In Spike Lee's 2002 film 25th Hour (based on David Benioff's 2001 novel The 25th Hour), the protagonist sees the words "Fuck You!" written on a mirror in the bathroom of a bar. He goes on a virulent tirade against the city of New York, its people, and his friends. Finally remorseful, he blames himself for throwing his life away. He tries desperately to rub away the words.

[edit] Songs

The band Killing Caulfield is a reference to the lead character in The Catcher in the Rye.

The band Belle and Sebastian mention Catcher in the Rye in their song " Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie." The lyrics are as follows, " Give yourself up to the allure of/Catcher In The Rye."

A song by the Swedish band Komeda, "Catcher," refers to Holden Caulfield's fantasy. Lyrics include "Who will catch your fall? / Who will do it all?" and "There ain't no catcher in the rye." The song appears on the band's 2003 album Kokomemedada.

UK Art Pop band Santa Carla released a song called "Catcher In The Rye" on their 2005 release Earworms. The song is about a fanatical stalker.

American rock band Green Day's song "Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?" appears on their Kerplunk! album. The song is based on how frontman Billie Joe Armstrong could relate to the main character as an outcast.

American punk band Screeching Weasel responded to the aforementioned Green Day song with the song "I wrote Holden Caulfield".

New Jersey ska band Streetlight Manifesto reference both J. D. Salinger and Holden Caulfield in the song "Here's to Life" (track 8 on their debut CD Everything Goes Numb). The lyrics are: "Holden Caulfield is a friend of mine, we go drinking from time to time, and I find: it gets harder every time"; and then, further in the song, "Hey there Salinger what did you do, just when the world was looking to you, to write anything that meant anything, you told us you were through. And it's been years since you passed away, but I see no plaque and I see no grave, and I can't help believing, you wanted it that way."

The Ataris' song "If You Really Want to Hear About It," from the 2001 album End is Forever, takes its title from the novel's opening sentence. The song's final lines paraphrase those of the book with the lyrics, "Don't ever tell anyone anything or else you'll wind up missing everybody." Several other specific references are made within the lyrics.

In the 1990s, an alternative-pop band called The Caulfields released two records for A&M Records.

Salinger's novel was mentioned in Billy Joel's hit single We Didn't Start The Fire in 1989: "Brando, The King and I, and The Catcher in the Rye."

"William Holden Caulfield" is a track on Cereal Killers, the 1991 album by American indie rockers Too Much Joy. The song's title conflates the names of Salinger's protagonist and the actor William Holden, and the lyrics include the lines "I'm afraid of people who like Catcher in the Rye / Yeah, I like it too, but someone tell me why / People he'd despise say, 'I feel like that guy' / I don't wanna grow up, 'cause I don't wanna die."

An unreleased Guns N' Roses song from the Chinese Democracy sessions is called "Catcher in the Rye" It was recently leaked in early March 2006 as a demo and features Brian May on guitar. The song is said to be about Mark David Chapman, murderer of John Lennon.

A hardcore band from Huntington, West Virginia took over the name Holden Caulfield, and even goes so far as to use an image of J.D. Salinger on their CDs and other merchandise.

On their album "Our Newest Album Ever!", ska band Five Iron Frenzy recorded a song called "Superpowers" in which a line goes "Sometimes I feel I'm Holden Caulfield, Sometimes Jack Kerouac"

System of a Down's song Lost in Hollywood has been compared to the book in that it might be an allusion to Holden's disgust in DB's move to Hollywood to pursue his career. The song also uses the phrase "Phony people come to pray" to describe the crowd which comes with the city, a possible nod to Holden's well-known label.

My Chemical Romance guitarist- Frank Iero's old band Pencey Prep named themselves after the infamous preparatory school from the book, as well as having a song called 'Secret Goldfish.'

The Icelandic rap group Quarashi reference both Salinger's Catcher in the Rye and the anime show Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex simultaneously in their song "Weirdo." (see Television references, below)

The French band Indochine made a song called Des Fleurs Pour Salinger (Flowers For Salinger)in which they present Salinger as trying to get away from the world's stupidity, and about the singer wanting to meet him. And can be found the famous lines "I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes. I'd marry this girl, that was also deaf and mute [...] I'd live near the woods but not in the woods." In French : "Je ferais semblant d’être sourd-muet /Et j’épouserais cette fille /Sourde et muette /On vivra près d’un ruisseau, près des bois /Mais pas dans les bois..."

The Andover, Massachusetts group Piebald performs a song called Holden Caulfield, including such lyrics as "where do the ducks go in the wintertime," and "put my hat on and get out of here."

[edit] TV series and animation

In an episode of the TV series Drake and Josh, Drake mentions his favourite novel is "Catcher in the Rye" to his teacher.
The 122nd Boy Meets World episode "Poetic License: An Ode To Holden Caulfield" deals with Shawn's feelings for Angela through poetry.
The anime series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex has references to the book throughout the series.
- The main story arc (the "Complex" episodes) involves the case of a cyber-terrorist known as The Laughing Man, whose name is taken from one of Salinger's short stories, and the use of symbolism referring to the novel as well as some quotes of it.
- The most notable quote is the one plastered on the Laughing Man's logo: "I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes".
- In one episode, one of the walls of The Laughing Man's library is shown to have the words "Fuck you" written on it, which is a reference to a quote in The Catcher in the Rye, where the main character, Holden Caulfield, says, "You can't ever find a place that's nice and peaceful, because there isn't any. You may think there is, but once you get there, when you're not looking, somebody'll sneak up and write 'Fuck you' right under your nose.".
- At the end of the episode Portraitz:
  - "You know what I'd like to be? I mean if I had any goddamn choice, I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all," is shown written on a lefty's catcher's mitt.
  - A 'lefty's catcher's mitt' is attributed as "net jargon for something you think is real, when actually it is not"; this picks up on the notion of "Phoniness" evident in The Catcher in the Rye.
  - It also refers to the baseball mitt that was owned by Holden's late brother Allie and had poetry written all over it.
- In another episode, the Major tells The Laughing Man, "The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one," a quote that, while originally said by psychoanalyst Wilhelm Stekel (and cited as such), was repeated to Holden by Mr. Antolini (a fact that, curiously enough, was not mentioned).

In an episode of "Full House", Jesse comments about how he needs to read "The Catcher in the Rye."

In several episodes of "Recess" the character Mikey is shown writing poetry on his baseball glove. This is a reference to Holden's dead brother Allie, who wrote poetry on his baseball glove so he would have something to read while he was playing outfield.

In an episode of "Roseanne", Jackie walks in on Darlene, who is reading "The Catcher in the Rye" and the two discuss the book in relation to Darlene's feelings that she is in Holden's situation.

In numerous episodes of Gilmore Girls, there are comparisons of Holden Caulfield and Jess, Stars Hollow's rebel.

In an episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Mandy is seen reading "The Catcher in the Rye".

In an episode of Family Guy, a character resembling Holden continually insults Peter for being a phony.

In an episode of the Dilbert animated series, a man working at the complaints department of a company uses the fake name Holdem Callfielder when answering the phone.

In an episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force an alien frat member asks if another character is holding (as in marijuana), then, in a pun, he asks if "Holden Caulfeild is coming to the party".

In the show 8 Simple Rules, both Paul and Briget say that "The Catcher In The Rye" is their favourite book.

A Criminal Minds episode called The Last Word referred to the alleged popularity "The Catcher in the Rye" is said to have with murderers and both murderers in the episode use character names from the book.[1]

[edit] Books

Lawrence Block wrote a book in the Burglar series called "Burglar in the Rye."

In The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan, there is a chapter called "My Girlfriend Is In Love With Holden Caulfield" in which the narrator's girlfriend compares him to Holden.

In his humor book This Book Sucks (based off of MTV's Beavis and Butt-head characters), Mike Judge mentions the novel among a list of popular literature titles. The Beavis and Butt-head characters mistakenly believe that the main character (whom they believe is actually named "Catcher") calls everyone "phones".