《麦田里的守望者》：迷惘的成长

罗咏勤

About the author

杰羅姆·大卫·塞林格（J.D. Salinger，1919年1月1日—2010年1月27日），美国杰出作家。塞林格出生于纽约一个犹太商人家庭，15岁时，加入一个军事学院学习并获得文凭。1942年，他开始军旅生涯，亲历二战，1946年退伍之后，开始文学创作。他于1951年发表的长篇小说《麦田里的守望者》（The Catcher in the Rye）被认为是二十世纪美国文学的经典作品之一，引起世界性轰动。他的著作还包括《弗兰尼和卓埃》《高举屋梁，木匠们》和一部短篇小说集《九故事》。

塞林格的作品以其对青少年心理和成长问题的深刻描绘而闻名，常涉及对社会和成人世界的批判，以及对纯真和真实的追求。他的作品风格简洁明了，语言幽默，深受读者喜爱。

About the novel

《麦田里的守望者》的创作背景是二战之后。当时美国人们的精神世界充斥着恐惧与空虚，浅薄和庸俗，年轻人迷茫又沮丧，开始用离经叛道的行为去对抗这令人窒息的社会，并以此向体面的传统价值标准发起挑战，因此他们也被称为“垮掉的一代”（the Beat Generation）。故事的主人翁霍尔顿就是二战过后美国年轻人最真实的写照。

小说以第一人称的口吻讲述了一个中产阶级出身的16岁少年霍尔顿第四次被学校开除后在社会上流浪三天的经历。整本书以霍尔顿的心理独白为主线，通过他的叙述，读者可以看到霍尔顿内心的孤独和迷茫，他试图寻找真实、纯洁和真理，但又与周围的世界格格不入。主人公不断地在寻找和失意中挣扎，却始终无法适应现实世界的虚伪和冷漠。这部小说深入展现了青少年的焦虑、困惑和对自我认同的探索。主人公的经历与思想引起无数青少年的强烈共鸣。

About the excerpt

本文节选自《麦田里的守望者》第二十二章。霍尔顿列举了他厌恶学校的种种理由，姐姐一针见血地指出霍尔顿的问题：他不喜欢一切事物。这时霍尔顿说出了他的理想：守护在麦田的悬崖边，做一个麦田里的守望者。

重难点词汇

smack v. 拍；打

chew the fat 闲谈；闲聊

horse around〈口〉捉弄人；开玩笑；胡闹

swear v. 咒骂；郑重承诺

dough n.〈美俚〉钱；金钱

hotshot n.〈美俚〉高人；能人

phony n. 伪君子；装腔作势的人；假内行

阅读难点

1. 霍尔顿对学校的厌恶以及姐姐对他的批评和期望之间的矛盾。

2. 读懂霍尔顿的理想，感知霍尔顿在现实和理想之间的挣扎。

文本分析

What

霍尔顿表达了对学校的厌恶以及他的理想——守在麦田的悬崖边上保护孩子们，这反映了现实和梦想之间的关系。

Why

通过对比霍尔顿的现实和理想，作者表达了对现实生活的不满和对理想生活的追求，以及霍尔顿内心的挣扎。

How

作者通过霍尔顿的内心独白和他与姐姐的对话来展现现实和梦想之间的关系。霍尔顿对学校的厌恶以及他对于守护孩子们的憧憬，揭示了现实生活和理想生活之间的矛盾和对比。

Then all of a sudden， she said，“Oh， why did you do it？”She meant why did I get theax again. It made me sort of sad， the way she said it.

“Oh， Phoebe， don＇t ask me. I＇m sick of everybody asking me that，”I said.“A millionreasons why. It was one of the worst schools I ever went to. It was full of phonies and mean guys. You never saw so many mean guys in your life. Even the couple of nice teachers onthe faculty， they were phonies， too，”I said.

“Don＇t swear so much.”

Old Phoebe said something then. She had the side of her mouth right smack on the pillow， and I couldn＇t hear her.

“What？”I said.“Take your mouth away. I can＇t hear you with your mouth that way.”

“You don＇t like anything that＇s happening.”

It made me even more depressed when she said that.

“Yes I do. Don＇t say that. Why the hell do you say that？”

“Because you don＇t. You don＇t like any schools. You don＇t like a million things. You don＇t.”

“I do！ That＇s where you＇re wrong—that＇s exactly where youre wrong！ Why the hell do you have to say that？”I said.

“Because you don＇t，”she said.“Name one thing.”

“One thing I like a lot you mean？”I asked her.

She didn＇t answer me， though. She was in a cockeyed position way the hell over theother side of the bed. She was about a thousand miles away.“C＇mon， answer me，”I said.“One thing I like a lot， or one thing I just like？”

“You like a lot.”

“Anyway， I like it now. Sitting here with you and just chewing the fat and horsing—”I said.“

“That isn＇t anything really！”

“It is so something really！ Certainly it is！ Why the hell isn＇t it？ People never think any?thing is anything really. I＇m getting goddam sick of it.”

“Stop swearing. All right， name something else. Name something you＇d like to be， like a scientist， a lawyer or something.”

“I couldn＇t be a scientist. I＇m no good in science.”

“Well， a lawyer —like Daddy and all.”

“Lawyers are all right， I guess—but it doesn＇t appeal to me，”I said.“I mean they＇reall right if they go around saving innocent guys＇ lives all the time， and like that， but youdon＇t do that kind of stuff if you＇re a lawyer. All you do is make a lot of dough， play golf，play bridge， buy cars， drink Martinis and look like a hotshot. And besides， even if you didgo around saving guys＇ lives and all， how would you know if you did it because you reallywanted to save guys＇ lives， or you did it because what you really wanted to do was be aterrific lawyer， with everybody slapping you on the back and congratulating you in courtwhen the goddam trial was over， the reporters and everybody， the way it is in the dirtymovies？ How would you know you weren＇t being a phony？ The trouble is， you wouldn＇t.”

I＇m not too sure old Phoebe knew what the hell I was talking about. I mean she＇s only a little child and all. But she was listening， at least. If somebody at least listens， it＇s not too bad.

“Daddy＇s going to kill you. Hes going to kill you，”she said.

I wasn＇t listening， though. I was thinking about something else—something crazy.“You know what I＇d like to be？ I mean if I had my goddam choice？”

“What？ Stop swearing.”

“You know that song If a body catch a body coming through the rye？ I＇d like—”

“It＇s If a body meet a body coming through the rye！”old Phoebe said.“It＇s a poem written by Robert Burns.”

She was right， though. It is If a body meet a body coming through the rye. I didn＇t knowit then， though.

“Anyway， I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field ofrye and all. Thousands of little kids， and nobody＇s around—nobody big， I mean， except me.And I＇m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do is catch everybody ifthey start to go over the cliff—I mean if they＇re running and they don＇t look where they＇regoing， I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That＇s all I＇d do all day. I＇d justbe the catcher in the rye and all. I know it＇s crazy， but that＇s the only thing I＇d really like tobe. I know it＇s crazy.”

Old Phoebe didn＇t say anything for a long time. Then， when she said something， all she said was，“Daddy＇s going to kill you.”

Read for plots

1. Holden＇s ideal world and real world.

2. Answer the questions.

（1）What did Holden like？

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（2）Why didn＇t Holden want to be a scientist？

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（3）Why didn＇t Holden want to be a lawyer —like his daddy？

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Read for figures

1. The struggles of Holden.

2. Answer the questions.

（1）What was Holden＇s dream and duty？

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（2）What information can you get from Holden＇s dream？

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（3）What do you think of the relationship between Holden and his sister —old Phoebe？

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Deep understanding

1. Understand the symbolic meaning.

2. Answer the questions.

（1）What does Holden really want to guard？

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（2）Why did old Phoebe always say“Daddy＇s going to kill you.”？

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（3）How did Holden＇s psychological state change？

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（4）Facing his psychological struggle， how did Holden deal with it？

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Post?reading activity

（1）Predict： Will Holden reconciliate （和解）with himself and the surroundings？

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（2）Think： The Catcher in the Rye is a book that makes you feel less lonely because everyone was once a confused teenager. Have you found yourself from Holden？ Do you need a“catcher in the rye”？ And how do you deal with your bitter struggles？

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经典语录

1. The mark of an immature man is that he is willing to die for a cause， while the markof a mature man is that he is willing to live humbly for one. 一个不成熟的人的标志是他愿意为某个事业献身，而一个成熟的人的标志则是他愿意为理想而苟且地活着。

2. Remember what should be remembered， and forget what should be forgotten. Alterwhat is changeable， and accept what is immutable. 记住该记住的，忘记该忘记的。改变能改变的，接受不能改变的。