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WOLFNOTE SUMMARY OF…
J.D. SALINGER
CATCHER IN THE RYE
Context
Holden Caulfield is the 17-year old narrator and main character of the novel.
He tells his tale set in the early 1950’s from a sanatorium in Southern California.
Throughout the telling of the tale, our narrator digresses and before the events,
which led up to his nervous breakdown, are told, he tells us about his brother D.B.
D.B. was a promising short story writer who sold out to the glitz of Hollywood and he is now a scriptwriter.
Holden begins his tale at Pencey Prep, a private school in Pennsylvania. He is the manager of the fencing team,
but because he lost their equipment on the subway, their Saturday has come to a premature end. There is a
traditional Saturday afternoon football game with school rivals Saxon Hall, but Holden doesn’t go to the game.
Instead, he goes to see his History teacher, Spencer to say goodbye as he has been expelled due to poor academic
performance. The Christmas break starts this Wednesday. Spencer lectures Holden at length and he decides to
escape this and return to the quiet of his dormitory room.
His solitude is soon interrupted by his dormitory neighbor Ackley, then later his room-mate Stradlater comes in and
he agrees to do an essay for him while Stradlater goes on a date with Holden’s ex girlfriend, Jane Gallagher. Later
that evening Stradlater returns and fails to appreciate the essay, which Holden has done for him, which is about a
very personal item – his late brother’s baseball glove. The two fights and Holden come off worst with a bloody
nose.
He decides he has had enough of Pencey Prep and decides to leave early, shouting at his fellow students, calling
them morons. He will stay in New York until Wednesday, when he is due to return home. On his way to New York
City, he meets a fellow student’s mother where he tells her a pack of lies about her son and himself, emphasizing
the fact that he is a compulsive liar, unbalanced and immature.
In the hotel, Holden struggles with his own sexuality as he watches the antics of those in the street below his
window.
He meets three women tourists from Seattle in the hotel lounge and enjoys dancing with one, but only ends up
paying their drinks bill.
Holden then decides to have a prostitute, Sunny, visit his room, but he has second thoughts about this and pays
the girl to leave. She returns with her pimp who proceeds to beat Holden up for more money. Feeling lonely, he
decides to ‘phone a more familiar girl, Sally Hayes, who agrees to go to the theatre with him the following
afternoon. Before they meet, he has a conversation with two nuns at breakfast and they talk about Romeo and
Juliet. He ends up giving them a $10 donation. He also decides to buy his sister, Phoebe, a special record and
this again costs him $10, which would normal cost 50c.
He meets Sally as arranged, but decides that although very good looking, she is very superficial, and phony. He
sees many characters around him as being ‘phony’, part of his cynical outlook on life. He notices a small boy
singing ‘If a body catch a body comin’ through the rye’ which somehow lifts the depression surrounding him. As
his date with Sally develops, Holden becomes more intense and suggests that they should run away together. This
only alarms Sally and she decides to make her own way home. Holden gets himself very drunk and he ends up
going through Central park in a very depressed state wondering about the ducks and why they vanish in the
wintertime, just as his brother, Allie, had done, dying from leukemia.
In trying to find the ducks, he manages to break Phoebe’s recording in the process.
Exhausted both physically and mentally he heads home to see his sister, Phoebe. Despite their age difference,
Holden and Phoebe are not only brother and sister, but very close friends. He then tells her that he would like to
be the ‘catcher in the rye’. He sees himself standing at the edge of a precipice, next to a field of rye where the
children play. The rye is so tall that they cannot see the cliff, which leads to adulthood. He had to fall into
adulthood on his own and he wants to save the children from making the same journey.
When his parents return, Holden hides and is not detected. He leaves the apartment to visit a favorite teacher,
Mr. Antolini who is one of the few people Holden respects due to his intelligence. Holden perceives Antolini as the
only person in the adult world who he can relate to. According to Holden, he awakes to find Antolini making a
homosexual advance towards him by patting his head, and he quickly leaves.
Next day, he arranges to meet Phoebe for lunch where he plans to say his goodbyes and head out West. She
insists on joining him on his trek, and realizing that this would destroy her innocence, he decides to stay in order
to protect her from falling down the cliff into adulthood.
Holden’s story ends with Phoebe riding a merry-go-round as he watches on feeling blissfully happy, fulfilling his
role as the ‘catcher in the rye’.
The final chapter deals with Holden’s stay at the sanatorium and what has been decided for him in the future,
going back to school and trying to make a go of it.
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This whole episode has only made Holden miss the people in the tale even the ‘phony’s’.
The Author
J. D. Salinger was born in Manhattan in 1919, son of a wealthy importer. His early years were spent in the
fashionable area of New York City where he studied at various prep schools.
His parents finally sent him to the Valley Forge Military Academy and Salinger went on to fight in World War II,
participating in the D-Day landings. On his return, he took a Columbia course in short story writing that propelled
his career as an author.
It is clear that many of the events in Salinger’s early life appear in The Catcher in the Rye. Like Salinger, the main
character moves from prep school to prep school, and he knows an older Columbia student.
The Catcher in the Rye is published in 1951 at a time when America was enjoying new industrial prosperity and the
old-fashioned social rules were being unsuccessfully forced on the younger generation. This environment led to
general repression of sexuality, factors which are certainly evident in Holden’s story. The reason why the novel is
so popular today is that it can be equally applied to today’s new generation, as it was to the youth of the early
1950’s. All the reader has to do is look past the dated 50’s dialogue.
The success of the book may have come as a shock to Salinger who has become famous for being a recluse.
Since that time he has published very little and his reputation rests almost entirely with this novel.
Salinger has created an American hero in the character of Holden Caulfield and perhaps reluctantly the book’s
fame has elevated Salinger to a similar position.
Characters
Holden Caulfield
The main character and narrator of the novel that is told which is set in a sanatorium in California. Holden is 17
years old. He is intelligent and sensitive, but the story is narrated in a cynical and pessimistic fashion. His
cynicism is aimed at protecting himself from the anguish and disappointment of the adult world. At this age,
Holden stands between puberty and adulthood and his inability to make the transition results in his nervous
breakdown. His academic failure stems from psychological problems rather than a lack of ability.
Allie Caulfield
Holden’s younger brother by 2 years died when Holden was 13 of leukemia. This was one of the most traumatic
events in Holden’s life. Allie was a brilliant, friendly, redheaded boy who was the smartest of the Caulfield family in
Holden’s eyes. One of Holden’s most prized possessions is Allie’s baseball glove. It should be noted that on the
night of Allie’s death, Holden slept in the garage and broke all the windows with his bare hands, resulting in him
being hospitalized during the funeral.
Phoebe Caulfield
Holden’s 10-year old sister loved greatly by Holden, even though she is 6 years younger than him. She is a
wonderful dancer and is full of childish innocence, and is one of the few sources of happiness for Holden
throughout the novel.
D. B. Caulfield
Holden’s older brother is a writer, whose short stories are much admired by Holden. He gave up this career to
earn more money in Hollywood as a scriptwriter for the movies. He now dates movie stars and drives around town
in a Jaguar. Holden can never quite forgive his brother for the sell-out and regards him as one of the ‘phonies’.
Mrs. Caulfield
She only appears briefly in the novel checking on Phoebe during Holden’s secret visit.
Robert Ackley
Occupies Holden’s neighboring room in the dorm at Pencey Prep and is a constant source of annoyance to Holden.
Ackley is an insecure boy with terrible dental hygiene and acne problems. He has the habit of barging into
Holden’s room and has a tendency to make up elaborate lies about his sexual conquests.
Ward Stradlater
Holden’s roommate at Pencey, he is a clean-cut, handsome man, but vein and a boorish womanizer. Holden
regards him as a slob due to his questionably hygiene, mention being made of his dirty razor. Stradlater is
sexually mature and experienced for a student of his age, and is very self-centered. He is currently dating Jane
Gallagher, Holden’s former girlfriend.
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Jane Gallagher
Jane’s summerhouse in Maine is next door to the Caulfield’s, and although Jane never actually appears in he tale,
she is extremely important to the main character. She appears to be one of the few people who understands and
cares for Holden, and was the only person who Holden discussed Allie’s death with. She is a sensitive and
innocent girl who causes Holden some concern when he finds out she is dating Stradlater.
Mr. Antolini
This is Holden’s favorite teacher whilst at a former school Elkton Hills, the only adult that Holden could relate to.
He is now an English instructor at New York University, but his behavior towards Holden disturbs Holden greatly,
as he perceives a homosexual undercurrent.
Mrs. Antolini
The wealthy, mysterious wife of Antolini, who suffers from asthma, but is somewhat older than her partner.
Carl Luce
Another former acquaintance of Holden was when they attended Whooton School. Carl is 3 years older than
Holden and has a great deal of sexual experience. He used to entertain the younger boys with sex stories and
advice. Holden considers Luce to be a deviant and effeminate, but claims to find him amusing.
Sally Hayes
One of Holden’s girlfriends, being a socialite attending a well established girls’ school. Unlike Jane, Sally’s main
motivation is to be attractive and popular at which she succeeds. Initially Holden is attracted to her beauty and
charm, but her hypocrisy and lack of feelings eventually repel him.
Chapter 1
Summary
The narration starts from the sanatorium in California where Holden Caulfield is undergoing rehabilitation
following a nervous breakdown. The main story centers on the events in December of the previous year, but
first his older brother is referred to as being a writer who works in Hollywood and visits Holden on a regular
basis. His brother, D.B., showed promise as a short story writer but he succumbed to the cash being offered
to scriptwriters in Hollywood and he sold out, much to Holden’s disapproval.
Holden’s tale takes the form of a long flashback to a Saturday in December in the previous year. It is Holden’s
last day at Pencey Prep in Agerstown in Pennsylvania. He has been expelled due to poor academic
performance, failing 4 out of 5 subjects. The chapter ends with Holden arriving at Mr. Spencer’s house (his
History teacher).
Interpretation
It is clear from the start that Salinger gives us a pure insight into Holden’s personality and unique narrative
style. The reader appreciates from the first paragraphs that Holden will not fit the usual mould of the
accepted narrator. Holden is all set to tell us about how he arrived in the sanatorium, and then he digresses
to tell us about his older brother, D.B.
When the flashback does start it is concerned with Holden’s last day at Prep school, which he found a cold and
hypocritical place. A tone of cynicism pervades throughout Holden’s narration. He tends to see the worst in
people and places, rather than the best.
Holden is thoughtless and irresponsible, losing the fencing team’s equipment, but he shows he does care for
people by wishing to say goodbye to his ailing History lecturer despite failing miserably at the subject. The
reader has already a strange affection for this much-flawed hero of the book.
•
Chapters 2 & 3
•
•
Summary
Here the History teacher, Spencer, lecturers Holden about his academic failures. Although Spencer is ill
he still is concerned about the student’s well being. In an attempt to shock Holden into pulling himself
together, he reads out one of Holden’s history answers, which was very poorly constructed, but Holden
was already fully aware of this. Soon Holden looses concentration and his mind wanders, wishing to
escape from the Spencer’s’ home and to do so he invents an excuse even turning down a cup of Mrs.
Spencer’s famous hot chocolate. We are told that the Spencer’s are elderly, but the narrator may
exaggerate this.
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•
Holden returns to Pencey Prep to find his dormitory room empty and comfortable. He relaxes with a good
book – Isak Dinsen’s ‘Out of Africa’, but Robert Ackley who rooms next door and who ruins the mood of
the moment disturbs him. Ward Stradlater, Holden’s roommate comes in soon after from a football
game.
•
•
Interpretation
We obtain the first indications that although Holden condemns certain characteristics of the world at
large, these very characteristics are evident in his own persona. He should act more maturely instead of
like a 12-year old (narrator is 17 years old), smokes too much, is a habitual liar and he should care more
about school.
Holden’s dormitory is in the Ossenburger Memorial Wing. Ossenburger was a mortician and ran a chain
of funeral parlors throughout the country and was just the sort of establishment ‘phony’, which Holden
loved to mock suggesting that Ossenburger probably supplied a very shabby service. Holden despises
phonies, even considering his brother D.B. to be one by accepting the big pay check to write movies,
rather than doing what he is best at, writing short stories. Unfortunately for Holden phonies surround
him in his prep school and the ever-grooming Ackley and self-centered Stradlater who act as his
immediate contrasts. Despite their obvious flaws, he acts kindly towards them, even agreeing to write
Stradlater’s English essay for him.
•
Chapters 4 & 5
Summary
Stradlater has a Saturday night date and wishes to borrow one of Holden’s jackets. It is with Jane Gallagher a
former girlfriend of Holden’s, which concerns him. He would like to rekindle the romance, but fails to summon up
courage to say ‘Hello’ to her whilst she waits below in the dorm for Stradlater.
Holden agrees to write an essay for Stradlater. Later on Ackley who helps him take his mind off Jane joins him.
Ackley and Holden have a boring trip downtown and Holden returns to do Stradlater’s essay. He decides to write
about his brother, Allie’s left-handed baseball glove.
Allie died of leukemia when he was only 11, Holden being 2 years older. It is clear that Holden dearly loved his
younger brother who had written poems in green ink over the glove so that he would have something to read
when he was in the field. Holden considered his brother Allie to be the best family member and extremely
intelligent for his age.
Holden finished the essay around 10.30 p.m.
Interpretation
It is important to emphasize that we view the people and events through the distorted eyes of the narrator.
Holden considers Stradlater to be the typical clean-cut all American guy, but he regards this as superficial, hiding a
vain, arrogant slob. Stradlater’s personal hygiene has much to be desired e.g. his razor is rusty and full of hair.
He is a user of women and friends.
The Catcher in the Rye is in many ways a book about the betrayal of innocence by the 50’s American world and
this gives rise to Holden’s bitter tone throughout the novel. Holden is an innocent teenager, desperately trying to
find a way to connect to the world around him with the minimum of pain.
Holden has a new hunting hat with earflaps, which looks ridiculous when he wears it, as he is so tall and thin. He
wears it backwards like a baseball ‘catcher’ does. Holden decides to write Stradlater’s essay based on his brother’s
left-handed fielding mitt, not a catcher’s mitt and this is one of the main symbols of the book. Holden’s new
hunting hat serves as a kind of shield, which provides Holden with warmth and comfort.
He pretends not to care what people think about his appearance. It is clear that Holden idolizes Allie and he is one
of the few characters praised by Holden in the novel. As the story progresses it becomes increasingly clear that
Allies’ death was one of the most traumatic experiences of Holden’s life and is probably a major factor in his
breakdown.
It is evident that Holden is under increasing pressure as he moves towards leaving the school.
Chapter 6, 7 & 8
Summary
Stradlater returns and reads Holden’s essay failing to appreciate its significance. Holden grabs the essay back and
rips it up. The fact that Stradlater was on a date with Jane helps fuel the argument. Holden quizzes Stradlater as
to what happened between the two and when Stradlater arrogantly gives details of their physical relationship,
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Holden attacks him. Stradlater pins him to the floor, punches him on his nose, making it bleed, all the while giving
him verbal abuse. Battered and bruised, Holden goes into Ackley’s room to sleep.
Not being able to settle in Ackley’s room, Holden decides to leave Pencey Prep early rather than waiting until the
Wednesday (his official final day). He decides that a trip to New York City for a few days before going home might
be a good idea. Heading towards the exit of the dorm, he shouts ‘Sleep tight ya morons’ and leaves Pencey for
good.
Holden takes the train to New York and meets the mother of one of his fellow students, Ernest Morrow. Although
Holden dislikes Morrow intensely, he makes up good stories about him saying what a clever student he is, whilst
posing as a student adviser.
His explanation why he is leaving early before the end of the semester is that he requires an operation for a brain
tumor.
Interpretation
Holden shows kindness towards Ackley by allowing him to join him on a trip to the town center.
In writing the essay for Stradlater, the reader is aware of the strong ties, which exist between him and his
deceased brother Allie. One questions why he chose this subject for the essay as it clearly would be wasted on
Stradlater. Perhaps it is an early cry for help, not particularly aimed at Stradlater, but at the world in general.
Stradlater’s criticism of the essay coupled with taunts about his relationship with Jane sparks Holden into attacking
Stradlater, who duly humiliates and punishes him.
Humiliated and feeling only revulsion for his fellow students, even Ackley due to his slovenly habits, Holden decides
to seek solace somewhere else before going home. Perhaps New York City has the answer.
It is well to take stock at this stage remembering that the reader is witnessing the slow onslaught of Holden’s
nervous breakdown. At no stage does Holden state that he fears for his sanity. Salinger merely describes a series
of bizarre episodes, which lead you to only one conclusion – Holden is going mad.
Some of these events are: the strange hat; writing an essay for Stradlater on such a personal topic; attacking
Stradlater for casual talk about Jane; leaving the dorm in the middle of the night yelling insults to his fellow
students; and habitual, ludicrous lie-telling.
Chapters 9 & 10
Summary
On arrival at New York railway station, Holden starts to feel lonely and wonders whom to call.
D.B. is in Hollywood, his sister Phoebe will be in bed, Jane is out of the question, and another girlfriend Sally Hayes
has a hostile mother, so in the end he calls no-one, but takes a taxi to the Edmont Hotel. From the hotel, he
‘phones Faith Cavendish, a woman of questionable morals, but she refuses to see him that night. Holden decides
to go to the hotel’s Nightclub, the Lavender Room.
Holden digresses here and we obtain some information about Phoebe, his younger sister.
In the Lavender Room, Holden encounters three lady tourists from Seattle. He tries to order a cocktail even
though he is under-age and he is normally successful due to his prematurely graying hair, but on this occasion, the
waitress refuses to serve him. He flirts with the tourists who laugh at him, although he ends up paying for their
drinks.
Interpretation
Holden becomes sexually aroused as he starts his stay in New York, as he people-watches the characters around
his hotel. He would like to call Jane, but is too nervous.
After observing the sexual exploits in the New York street from his hotel room window, he tries to obtain a date
that night, but fails, although Sally does offer to see him the next day.
Holden continues his habitual lie telling as he tells the tourists that he has just seen Gary Cooper, a further sign of
his instability and immaturity.
Holden had considered ‘phoning Phoebe, but she would probably have been asleep and he did not wish to speak
with one of his parents. Holden considers Phoebe to be not only intelligent, but pretty as well, with red hair like
Allie’s. She is the one person with whom Holden can communicate despite their age difference. Phoebe is a gifted
artist in her own right and she also writes books. Holden considers Phoebe to be his best friend.
Chapters 11 & 12
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Summary
Here we learn about Holden’s relationship with Jane as he reminisces about a summer they spent together. Their
family summer homes adjoined and the two became very close. Jane was the only person who Holden confided in
concerning Allie’s baseball glove.
Although it is late, Holden is not tired and takes a taxi to Greenwich Village.
Holden arrives at Ernie’s, an old haunt of his brother, D.B., and again indulges in people watching, listening to their
phony conversations.
He sees a former girlfriend of his brother, Lillian Simmons, who not-surprisingly Holden finds obnoxious. She is on
a date with a naval officer and invites Holden to join them. He declines and has to leave Ernie’s to get away from
her.
Interpretation
Here Holden remembers his happy summer with Jane who through his eyes seems almost too good to be true.
One of the few people Holden can relate to is Jane, who has a few quirks, but Holden loves them all. Their
relationship was physically mild, holding hands constantly. Her drunken stepfather dominates Jane and Holden
does no wish to face the problems Jane clearly has at home. He is content merely to offer comfort and to
continue the premise that she lives in innocence, untouched by the harsh world.
There is an interesting dialogue between Holden and the taxi driver, Horwitz, about the ducks and fish in Central
Park.
The aspect to take out of this is the way Salinger encapsulates the sharp, rough conversational styles of the two
parties. They act like old chums who enjoy a good debate.
Lillian Simmons is a harmless, bubbly Barbie doll that Holden finds irritating.
Chapters 13, 14 & 15
Summary
Instead of taking a taxi back to his hotel, Holden decides to have a long walk back instead, wearing his red hunting
cap with the earflaps down.
When he eventually returns to the hotel, the elevator man who doubles as a pimp, Maurice, offers to provide
Holden with female company at $5 a throw, or $15 for the night. Holden agrees to go for a $5 session, but almost
immediately regrets it. Holden is more depressed than ever, and is really not ready to have sex. When the call girl
Sunny arrives, she says the fee is $10, but Holden only gives her $5 and she leaves, calling him ‘a crumb-bum’.
When he is depressed Holden often talks to his dead brother, Allie, out loud. Here is one of the occasions on
which this takes place. Sunny and Maurice return to extract a further $5 from Holden by force.
It is Sunday morning and Holden goes down to have a large breakfast.
There he meets two nuns and they have a conversation about Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Holden leaves
after giving them a generous donation of $10.
He then ‘phones Sally Hayes and arranges to meet her at 2.00 p.m.
He checks out from the hotel.
Interpretation
When Sunny arrives, Holden confesses to being nervous and admits that he is still a virgin. He is interested in sex,
but he doesn’t quite understand how to get there. What he eventually learns with Sunny is that he prefers not to
get there with a prostitute. The whole situation only adds to Holden’s depression. Out of all this, Holden still has
some healthy values and this is one of the likeable things about him.
Another thing, which adds to Holden’s depression, is the fact that Sunny is around his age and she is forced to lead
a life such as this.
One interesting point is that Salinger’s boyhood nickname was Sunny. Is this a Freudian slip or does it reveal
something about the author himself?
Learning nothing from his fight with Stradlater, Holden calls Maurice a moron, and is punched in the stomach for
his trouble. Sunny takes the $5. After this Holden feels suicidal.
Holden is again acting strangely. His discussion with the nuns seems absurd after his encounter with the prostitute
and her pimp. It is clear that he is very confused about women.
Sally Hayes is everything that Jane Gallagher is not. Unconventional, superficial, stupid and phony, but she is
someone to spend the day with and she is very good-looking. Holden is both drawn to and repelled by her.
Another matter that is giving him concern is his dwindling money, although he feels good about the donation he
made to the nuns. He feels less good about the drinks he paid for the tourists at the Lavender Room and
somewhere along the line he has dropped $10, which is a considerable amount of money at that time.
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Chapters 16 & 17
Summary
The time between checking out of the Edmont Hotel and meeting Sally at 2.00 p.m. at the Biltmore Hotel is
covered here. He makes his way towards Broadway, but his thoughts go to Phoebe who sometimes skates in
Central Park, but she is not there, so he decides to buy her an expensive record.
Sally is late, but makes up for it by her stunning looks. She is thrilled that Holden is going to take her to the
theatre. Holden is much less excited. She is keen to see the Lunts and is impressed by the performance.
Holden is later upset at Sally’s performance in the lobby where she sees someone she knows, an Andover student
named George. She seems to be more interested in him than in Holden.
After the show, they go skating at Radio City. Holden is looking to get more out of the date than Sally. He needs
someone to talk to, but Sally is in no mood for serious conversation. Holden persists and suggests that the two
should get a car and go away together for a few days. This horrifies Sally and the date ends badly.
Interpretation
Although Holden’s money is dwindling he still wants to buy a special record for Phoebe called ‘Little Shirley Beans’
by the black jazz singer Estelle Fletcher. This cost $10 and normally recordings went for 50 cents.
Initially, Holden arranged for the visit to the theatre to get on Sally’s good side. He considered the Lunts to be on
the ‘crappy side’, but later concedes that they were pretty good.
From the beginning Sally seems like an odd match for Holden. She is extremely phony as everything is either
‘marvelous’ or ‘lovely’ and it is all-superficial in contrast to Holden who really tries to feel more deeply about people
and things.
At the skating rink, Holden makes the mistake of trying to talk with Sally about his desires. This only serves to
confuse and frighten her and she asks him not to shout, as she doesn’t understand what he is talking about.
Instead of retreating, Holden pursues the situation, suggesting that they could go to Massachusetts and Vermont.
They could get a cabin and maybe they could get married and live there forever. However serious Holden may be,
Sally is not the right girl to fulfill his fantasy as she has little imagination. Sally says that she will get home on her
own, and the date ends.
Chapters 18, 19 & 20
Summary
On Sunday evening, Holden ‘phones Carl Luce who was his adviser at Whooton School and is three years his
senior. They agree to meet for a drink at 10.00 p.m. in the Seton Hotel. When Luce arrives, he only stays for one
drink as he has a date with an older woman in her late thirties who is a Chinese sculptress.
Holden leaves the bar and goes into the freezing cold night. The water he has splashed on his head to sober him
up freezes into icicles on his hair.
He goes to the frozen duck pond in Central Park and remembers going to Allie’s grave with his parents. The idea
of placing flowers on the grass covering the stomachs of the dead disturbs him.
In desperation Holden feels the need to talk to Phoebe so he decides to go home. He hopes his parents will be out
so he won’t have to meet them yet.
Interpretation
These insignificant chapters mark the start of Holden’s path towards a bad evening ahead.
Luce has little time for Holden, who aggressively asks him about sex. After Luce leaves Holden gets drunk and
tries to pick up several girls, but fails.
Holden starts to fall apart, acting irrationally.
The frozen duck pond becomes a metaphor cleverly used by Salinger. It is mentioned earlier during Holden’s
musings with the taxi driver, Horwitz, ‘Where do the ducks go when the pond freezes?’ Where did Allie go? Being
a confessed atheist, this thought disturbs Holden as things keep disappearing. He is disturbed that people and
things just vanish. The pond symbolizes Holden’s transitional state between childhood and adulthood. The pond
is partly frozen and partly thawed. To Holden, the world is partly made up of grotesque, phony people, living in a
world full of hypocrisy.
Chapters 21 to 24
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Summary
Holden arrives at the Caulfield family apartment. The elevator man is new and does no recognize him. As he does
not wish his parents to be alerted he tells the elevator man he is visiting the Dicksteins who live across the hall.
He sneaks into the apartment and goes to Phoebe’s room, but she is not there. Then he remembers that she likes
to sleep in D.B.’s room when he is away to Hollywood. There he finds Phoebe sound asleep and he spends time
looking at her and reading through her schoolbooks. He notices that she signs her name Phoebe Weatherfield
Caulfield, even though her middle name is Josephine. Holden has observed that children always look at peace
when they are asleep, unlike adults.
Holden eventually wakes Phoebe and they start to talk about her school play. Phoebe slowly realizes that Holden
has been expelled and that their father will ‘Kill’ him. She repeats this, over and over. He tries to explain why he
fails at school, but she accuses him of hating everything. He refutes her claim and she challenges him to name
something he likes. He tries, but fails, and then his mind wanders and he starts to think about his conversation
with the nuns at breakfast.
He then thinks about James Castle, a fellow student at Elkton Hill School, who committed suicide by jumping out of
a window. He had been the subject of taunts by other boys at the school.
Holden then responds to Phoebe’s question and says that he likes Allie, but Phoebe replies angrily saying that he is
dead. She then asks him what he is going to do with his life. He makes a feeble response and quotes from the
song ‘If a body catch a body, comin’ through the rye’. He says that he could stand on the edge of a precipice next
to an enormous field of rye and catch the children playing there if they got too near the edge of the cliff.
He leaves the room and makes a call to Mr. Antolini, his English teacher from Elkton Hill School, who invites Holden
over to stay the night.
Returning to Phoebe’s room he asks her to dance, and then they hear their parents returning so Holden hides in
Phoebe’s closet and Mrs. Caulfield comes in to tuck Phoebe in. Holden says goodbye to Phoebe and leaves for Mr.
Antolini’s.
Interpretation
Holden is becoming more unbalanced, again pondering over his brother’s death. Each time this happens, the
experience
becomes
more
traumatic
due
to
his
fragile
state.
He is preoccupied with the inviolate innocence of children.
Holden is in constant turmoil with the world and those in it. Holden’s only respite in this section of the book is
when he watches Phoebe asleep and reads through her schoolwork, this being one of the most important passages
in the novel. Children look good asleep, while adults ‘look lousy’.
This calm period abruptly changes when Phoebe awakes and she starts to put Holden under pressure, asking him
what he is going to do with his life, and asking him to name something he likes. Holden’s mind sidesteps these
pointed questions and he remembers the Castle boy who committed suicide in one of Holden’s turtleneck sweaters.
His response to Phoebe is that he likes Allie, which makes her angry.
Holden watched his English teacher, Mr. Antolini pick up the broken body of Castle in Holden’s sweater and this
prompts him to call the teacher who invites him to come over and spend the night.
Holden is low on funds and Phoebe lends him her Christmas money, which causes him to break down into tears.
‘Catcher in the Rye’ is what Holden wants to be, as he is unable to see a place for himself in the real world. He
has conjured up for himself a position almost of guardian in the world of children and their innocence. He is like a
pathetic Peter Pan figures, never wanting to grow up.
This passage interprets the novel’s metaphoric title. Holden has fallen down the precipice to adulthood alone.
This place is an ugly world, which he hates. He wants to save other children from the same fate. They play in the
field of tall rye, unable to see the dangers at the edge. It is too high for them, but the catcher can save them from
making the fall.
Chapters 24 to 26
Summary
Holden arrives at Mr. Antolini’s home at Sutton Place, where they are concluding a dinner party. The apartment is
untidy with glasses and dishes everywhere.
Mrs. Antolini brings coffee for Holden, and then goes to bed leaving the two to talk.
Holden has always respected Antolini for his intelligence, and so he tells him about his failure at Pencey Prep.
Antolini cannot help showing some amusement, as clearly this does not come as a total surprise to him, but then
he begins to talk to him seriously.
He tells him that he is not the only young man to have problems with the onset of adulthood, but that the must try
and make an effort to apply himself in school if he is to have any future. Only in this way can he learn more about
the world and the workings of his own mind.
Holden is interested in what Antolini has to say, but he is exhausted and cannot hold back a yawn, so Antolini
makes up the couch for him and lets Holden go to sleep.
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Suddenly Holden wakes up to find Antolini stroking his head. Holden mistakenly or not treats this as a homosexual
advance, despite Antolini claiming there was nothing intended. He leaves the apartment immediately and spends
the rest of the evening sleeping on a bench at Grand Central Station.
Next day, Holden wanders about watching the children, feeling more and more anxious and stressed. He starts to
talk to Allie again, pleading with his dead brother not to let him disappear.
He then decides that he will leave New York and hitchhike west, never to go home or to school again. He goes to
Phoebe’s school leaving a note for her to meet at the Museum of Natural History so that he can return the money
that he borrowed from her. This is also his old school and he wanders around and finding some graffiti on the
wall, this adds to his depression.
When he meets Phoebe at the Museum, she has brought a suitcase with her as she wishes to join Holden on his
journey. Holden feels faint and thinks he might pass out, and he tells her she cannot possibly go with him.
Holden tells her he won’t go away, and he asks her to go back to school. She refuses, so he offers to take her to
the Zoo. They walk to the park, Holden on one side of the street and Phoebe following on the other side. They
arrive at a merry-go-round and Holden persuades Phoebe to have a ride on it. He sits on the park bench watching
her go around and around and a feeling of complete happiness comes over him, and he thinks he might cry.
This marks the end of the story, Holden refusing to tell us what happened next, although he does say that he went
home, got sick and was sent to the sanatorium from where he tells the story.
Perhaps the telling of the story is part of his recuperation from his breakdown. It is planned for him to go to a
new school in the Fall, and perhaps he might apply himself, but he doesn’t really feel like talking about it just yet.
Interpretation
Mr. Antolini at first seems a person who will enable Holden to connect with the adult world, as he respects this
teacher because of his intelligence and the real interest he has taken in Holden. This is evident because Holden
always refers to his old teacher as Mr. Antolini as opposed to his History teacher who he called either Old Spencer
or Spencer. However, there is some menace that Holden feels in the Antolini’s apartment. An indication of this is
the untidiness of the home when he arrives, and also the fact that his teacher has been drinking excessively.
These factors tarnish Holden’s view of this teacher he respected.
The straw, which breaks the camel’s back, is when he awakes to find Mr. Antolini stroking his head, and he leaves
abruptly.
There is an indication that Holden has a latent homophobia, which first comes to light with his contact with Carl
Luce.
The reader has to decide whether Holden’s view of Mr. Antolini is correct and that he made a homosexual advance.
However, it seems more likely that Mr. Antolini’s gesture was a simple sign of affection for a student in obvious
trauma and the fact that he was slightly drunk may have made this approach clumsy. To Holden’s pressurized
mind, he took only one possible interpretation and this was to shatter Holden’s faith in Mr. Antolini.
Next day, Holden wanders the streets of New York looking at children and praying to Allie to stop him from
disappearing, as the ducks disappear in wintertime and Allie himself disappeared.
Towards the end of the tale, there are some interesting scenes with Phoebe whose actions clearly stop her
disturbed brother embarking on his hitchhiking trek out West. He has a chance to act the part of a ‘catcher in the
rye’ even whilst falling apart at the seams psychologically. He realizes this because if Phoebe went with him
hitchhiking this would destroy her innocence and his peculiar behavior would prove harmful as well. He, therefore,
decides to stay and protect his sister from the pain of the real world and save her from the fall over the cliff into
adulthood.
The final scene is taken up with Holden watching his sister on the merry-go-round and suddenly he is deliriously
happy witnessing the scene of childhood happiness and innocence with no intrusion from the ugly, adult world.
Finally, although Holden refuses to talk more about his story, a few important details are obtained. He was sent
from his home to a sanatorium to recover from the breakdown. He will be going to a new school in the Fall, where
it is hoped he will be able to apply himself.
Throughout the whole telling of the tale there is this defensive cynical tone, and it is clear that Holden was not
able to find any hope in the adult world, which surrounded and finally engulfed him. He makes an admission that
he misses some of the people in his story, even Ackley and Stradlater and regrets having told so many people
about the days leading up to his breakdown. Despite all he has gone through, there is still a facet of innocence in
his character, which makes his story so remarkable, and this may well make the future for Holden more hopeful.
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Questions for study with ideas for answers
Question:
Interpret the novel’s metaphoric title ‘The Catcher in the Rye’. Who is he and what is his role?
Ideas :
The catcher in the rye is Holden. The field of tall rye borders a cliff that marks the boundary
between childhood and adulthood.
Because the rye is tall, the children who play there cannot see the cliff. Holden would like to
see himself as the ‘catcher’ who prevents the children from falling down to the adult world,
which is full of ugliness and hypocrisy.
He has made that journey alone, and suffers from the pain of that fall and wishes to protect
other children from the same fate.
He has a great admiration for children due to their innocence and honesty, two traits that are
missing in his adult world.
Holden was forced to make the transition due to his burgeoning sexuality.
Many of the most stressful encounters, which Holden has with the adult world, the blow-up
with the prostitute Sunny, and the argument with his date Sally, for instance, are occasioned
by his sexuality.
Question :
Holden always sees the worst in people. Choose characters from the book and indicate how
Holden views them in a negative fashion.
Ideas :
D.B. Caulfield – Holden considers his brother as having sold-out to Hollywood rather than
pursuing a promising career in short story writing. He feels that his brother is leading a phony
life, and not realizing his full potential.
Ward Stradlater – Holden considers him to be vain and a boorish womanizer with questionably
hygiene habits, e.g. his dirty razor. He also feels him to be very self-centered. Perhaps
because he is dating Holden’s ex girlfriend this may tarnish his view of Stradlater.
Sally Hayes – Holden sees her to be a shallow, hypocrite lacking in feelings for others. He was
only attracted to her good looks and the fact that she was a socialite attending a wellestablished girls’ school. He considers that her main motivation is to be attractive and
popular, at which she is very successful.
Robert Ackley – Holden shows signs of caring for his fellow student of Pencey Prep due to
Ackley’s insecurity, but he finds fault in his terrible dental hygiene and acne problems. He sees
through the elaborate lies, which Ackley makes up regarding his sexual conquests.
Remember that the views given about the other characters in the book are from a narrator’s
perspective, which is cynical and pessimistic.
Question :
Although the narrator
never actually refers to his own psychological breakdown directly, it
is clear he is suffering from the onset of a nervous breakdown by the bizarre events, which
take place during his story. Give examples of these episodes in chronological order.
Ideas :
Loss of fencing team’s equipment on subway.
Agreeing to write an essay for Stradlater on a highly personal topic.
Yelling abuse at fellow students on leaving the dorm for the final time.
Making up absurd lies concerning a fellow student and his own health.
Wearing a strange hat.
Talking aloud to his deceased brother.
Suggesting running away with Sally.
These are just a few of the many indicators regarding Holden’s impending breakdown.
Question :
Many of the events in ‘Catcher in the Rye’ are similar to Salinger’s early life. Please give
examples.
Ideas :
Both Holden and Salinger moved from Prep school to Prep school.
Both were threatened with attending Military School.
Both knew an older Columbian student.
The novel combines details of Salinger’s early life with the post war world in which it was
written. This story was published in 1951
Salinger is famous for being reclusive, and Holden had problems in relating to adults thereby
leaving him isolated from his peers.
Both have become icons.
Question :
Comment on Holden’s narration of the events concerning his breakdown.
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Ideas :
A narrator of a story would normally be expected to provide accurate information concerning
the events and characters in the book. In this respect, clearly Holden fails because we obtain
a warped view of the characters and the locations described in the book. It is from this aspect
that we actually obtain a very good insight into Holden’s state of mind. Therefore, the lack of
accuracy regarding the characters does not in fact affect the quality of the story, but rather
enhances it, thus making it appealing to the reader. We do, however, obtain a good
impression regarding Holden’s younger siblings, which are viewed on as having no adverse
characteristics. Again, would this be totally accurate? In conclusion, therefore, the adults in
the tale are all bad to a lesser or greater degree, and the children are all good.
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