English 3201
The Catcher in the Rye
Chronology of Events
Events take place three days in December, around Christmas (circa the 1950’s)
SATURDAY
New York City
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Goes to New York City for fencing match (Morning)
Leaves the fencing equipment on the subway.
Holden buys the red hunting hat.
Pency Prep. Agerstown, Pennsylvania
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Returns to Pency (abt. 2:30)
Stands on Thompson Hill
Visits Mr. Spencer to say goodbye. Spencer lectures him.
Returns to dorm. Conversations with Ackley and Stradlater
Goes into town with Brossard and Ackley
Returns to the dorm to write Stradlater's composition
Stradlater returns from date with Jane Gallagher.
Holden has a fist-fight with Stradlater over Jane Gallagher.
Holden Wakes up Ackley (11:30)
Decides to leave Pency for New York City
Sells his typewriter for twenty dollars
Holden leaves Pency. "sleep tight, ya morons!" (about midnight)
OVERNIGHT SATURDAY - SUNDAY
Agerstown to New York City
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Top
Boards train to New York City
Meets Ernest Morrow's mother, becomes Rudolf Schmidt.
New York City
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Arrives at Penn Station. Calls Sally Hayes
Grabs a taxi. Asks cabbie about the Central Park ducks.
Checks in at the Edmont Hotel. Finds the hotel full of perverts.
Holden calls Faith Cavendish
Goes to the Lavendar Room. Meets Marty, Laverne, and Bernice Kregs.
They stick him with the check.
Leaves the Lavendar Room. Wants to call Jane Gallagher but doesn't.
Grabs a taxi to Ernie's in Greenwich Village. Asks cabbie (Horowitz) about
the Central Park ducks.
Holden at Ernie's, which is full of jerks. Meets Lillian Simmons (an old
girlfriend of D.B.) and Captain Blop.
Holden walks two miles back to the Edmont hotel.
At the hotel he meets the elevator operator, Ernie. Ernie offers to set
Holden up with a prostitute for five dollars.
Sunny, the prostitute arrives at Holden's room. Holden pays the five
dollars just to talk.
English 3201
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The Catcher in the Rye
Chronology of Events
Sunny leaves. Holden sits in a chair and talks to Allie.
Holden goes to bed and tries to pray.
Maurice and Sunny are at the door. They want five more dollars. Holden
refuses and has a fist-fight with Maurice. They take the money and leave.
Holden pretends he has bullets in his gut. Goes to sleep.
SUNDAY
New York City
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Holden wakes up after a short sleep. (abt.10:00)
Calls Sally Hayes and makes a date with her for that afternoon.
Holden checks out of the Edmont.
Grabs a taxi to Grand Central Station. Stores his luggage in a locker there.
Goes to a nearby "sandwich bar" for breakfast. During breakfast he meets
two nuns. After a conversation Holden donates ten dollars to the nuns
and tries to pick up their check.
Holden leaves the sandwich bar and walks down Broadway. There, he
encounters a father, mother, and little boy walking down the street. The
little boy is singing "If a body catch a body coming through the rye". (abt.
noon)
Stops into a record store and buys recording of "Little Shirley Beans" for
Phoebe.
Goes to the theater and buys two tickets for the play "I Know My Love"
for his date with Sally Hayes.
Goes to Central Park looking for Phoebe.
Still looking for Phoebe, Holden walks across the park to the Museum of
Natural History. He decides not to go into the museum.
Holden takes a taxi to the Biltmore and meets Sally Hayes.
(2:00) They go to the theater to see the play which is starring the Lunts.
During intermission Sally meets an old friend, George "something".
After the play, Sally and Holden go ice skating at Radio City. They have an
argument over sodas.
After the date, Holden stops at a drug store to eat a Swiss cheese
sandwich and a malted. Tries calling Jane Gallagher but there is no
answer.
Holden calls Carl Luce. They make plans for drinks that night.
Holden goes to the movies at Radio City. Watches the Christmas pagent
and the movie. Notices a woman crying over the movie, but ignoring her
little son.
(10:00) Meets Carl Luce at The Wicker Bar on 54th Street. They have an
argument. Holden stays at the bar after Carl Luce leaves.
Holden gets very drunk at The Wicker Bar. He calls Sally Hayes and
pretends his gut is full of bullets. In the men's room, some flitty guy
cautions Holden to go home.
Holden leaves The Wicker Bar.(abt. 1:00)
Holden wanders around Central Park. He goes to the lagoon. He drops the
"Little Shirly Beans" record, breaking it. Decides to sneak home to see
Phoebe.
English 3201
The Catcher in the Rye
Chronology of Events
OVERNIGHT SUNDAY - MONDAY
New York City
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Holden walks home and sneaks into the apartment. He wakes up Phoebe.
Holden gives Phoebe the pieces of the broken record. They have a long
conversation. Phoebe guesses that Holden's been kicked out of school.
Holden tells Phoebe his dream of being the catcher in the rye.
He gives Phoebe his hunting hat. Holden calls Mr. Antolini from the
apartment.
Holden returns to Phoebe's room. He tells her his plans of going out west.
She gives him her Christmas money.
Holden's parents come home. He avoids them and leaves the apartment.
Holden goes to Mr. Antolini's. They have a long conversation.
Holden goes to bed on the Antolini's couch. He is woken up by Mr.
Antolini petting him.
Holden leaves Mr. Antolini's very shaken. (abt. 5:00)
MONDAY
New York City
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Holden walks to Grand Central Station
He sleeps on a bench in the Grand Central Station waiting room.
(9:00) Holden wakes up and walks up Fifth Avenue. He feels himself
dissapearing and prays to Allie. Plans to go out west.
Buys paper and pen at a stationary store and writes Phoebe a letter to
meet him at the museum at 12:15.
Goes to Phoebe's school. Delivers the letter to the office who will give it
to Phoebe. Holden sees the graffitti.
Holden goes to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to wait for Phoebe. He
meets two young boys there. They visit the mummy exhibition. More
graffitti.
(12:10) Holden waits for Phoebe at the museum entrance.
(12:35) Phoebe arrives. She is wearing Holden's red hunting hat and is
carrying a bag. She tells Holden that she is going with him out west. They
argue.
Holden follows Phoebe as they enter Central Park. Holden gives in. He will
not leave home. Phoebe follows Holden to the Central Park Zoo.
Phoebe rides the Central Park Carousel as Holden watches. It begins to
pour but Holden will not move out of the rain. Overwhelmed by
happiness, he cries.