By: J.

D Salinger
Copyright 1951

Submitted by:

Ma. Vangeline B. Mandiit

BBTE 2-1 March 17, 2012

The Catcher in the Rye (1951) by J. D. Salinger CHAPTER 1

Holden Caulfield went directly to a psychoanalyst or psychologist. Holden has been sent to this "rest home" for treatment because of a complete mental breakdown. As he talks, his mind frequently wanders and, therefore, his story is often filled with digressions. The first digression is about D.B., Holdens older brother who is a writer. He feels that D. B. has "sold-out" in his literary career, for he is now in Hollywood writing screenplays, like a "prostitute". Holden quickly establishes the time frame which he wants to discuss, beginning with the day he leaves Pencey Prep, one of the many schools from which he has been expelled. The remainder of the Chapter is a flashback to the time of his expulsion; it is a Saturday just a few days before Christmas vacation. In the flashback, Holden is going to visit his history teacher. Before he reaches the teachers house, Holden stands on a hill overlooking Pencey, searching for a sense of closure; he wants to have one positive farewell thought. He then recalls an early evening football game with two friends. Satisfied that the memory is a pleasant one with which he can leave, he continues on his way to the history professors home.

CHAPTER 2
Holden visits Mr. Spencer. Their conversation certainly turns to Holdens failure in school and his pitiful career as a student. As the discussion progress, Holden grows increasingly impatient and annoyed with old Mr. Spencer for pointing out all of his shortcomings. Mr. Spencer forces Holden to listen as he reads aloud from one of Holdens most recent papers, which is a poorly written, half-done report on mummies. Mr. Spencer then reads the note that Holden has written on the bottom of the report, apologizing for his failure to perform well on the paper. In the note, Holden reassures the professor that he is not a bad teacher. The failure rests in Holden alone. Nonetheless, Holden is mortified by what has transpired at this meeting. He feels worse than when he came and cannot wait to escape Mr. Spencers house.

CHAPTER 3
Holden Caulfield is giving a few details about Mr. Ossenburger. He is a former student of Pencey who became an undertaker. Then Holden turns his attention to his own reading habits and lists his favorite authors. His brother D.B. tops the list, followed by Ring Lardner, Isak Dineson, and Thomas Hardy. His literary thoughts lead him into another flashback. As he is settling down to read, a dorm neighbor, Robert Ackley, interrupts Holden. Although Holden drops several hints that he wants the boy to leave, Ackley is blind to Holdens refinement. Ward Stradlater, Holdens athletic roommate, enters the room to get ready for a date and interrupts the half-hearted conversation between Holden and Ackley. Ackley, who is always uncomfortable around Stradlater, quickly leaves.

CHAPTER 4
Holden follows Stradlater to the bathroom, where they spend some time talking. Stradlater asks Holden to write a descriptive essay for him since he is going out on a date. Holden agrees to write the composition and is surprised to find out that Stradlaters date is Jane Gallagher, a girl that Holden knows well from childhood and likes. He tells Stradlater some things about Jane, including how well she dances and how she keeps the kings in the back row while playing checkers. Stradlater, uninterested in Holdens trivia, quickly gets ready and leaves. Holden sits in his room thinking about Jane and Stradlater until Ackley returns.

CHAPTER 5
Holden has dinner in the dormitory, where steak is always served on Saturday night. After dinner, Holden indulges in throwing snowballs and horsing around with some fellow students. He then agrees to go into Agerstown with his friend Mel Brossard and Ackley. Both Brossard and Ackley have already seen the movie that is playing, so they simply eat hamburgers and play pinball before heading back to the dorm. Broussard goes to play cards, and Ackley pesters Holden, who finally tells him he has to leave for he has an essay to write, obviously the one for Stradlater. In the composition, he describes the baseball glove that belonged to his little brother Allie, who died from leukemia. Allie had written poems in green ink all over his baseball glove so he would have something to read when he played outfield. Holden cherishes the mitt, keeping it with him at school.

CHAPTER 6
When Stradlater returns from his date with Jane Gallagher, he is in a terrible mood. He asks about the essay, and Holden gives it to him. When he reads about Allies baseball mitt, Stradlater freaks out and tells Holden he does not do anything right. Holden, who had been very pleased with the composition, takes it from Stradlater and rips it up. Holdens emotions are strained, because he has been anxious about Stradlaters date with Jane. When he asks Stradlater about the date, he responds mysteriously; his mysterious manner infuriates Holden, who starts a fight. Stradlater wins the fight easily and prepares to go out, telling Holden to clean himself up, since he is a bloody mess. Holden goes in search of Ackley.

CHAPTER 7
Holden retreats to Ackleys room and asks if he can spend the night with him. Ackley refuses and tells Holden to leave, making it clear he thinks Holden is crazy. Holden persists, wanting to talk; this time Ackley ignores him, so Holden finally leaves. Feeling isolate and alone, he makes up his mind he will leave Pencey Prep immediately and go to New York, without telling anyone.

CHAPTER 8
It is too late to call for a taxi. So, Holden walks to the train station. On the way, he washes the blood from his nose with snow. The train comes soon and is practically empty, although tonight Holden would actually prefer for it to be full. At Trenton station, a lady boards the train and strikes up a conversation with Holden, recognizing his schools insignia on one of his suitcases. It turns out that she is the mother of one of Holdens classmates, a boy named Ernest Morrow. Holden tells her several lies about her son; they are good lies, the kind a mother wants to hear. He also tells her his name is Rudolf Schmidt, though that is the name of the janitor at the school. He ends the conversation by telling her he is on his way to have a tumor removed from his brain.

CHAPTER 9
Arriving at Penn Station in New York, Holden considers calling someone. He mentally runs through a list of people, but after twenty minutes, he emerges from the phone booth having called no one. He walks to the taxi stand and hails one to take him to the Edmont Hotel, which is cheap and sleazy. Bored with the view, Holden thinks about calling Jane Gallagher. Instead, he calls a woman named Faith Cavendish, whose telephone number he was given from some "guy that went to Princeton". Although not a prostitute, she supposedly "does not mind doing it once in a while". On the phone, Holden explains that he is feeling "pretty horny", but gets no response. Since the phone call proves unproductive, Holden remains alone and frustrated.

CHAPTER 10
Still desperate for connection, Holden contemplates calling his younger sister Phoebe, but changes his mind because his parents would be most likely to answer the phone. Since he is not tired, he decides to go to the Lavender Room, the nightclub at the hotel. He washes up, changes into a clean shirt, and heads downstairs. In the club, Holden is given a bad table, and the waiter refuses to serve him alcohol without an I. D. Three women are seated at the next table, and Holden summons up the courage to ask if any of them would care to dance. He eventually dances with all three and pays for their drinks. When they get up to leave, he tries unsuccessfully to convince them to stay, even though they are not interesting company. Shortly after they depart, Holden leaves as well.

CHAPTER 11
Holden leaves the club and sits in the deserted lobby thinking about Jane and Stradlater. He is still concerned about what might have happened between them. He remembers how he met Jane and thinks about why he likes her so much. He remembers that she always keeps her kings in the back row while playing checkers and closes her eyes while striking a shot in golf. Holden also recalls a particularly touching moment when the mere presence of her stepfather reduced poor Jane to tears, which she tried to hide. He can still see her wiping the tears from the checkerboard. Holden then starts thinking about his brother D. B. and remembers a bar he used to take him to. Holden leaves the hotel, calls a cab, and heads to the bar.

CHAPTER 12
On the way to the bar in a taxi, a depressed Holden mentally complains that he always gets "those vomity kind of cabs." Once again Holden tries to strike up a conversation with the driver. As earlier, Holden asks the taxi-driver to have a drink with him and is again rejected. Holden enters Ernies and is surprised at how crowded it is at such a late hour. He is shown to yet another bad table, at which he is able to hear the miserable conversations of the couples on either side of him. While Holden sits there smoking and drinking, a girl named Lillian Simmons comes up to him and asks about his brother D.B., whom she once dated. She introduces the sailor who is with her and asks Holden if he would like to join them. Holden refuses the offer, saying he is about to leave. Holden is immediately sad that he told this lie, for he now feels compelled to leave since he has said he was going.

CHAPTER 13
Holden walks back towards his hotel in the cold, lamenting the loss of his gloves, which he thinks were stolen by someone at Pencey. To regain some of his warmth, Holden puts on his hunting hat and decides to stop in another bar. He changes his mind when he sees two tough looking guys emerging from the bar. Back at the hotel, Holden is solicited by the elevator operator, Maurice, who promises to send him a prostitute in fifteen minutes. Holden agrees to the offer, but regrets his decision almost immediately. He cleans up and then paces nervously around the room, waiting for the girl. Sunny soon arrives, and Holden introduces himself as Jim Steele. He tries to act suave, but no matter how hard he tries, Holden, still a virgin, is still extremely uncomfortable. The girls businesslike manner only makes him feel more awkward. When he tries to strike up a conversation, Sunny wants to know what he is waiting for. She sits on his lap and tries to seduce him. It is more than Holden can handle. He apologizes, pays her five dollars, and tells her to leave. Sunny tells Holden the price is ten dollars. He refuses to pay her more than he agreed on with Maurice, and she leaves with an insult and a veiled threat.

CHAPTER 14
After Sunny leaves, Holden smokes a few cigarettes and thinks about a time he refused to take his little brother Allie with him somewhere. The thought depresses him, and he unexpectedly gets into bed with the urge to pray. When he tries to form the words of a prayer, all he can hear is Sunny calling him a "crumb-bum". As he decides to get up and have another cigarette, there is a knock on his door. Maurice and Sunny are waiting outside. The pimp demands another five dollars from Holden, insisting that the price was ten dollars. Holden refuses to pay. As Maurice threatens him, Sunny goes into the room and takes an additional five dollars from Holdens wallet. Totally frustrated, Holden bursts into tears and challenges Maurice to a fight. Maurice punches Holden in the stomach. He falls to the floor, crying and hurt, as Maurice and Sunny leave. When Holden gets off the floor and collects his thoughts, he imagines himself killing Maurice in the elevator. He also

fantasizes that he is a tough guy from the movies, who has been shot in the abdomen, and he pictures himself committing suicide by jumping from the window. Holden tries to calm himself by taking a bath; he then attempts to go to sleep.

CHAPTER 15
Holden wakes up at around ten oclock on Sunday morning, surprised not to have slept later. He is about to call room service, but his fear that Maurice will deliver the food makes him change his mind. He also thinks about calling Jane Gallagher, but calls Sally Hayes instead. They make a date for two oclock that afternoon. He realizes he does not have much money left, so he checks out of the hotel. Holden takes a taxi to Grand Central Station. He checks his baggage into a locker there and eats breakfast in the cafeteria. Two nuns come and sit near him and he talks to them; one is an English teacher and Holden discusses literature with her. He notices their cheap suitcases, which make him think of Dick Slagle, whom he roomed with at Elkton Hills. Dick, like the nuns, had very cheap luggage, which he hid in shame under his bed. Holden had very nice, very expensive luggage that he at first kept on the racks for everyone to see. Out of concern for Slagle, Holden decided to put his luggage under his bed, too. Slagle took Holdens luggage from under the bed and pretended it was his. The memory of this incident really bothers Holden, and he is not sure why; he thinks it has something to do with inequality and hypocrisy, two things he hates. While they are eating, Holden decides to give the nuns a contribution of ten dollars despite the fact that he is low on funds. He even offers to pay their bill, but they refuse. After they leave, Holden wishes he had given them more than ten dollars.

CHAPTER 16
Holden finishes his breakfast around noon and decides to take a walk since he has two hours to spare before his date with Sally Hayes. While he is walking, Holden cannot help but think about the nuns and their collection basket. This sets him off imagining what his mother, aunt, and "Sally Hayes crazy mother" would do if they were given the job of collecting money for charity. Holden has no particular direction in mind, but finds himself walking toward Broadway and decides to stop by a record store and buy a record for Phoebe. He wants to get her a rare record called Little Shirley Beans by "this colored girl singer, Estelle Fletcher". On his way, Holden comes across "this family that you could tell just come out of some church", and the little boy attracts Holdens attention. The boy is walking behind his parents, who are obviously poor. But the boy is happy and sings to himself. In fact, his carefree attitude and song even help to dispel some of Holdens depression. Holden enters a store and buys the record he wants to take Phoebe. Then he goes to a nearby drugstore to give Jane Gallagher a call. This time he really does call her house, but hangs up without asking for her because her mother answers the phone. Holden then buys a newspaper, checks to see what is playing, and buys tickets for "I Know My Love". It is a show he has little interest in seeing, but he thinks Sally Hayes will love it.

Next, Holden takes a taxi up to Central Park to look for Phoebe and give her the record. Though Phoebe often visits Central Park, she is not there, so Holden starts walking toward the Museum of Natural History, reminiscing about past trips he has made there. When he arrives, he changes his mind about going in. Instead, he hails a taxi and heads for the Biltmore to meet Sally Hayes.

CHAPTER 17
Holden is early for his date with Sally, so he waits for her and indulges in a bit of girl watching. Sally arrives ten minutes late, but since she is looking extremely nice, Holden decides not to be upset with her. They watch the play for which Holden has bought tickets, and he reluctantly admits the show is not bad. Afterward, Sally suggests they go ice skating at Radio City, mostly because she wants to rent one of those little skating skirts to show off her legs. However, both Holden and she are miserable skaters, and they finally retreat to the bar for cokes. While having refreshments, Holden is suddenly roused from his depression with the thought of running away. He asks Sally to go with him, but she dismisses his idea, thinking he is being weird. They fight and Sally leaves with hurt feelings.

CHAPTER 18
After Sally leaves, Holden realizes he is hungry and goes into a drugstore to buy a Swiss cheese sandwich and a malted milk. While in the drugstore, he decides to give Jane Gallagher another call. Since he is free all evening, he thinks it would be nice to get together with her, but she is not home. Holden then goes through his entire address book looking for someone to call. Finally he decides to call Carl Luce, his academic advisor from the Whooten School. He arranges to meet Carl for a drink at ten oclock. Holden does not particularly like Carl, but says he is in the mood for some intellectual conversation. Holden then decides to see a movie to pass the time. Holden enjoys neither the movie nor the Christmas special presented beforehand. He leaves the cinema and seems dissatisfied with all of mankind.

CHAPTER 19
Holden is to meet Carl Luce at the Wicker Bar, which is in a very nice hotel. The bar often features Tina and Janine, who sing silly songs in French and English. Holden recalls that they are not very talented, but that everyone in the bar gets all excited about the duo. Holden arrives at the Wicker Bar early and manages to find a seat even though it is crowded. While he waits, Holden drinks scotch and sodas and watches some gay guys at the bar. He begins to think about sex, a subject that he expects he will have lots to talk about with Carl Luce. Carl arrives and begins to drink. He seems bored and anxious to leave. At several points in the conversation, he tells Holden to grow up and quit being so childish. Holden persists in talking about sex even though Carl seems uninterested. Once again, as with Sally, Holden grows excited while talking and has to be told to lower his volume. When Carl is ready to leave, Holden pleads with him to stay a little longer. Carl, however, has had enough of Holden. As he departs he suggests that Holden should be psychoanalyzed.

CHAPTER 20
Holden remains at the Wicker Bar, getting drunk. A singer named Valencia, accompanied by some "flitty looking guy with wavy hair," is performing. Holden prefers Valencia to Tina and Janine and asks the headwaiter to invite her to join him for a drink. Either the waiter does not give her the message or she is not interested, because she exits quickly when her act is finished. In his drunken stupor, Holden begins once again to pretend he is wounded in the stomach; he keeps putting his hand under his jacket to prevent the bleeding. He decides again to call Jane, but phones Sally Hayes instead. She is not pleased with his phone call in the middle of the night and, realizing he is drunk, tells him to go home and go to bed. Before leaving the bar, Holden soaks his head in a basin full of cold water to sober up. Once outside, Holden starts walking toward Central Park to see for himself whether the ducks are safely taken care of. He has some trouble finding the duck pond, even though he knows this part of the park very well. When he finally reaches the lagoon, the ducks are gone, which makes Holden think about death. He decides he wants to see Phoebe and makes his way towards home.

CHAPTER 21
Holden arrives at the apartment building and believes he has had "the best break in years" because the elevator boy is a substitute who does not recognize him. Holden makes up a silly lie, which ends up confusing the elevator boy enough that he lets Holden up without asking too many questions. Fortunately, Holden has the house key and makes a tiptoed journey through the apartment to Phoebes room. When she is not in her bed, Holden remembers that she sometimes sleeps in D.B.s room. He finds her sleeping soundly and watches for awhile. Before he wakes her, Holden sits down at the desk and reads one of her school notebooks. As expected, Phoebe is excited to see him. She tells him about all the recent happenings in her life. Holden listens with a great deal of care and affection and is happy just to be with her. She tells Holden their parents are at a party in Connecticut and will not be home until late. Suddenly she realizes Holden is home from Pencey earlier than he should be and asks if he has been kicked out again. Holden tries to lie his way out of the situation, but Phoebe sees through him and gets upset. She covers her head with a pillow and refuses to talk to him.

CHAPTER 22
Holden tries to coax Phoebe out of her anger, but she is too disappointed. She knows that the family will once again be thrown into chaos with the news of Holdens most recent expulsion. Each time Holden tries to steer the conversation away from his actions, Phoebe draws him back in. Finally, Phoebe challenges Holden to name any one thing that he really likes, and asks him what he would like to become. After some thought Holden tells her that he wants to be the catcher in the rye. Phoebes response after a long silence is, "Daddys going to kill you". Holden says he does not care; then goes into the living room to call Mr. Antolini, his English teacher from Elkton Hills.

CHAPTER 23
Holdens phone conversation with Mr. Antolini is very brief, for he is afraid his parents may return any moment and find him at home. Mr. Antolini quite nicely invites Holden to come over even though it is late at night. Holden rushes back to the room and discovers that Phoebe has turned on the radio. He asks if she would like to dance, and she jumps out of bed eagerly. After a while, when they are resting, Phoebe hears their parents come in and hurriedly switches off the light. Holden puts out his cigarette and hides in the closet. Their mother comes into the room to check on Phoebe, and Phoebe, to protect her brother, lies and says she has been smoking. When their mother finally leaves, Holden comes out of the closet. He tells Phoebe he is going and asks her to loan him some money. She willingly hands over all her Christmas money and Holden quite unexpectedly begins to cry. His tears flow for a long time, and when he finally stops, he sneaks out of the house.

CHAPTER 24

Feeling dizzy, Holden takes a taxi to Mr. Antolinis house. Mr. Antolini asks Holden what is troubling him and why he has failed again. Holden begins an explanation, hoping that Mr. Antolini will understand. Antolini, however, is full of advice and does not give the compassion and acceptance Holden seeks and needs. Holden grows tired of the advice and wants the conversation to end. When he yawns, Mr. Antolini stops talking and helps Holden make his bed. The exhausted boy drops off to sleep almost immediately. He wakes up in the night to find Mr. Antolini stroking his forehead. Holden interprets the gesture as something mean. He panics and decides to leave immediately, telling Mr. Antolini that he has forgotten to collect his suitcases from the locker at Grand Central Station.

CHAPTER 25
Holden returns to Grand Central Station. He decides to sleep on one of the benches in the waiting room because he has nowhere else to go. He thinks about the night before and the incident with Mr. Antolini; he wonders if he has misinterpreted Antolinis touch. Disturbed by these though, he tries to think of something else. He reads a magazine someone has left behind. It is some kind of health magazine, however, and Holden gets more depressed, certain he has cancer and is dying. Holden decides to go out and buy himself an inexpensive breakfast. He does not want to spend too much of Phoebes money. Since his stomach is upset, he just drinks coffee. He leaves the train station and walks out to Fifth Avenue. All around him, people seem to be in the Christmas spirit, which is depressing to Holden. He begins to imagine he is disappearing, becoming invisible. He thinks the distance it takes to cross the street keeps growing and fears he will never reach the other side; it is like a death dream. He then begins to talk to his dead brother, asking him to help him cross the street. Each time Holden makes it across another street, he thanks Allie. After a while, Holden sits down on a bench to formulate a plan of action. He decides he will hitchhike "way out west". However, he decides to meet Phoebe one last time and say good-bye. He goes to her school and delivers a note asking her to meet him in the Metropolitan Museum of Art for lunch. Since he has nothing else to do, he goes to the museum to wait.

While Holden waits, he meets two young boys and helps them locate the display of Egyptian mummies. The tomb-like structure makes Holden ill, and he goes to the bathroom and faints. Once he revives, he goes out to wait for Phoebe. She is twenty minutes late, but she is no longer mad. In fact, she shows up with a suitcase, announcing her intention to go with Holden. He scolds her and tells her no, which makes her be in a mood. Finally, Holden convinces her he will not leave. He takes her to the zoo, and they end up at the carousel. Holden watches as she rides the carousel over and over.

CHAPTER 26
Holden is speaking to the analyst in the rest home, saying that he cannot say much more because it is irrelevant. He predicts he will be discharged soon, and he will be attending a different school next September. Holden somewhat regrets having discussed his private experiences with so many people, because in a way he misses the people he has spoken of. Hence, he ends with a dictum "Dont ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody".

Chapter 1
This first Chapter clearly establishes the youth of Holden Caulfield. He is a young man who has just been kicked out of another prep school. As the narrator, he speaks a typical teenage language, filled with exaggeration, slang, and curse words. In this Chapter, Holden makes it clear that he is not in the hospital because of poor physical health, but because of a nervous breakdown. Nervous breakdown refers to a mainstream and often-used term to generically describe someone who experiences a bout of mental illness that is so severe, it directly impacts their ability to function in everyday life. The specific mental illness can be anything depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or something else. But the reference to a nervous breakdown usually refers to the fact that the person has basically stopped their daily routines going to work, interacting with loved ones or friends, even just getting out of bed to eat or shower. The fact that Holden is in a psychiatric hospital certainly influences the way the story is told, read, and understood. When Holden flashes back to the day he left Pencey Prep, he is pictured alone, standing on top of a hill. He has risen above the pettiness of Pencey and looks down on it, both literally and figuratively. He wants to leave town with a positive thought about the school, even though he has been expelled. He thinks hard to come up with a pleasant memory and recalls an evening football game with friends. He is satisfied that this recollection is positive enough.

Chapter 2
Much is learned about Holden in this chapter. First, he expresses admiration for the elderly teacher. He respects the old man enough to pay him a visit on a Saturday night. While visiting with the teacher, it is noticeable that Holden is simply not a student. The teacher criticizes his lack of effort and even reads from one of Holdens reports, which is unacceptably completed. It is significant that Holden himself writes a note on the bottom of the work, which reveals his sensitive side. He apologizes for not doing well on the report and confirms that he was the one to be blame for his failure, not the teacher. In other words, Holden is very aware of his own lack of effort, but does nothing to correct it. In schoolwork, like in life, Holden seems bored and unchallenged. In a stream-of-consciousness manner, Holdens mind begins to wander in this scene. Instead of concentrating on Spencers words, he begins thinking about where the ducks in Central Park go when the water freezes. The imagery is symbolic, because Holden can identify himself with the ducks--hemmed in and freezing. His wandering thoughts are also an effort to avoid Spencers questions. This avoidance is the first prediction that Holden is heading toward a breakdown. He does not want to feel, because it hurts too much; but running from his feelings creates desperation and resolves nothing.

Chapter 3
Holdens started to admit that he is a liar. First, it was learned that Holden is in a psychiatric hospital; now he admits that he is not truthful.

Holdens love of reading and his list of favorite authors are also revealing. There is irony in the fact that Holden considers himself uneducated, almost illiterate, but he loves to read. Holden, chooses reading material to match his own pathetic state of mind and outlook on life. In the flashback to Pencey, Holden reveals that he is intolerant and impatient. Holden is annoyed at Ackleys entry into his room and rudely hints that he should leave. Like Holden, Ackley is portrayed as an alienated young man, who is liked by no one. Ackley seems even more pathetic than Holden. Unlike Holden, Ackley wants to belong and constantly tries to gain acceptance, even from Holden. By contrast, Holden is self-alienated, purposely distancing himself from others and preferring his own thoughts to conversation.

Chapter 4
The negative Holden compares the handsome, athletic Stradlater to the pathetic Ackley, calling them both "slobs." In truth, Holden is much more like Ackley than Stradlater. He follows his roommate into the bathroom and badgers Stradlater with questions and trivia, in an annoying manner similar to Ackley. Holden, like Ackley, is seeking acceptance and connection; but his behavior alienates him. Proof of this lies in the fact that he barely listens to Holden when he talks about Jane. He also gets out of the room as quickly as possible, but not before asking Holden to write an essay for him.

Chapter 5
Ackley is told to leave so that Holden can write the essay for Stradlater. His willingness to do his roommates schoolwork, while he is out on a date, is an indication that Holden wants to be accepted by Stradlater. As a subject, he chooses a baseball mitt that belonged to his little brother Allie. He admits that he treasures the mitt, revealing the sensitive side of Holden. The mention of the mitt provides entry to another flashback. Holden idolized this little brother and reacted violently to Allies untimely death. In reaction to the deep hurt he was feeling at the loss, Holden violently broke windows, injuring himself in the process; he also refused to sleep in the house, staying in the garage. It is important to note that the two people Holden has cared about the most, his brothers D.B. and Allie, have been separated from him--one by career and the other by death. Part of Holdens alienation obviously stems from this fact.

Chapter 6
Holden is very obvious in this chapter that he cares about many things. He is obviously upset that Stradlater is going on a date with Jane and worries about the intentions of his roommate. Jane is a childhood friend of Holden, and he apparently still cares about her deeply, even remembering the manner in which she plays checkers. Holdens concern over the date with Jane grows so intense that by the time Stradlater returns, Holden has worked himself into anger. It is only natural that when Stradlater rudely criticizes the essay on the baseball mitt, Holden loses it and rips the paper to pieces. He has spent his Saturday night doing his roommates homework, and his efforts are not even appreciated. Holden is also very sensitive above the subject

matter of the composition, for he has written about Allies glove, a subject that Holden regards with reverence. Since Holden keeps the glove with him at school, Stradlater is surely aware of its importance. Holden tries to interrogate Stradlater about his date, clearly trying to get information about whether Stradlater has had sex with Jane. When Stradlater gives a mysterious answer, Holden fully loses control and attacks Stradlater, who is taken by surprise and not interested in fighting.

Chapter 7
This chapter further reveals Holdens loneliness and depression. Holden is so desperate for connection that he pesters Ackley. He says, "I felt so lonesome all of a sudden I almost wished I was dead." When Ackley ignores Holden, he becomes even more desperate, more aware of his own pathetic loneliness. "It was even depressing out in the street. You couldnt even hear cars anymore. I got feeling so lonesome and rotten." When Ackley still does not respond, Holden leaves, with an angry and sarcastic remark. Since no one has given him the attention he needs or cares about his departure, he shouts out childishly, loud enough to wake everyone in the dorm. It is a weak gesture that merely shows how desperately Holden wants some interaction. In the end, however, it is his sadness and not his anger that leaves a lasting impression. He admits, "I was sort of crying, I dont know why."

Chapter 8
He finds that the empty train only reinforces his loneliness. He is relieved and happy when Mrs. Morrow boards, so he has someone to talk to. When he finds that she has a son at Pencey, he creates a multitude of lies about Ernest to make her feel good. When he calls himself Rudolf Schmidt, it is a textbook attempt to run away from his identity. It is significant that he chooses the name of the lowly janitor; he is so depressed he cannot imagine himself to be anyone better. In fact, he assumes a second identity, even worse than the first, for he tells Mrs. Morrow he is going in to the city to have a brain tumor removed. For the time being, it would seem that an artificial life with a brain tumor is preferable for him.

Chapter 9
In New York, Holden feels a desperate urge for human connection. He goes into a phone booth and stays for twenty minutes, but can think of no one to call. Holden is concerned about their safe escape, a concern that parallels his own unrealized need for a safe haven. At the hotel, which is sleazy and gloomy to match his mood, he looks out the window for human contact. He finally calls Faith Cavendish, who is known as a loose woman, but even she rejects Holden. At the end of the chapter he feels more isolated and depressed than ever.

Chapter 10
Holdens need for human contact is again underscored in this chapter. He first thinks of calling Phoebe, his younger sister whom he adores. Phoebe is only ten years old, and yet Holden feels greater companionship with her than anyone else in the book; she is too young to judge Holden, but lovingly accepts him as he is. Holden is looking for the same kind of acceptance throughout life. It was so sad. Since he fears one of his parents will answer the phone, Holden does not try to reach Phoebe. Instead, he goes down to the nightclub in the hotel. Even here he is made to feel rejected, for he is seated at a bad table and not allowed to order an alcoholic drink. His attempt to engage the three girls in conversation and dancing is another attempt on Holdens part to connect with humanity. Although they show no interest in Holden, they dance with him and expect him to pay their bill. In the end, however, they too desert Holden, leaving him once again terribly alone and depressed.

Chapter 11
In this section, more is learned about Jane Gallagher, the girl for whom Holden obviously feels so much. Jane comes across as a highly insecure girl who is shy, non-assertive, and cries easily. The bond that Holden shares with Jane is an interesting one. They held hands often, which gave Holden a comfortable feeling of companionship that helped to disperse his insecurities. He is not sufficiently comforted by his fond memories of Jane. He still desperately needs to connect in person with humanity. When he remembers the bar that D. B. has taken him to visit, he calls a cab and heads there, hoping to find some human interaction.

Chapter 12
On the way to Ernies, he again asks the taxi driver about them, and his question is like a sad, repeated refrain heard often in the novel. Holdens depression increases at Ernies, largely because of the people seated around him. He desperately wants and needs human contact, but he cannot view the people in the bar as human. On one side of Holden, some guy is "giving his girlfriend a feel under the table" while telling her about someone who almost committed suicide. On the other side, an unattractive guy talks to his interested but even more unattractive date about football. Holden is disgusted by both couples and also by Lillian and her sailor. Holden goes to the bar because he desperately wants to be around people, to leave his isolation behind; but his depressed state of mind will not let him connect to anything. Everything he sees and hears is painted in a negative light. The taxi is "vomity." The couples seated beside him engage in "miserable" conversation. Ernie is "vulgar" as he sells out his art to popularity. Even the personal invitation to sit with Lillian and the sailor is disgusting to him. When he leaves Ernies, he is more depressed than ever.

Chapter 13
When he is walking in the cold, he comments that someone at Pencey probably stole his gloves. He imagines what he would have said if he had caught the thief. Rather than punch the thief and accuse him openly, Holden says he would have attacked him with sarcasm. The fact that two guys coming out of a bar is enough to discourage Holden from going in is further proof of his weakness. But his fearfulness is fed by the fact that he is weak and never wins in a fight, as seen in an earlier chapter. Another example of Holdens fear occurs in the scene when Holden agrees to let the elevator operator get him a prostitute. Instantly he regrets his decision since he is a virgin. Inexperience and fear assail him in his hotel room as he tries to prepare himself for her visit. He tries to strengthen his resolve by telling himself that the prostitute will be good practice if he ever decides to marry. Holden tries to be suave with the prostitute, introducing himself as Jim Steele. His nervousness, however, gets in the way, and he trips over his suitcase. He finds himself unable to take action and tells Sunny he just wants to talk. He tries desperately to engage her in some meaningful dialogue, but she grows frustrated, sits on his lap, and tries to seduce him. To get out of the bad situation, he finally tells the prostitute that he is unable to have sex because he is recovering from an operation on his "clavichord." He pays her the agreed amount of five dollars, but she demands ten. When he refuses, she threatens him and leaves.

Chapter 14
When prayer does not come to comfort Holden, he consoles himself with delusions of murder and death. He imagines himself as a tough guy who, despite being shot in the abdomen, manages his revenge quite successfully. He pictures himself killing Maurice in the elevator. Then Holden imagines killing himself by jumping out the window to the street below, but he cannot bear the thought of lying dead on the streets with a crowd of people gathering to look at his body. If he could only be sure somebody would cover him up as soon as he landed, he might consider it. In the end, he accepts reality and acknowledges there is no escape from the pain and misery of his existence. As in the first fight against Stradlater, Holden is defeated by Maurice, which makes him feel weaker and more miserable than ever. He even contemplates suicide, but is not strong enough to carry through with even that plan, making a weak excuse for himself.

Chapter 15
The entire incident with the nuns brings out a new characteristic in Holden. He openly identifies with a loser. The people on the margins, like himself, are a source of concern and sympathy for him. He is touched by the poverty of the nuns and their cheap suitcases and gives them ten dollars, even though he is not a religious boy. When he discusses Romeo and Juliet with the nun, Holdens sympathy is for Mercutio, a minor character and underdog in the play. Holden also remembers Dick Slagle, his Elton Hills roommate who had shabby suitcases. In order not to embarrass him with his expensive suitcases, Holden generously hides his own under

his bed. Everything about Holden seems to cry out against inequality, injustice, and hypocrisy, even when he is just having a polite conversation in a train station with a nun. It is important to notice that Holdens cowardice is again depicted in this chapter. He will not call for room service because he is afraid that Maurice might bring him the food. He wants to call Jane, but does not have enough courage to dial her number. His generosity is also shown. Although he cannot afford it, he gives the nuns ten dollars; after they leave, he wished he had given more.

Chapter 16
At the beginning of the chapter, Holden cannot stop thinking about the nuns, one of whom reminds him of Mrs. Morrow. This is probably because Mrs. Morrow and the nun are the only two people with whom Holden has had real conversation since he left Pencey Prep. All other attempts at communication--with the taxi drivers, the three secretaries at the bar, and the prostitute--have failed miserably. Holden seems most comfortable in the world of children. He believes all of them are like Phoebe, honest and unpretentious--never phony. It is obvious that Holden is crazy about his little sister. He wants to buy her the record because he instinctively knows she will like it. As soon as it is purchased, he wants to find Phoebe in the park and give it to her. When he cannot find his sister, Holden asks a little girl in Central Park who knows Phoebe if she would like to join him for a hot chocolate. He also helps two mismatched children play on the seesaw. In spite of his kindnesses, the children act like they do not want Holden around. Even these innocent beings reject him; he does not belong once again. Holden also watches a young boy walking on the curb behind his parents. The child is singing to himself, and the song goes "if a body catch a body coming through the rye". This childs happiness has a cheering effect on Holden, probably because he has always liked the song about the rye. Later, he will confess to Phoebe that he has always thought of himself as the catcher in the Rye - -a person who protects children from the adult world.

Chapter 17
This chapter shows Holden in an extremely agitated frame of mind; he insists he is "crazy" and repeatedly says, "I am a madman". He cannot understand that his need for companionship has driven him to near desperation. For a moment Holden thinks he has found the answer to his problem, thinks he has made a human connection, and feels there is hope. Unfortunately, as much as he tries to convince himself that Sally understands him and as much as he tries to think she should go with him, she is as far away from his emotional state as she can be. She does not understand Holden, which frustrates him even more. He feels he is so close to the solution, and in his frustration at discovering he is not, he strikes out and hurts the one person in the story who cares about Holden.

Chapter 18
Holden does not appear particularly upset over the failure of his date with Sally. In fact, he decides to get together with Jane Gallagher. When he calls her, she is not home. In the meantime, Holden goes to see a movie and spouts some more of his philosophy about movies and phonies. A woman in the theater cries throughout the movie, which would seem to indicate she is tenderhearted; but Holden has seen her ignore her small childs pleas to go to the bathroom and knows that she is not a kind-hearted lady. As Holden leaves the theater, he thinks about war, since the film seems to deal with the subject. He believes that Hemingways novel, A Farewell To Arms falls into the same mushy kind of sentimental category that the film does, for it romanticizes war in a phony way. He does not understand how D.B. or anyone else can appreciate such supposed works of art or even compare them to really great works like The Great Gatsby. Holden decides that romance and the Christmas spirit are two of the worst instances of phoniness. When he leaves the cinema, he is feeling even more depressed.

Chapter 19
Though Holden looks forward to Carls arrival, it is mostly out of extreme boredom. He does not like Carl, but usually enjoys his stories about his sexual escapades. Holden acts as if he has learned all he knows about sex from Carl. By the time his friend arrives, Holden has abandoned any thought of "intellectual conversation" in favor of a frank discussion of sex; but Carl is not interested in talking about sex on this night. As a result, what little conversation they have is halting and uncomfortable. Carl reveals to Holden that his father is a psychoanalyst. A psychoanalyst is a psychotherapist, usually a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist, who is trained in psychoanalysis and employs its methods in treating emotional disorders. Holden asks Carl about being analyzed, and Carl says it seems to help a person understand himself. Carl, however, has no understanding of Holden. Since he does not recognize Holdens desperation, Carl gets ready to leave. Holden begs him to stay and states, "Im lonesome as hell." Carl does not seem to care. When he suggests Holden undergo psychoanalysis, it is not given as friendly advice, but stated in annoyance and without the remotest shred of human concern. Holden has been rejected one more time.

Chapter 20
Holden, sinking further into his depression, thinks about contracting pneumonia and dying. While Holden is imaging his own death, he does not want to suffer the torturous experience of a burial ceremony; he hopes that "somebody has sense enough to just dump (him) in the river or something". He does not like the idea of being in a cold and dark cemetery "surrounded by dead guys with visitors coming and putting a bunch of flowers on your stomach on Sunday." Though Holden is desperately low on money, he skips his remaining change across the water of the duck pond; it is a sign that he is no longer thinking about the future or his own survival. This action, coupled with his thoughts on death, seem to indicate an increasingly troubled and dangerous state of mind. Finally, Holden decides to see Phoebe one last time before he dies. Though he has previously stayed away from home out of guilt, shame, and dread of his parents reaction to his latest expulsion, he cannot resist the urge to see to Phoebe. He knows her presence will comfort him.

Chapter 21
Unfortunately, all the hope Holden has banked on this very important meeting quickly gives way to tremendous disappointment. Phoebe guesses that Holden has been expelled again and gets very upset. She refuses to talk to Holden, burying her head beneath a pillow and yelling "Daddyll kill you." It is an unexpected affirmation that Holden is a failure, and this rejection is by far the most shattering blow to an already Holdens already devastated ego. He has believed all along that Phoebe will understand what no one else seems to and that Phoebe will accept him for what he is. When she turns her head away, Holden is defeated, and rapidly spiral to his total breakdown.

Chapter 22
Phoebe reminds him practically that he cannot even ride a horse. She adds insult to injury by saying, "I suppose you failed every subject again" and inquires as to why. Holden cries out in anguish, "Oh God, Phoebe, dont ask me. Im sick of everybody asking me that." Up to this point, however, only Mr. Spencer has asked Holden these questions. His outcry suggests that he has been asking himself the same question over and again. Holden wants to protect children, like Phoebe, from the insensitivity. When he says he wants to be the catcher in the rye, he is saying he wants to protect the innocent children playing and enjoying their youth. He tells Phoebe that when he hears the song about the catcher in the rye, he imagines children playing in a field, innocent and free. Holden wants to be a part of that world, not the grown-up world of pretension and cruelty.

Chapter 23
This chapter is the third in a series that shows the close bond between Holden and Phoebe. Throughout the novel, Holden has spoken of his love and admiration for Phoebe. Now the reader sees it returned. Phoebe is even willing to lie for her brother, telling her mother that she was smoking in her room. When Holden tells Phoebe he needs money, she immediately gives up her Christmas fund. Phoebe loves Holden, and he knows it. Still her expressions of love touch Holden deeply. At the end of the chapter, Holden almost wishes his parents would catch him sneaking out, though he does not have the courage to face them and explain on his own. Holden probably senses that he is breaking apart and needs to be caught.

Chapter 24
Holden shows that Mr. Antolini has been the best teacher he has ever had, referring not only to his academic qualities but his worth as a person. In the previous chapter, Holden thinks about a young boy at Elkton Hills who committed suicide by jumping out a window. The boys broken body lay on the ground below until Mr. Antolini came along and covered the boy with his coat, then "carried him all the way to the

infirmary. He didnt even give a damn if his coat got all bloody." Mr. Antolini possesses compassion and caring that Holden finds quite wonderful. It is only natural that Holden looks to him for help when he needs it most. When Holden arrives at the Antolini residence, he expects to be understood. He believes this great man will see his point of view, but instead Holden is given a very academic lecture about how brilliance and creativity are fueled by education and scholarship. While Mr. Antolini has correctly analyzed Holdens trouble, his response to it is theoretical, practical advice from the head. What Holden needs is acceptance and understanding heart. Mr. Antolini just make Holden feel more rejected. It is especially tragic when Holden wakes to find Mr. Antolini touching him in a manner that seems perverse. What was supposed to be his safest haven filled with compassion has become something shameful and dirty. Once again, Holden is on his own.

Chapter 25
Holden questions whether his judgement of Mr. Antolini was premature and wonders if it is possible that the touch was a harmless gesture of paternal affection. He thinks he probably should have returned to Mr. Antolinis house after he retrieved his luggage. This self-doubt illustrates a change in Holden; throughout the novel he has quickly made moral judgments about everyone and everything. The change, however, does not indicate that Holden is getting better. Instead, he begins to seriously believe that he has cancer and is going to die within a few months, simply because he has had an ulcer in his mouth for two weeks. This fear of death turns into paranoia as he begins to think he is disappearing. Paranoia is an unfounded or exaggerated distrust of others, sometimes reaching delusional proportions. He begins to talk to Allie, begging for help, in a manner typically associated with psychological disorders like schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder. When Phoebe arrives, she proves her love for Holden. She is twenty minutes late for their meeting because she has gone home and packed her suitcase. She announces to her brother her plan to accompany him out west. Holden scolds her harshly, partly because he is shocked and partly because he is still a little sick. Instantly he is sorry for his harshness; he decides to make it up to her by taking her to the zoo and carousel in Central Park and promising her that he will not go away. The action of the novel ends with Holden watching his beloved sister ride round and round on the carousel; it is the symbol of his spinning world.

Chapter 26
This chapter returns to the present with Holden in the rest home. He says he has been psychoanalyzed and has "rested". He still feels, however, that he does not understand himself, does not quite know what the truth is. He also still feels lonely and alienated and seeks love and acceptance.

GENERAL INSIGHTS

Perhaps the greatest theme of the novel involves the relationship between the pain of actual experience and feeling one's feelings, on the one hand, and on the other hand the equally devastating numbness that comes with shutting down one's emotions in order to avoid suffering. After the death of Allie, Holden essentially shuts down, forcing himself to lose all attachments to people so as never to be hurt again. He repeatedly mentions how important it is not to get attached to anyone, since this will lead to missing them once they are gone. By the end of the novel, he has spiraled so far down with this theory that he has become afraid to even speak to anyone. Phoebe is perhaps the only reminder that Holden still has the capacity to love. When he looks at her, he cannot help but feel the same tortured love that he felt for Allie. Nevertheless, the surges of these feelings leave him even more bereft. He knows he must leave Phoebe to protect himself, but when she shows up to accompany him on his journey, ultimately he puts his love for her first and sacrifices his own instinct to flee in order to return home. Holden, it seems, is in the throes of an existential crisis. To a great degree he is numb to the pains and joys of life. Unable to come to terms with his brother's death, he has no one to show him the kind of parental or brotherly love that he himself gave Allie. Whenever someone does end up showing him even a hint of such love, Holden ends up being disappointed. The novel informs us about nervous breakdown. A nervous breakdown refers to a mainstream and often-used term to generically describe someone who experiences a bout of mental illness that is so severe, it directly impacts their ability to function in everyday life. The specific mental illness can be anything depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or something else. But the reference to a nervous breakdown usually refers to the fact that the person has basically stopped their daily routines going to work, interacting with loved ones or friends, even just getting out of bed to eat or shower. A nervous breakdown can be seen as a sign that ones ability to cope with life or a mental illness has been overwhelmed by stress, life events, work or relationship issues. By disconnecting from their regular responsibilities and routines, an individuals nervous breakdown may allow them to try and regroup their coping skills and temporarily relieve the stress in their life. Someone with a nervous breakdown may be seen as having checked out from society temporarily. They no longer maintain their social relationships with others, and find it difficult or impossible to go to work and may call in sick multiple days in a row. People with a nervous breakdown often dont even have the coping resources available to take care of themselves, or do much more than rudimentary self-care and maintaining. They may over-eat (if it provides them comfort) or simply fail to eat altogether, not feeling the need or energy to do so. Since a nervous breakdown is not a clinical or scientific term, its meaning can also vary in terms of its length and severity, as well as outcomes. Many people who suffer from a nervous breakdown usually seek out treatment (or have treatment sought out on their behalf by a loved one), and treatment is usually on the serious end of the spectrum of all the interventions available. Inpatient hospitalization for a serious nervous

breakdown would not be unusual, to help a person become stabilized and find an effective treatment strategy for the mental disorder theyre affected by. People who suffer from a nervous breakdown and seek out treatment for it will usually recover from the most extreme depths of the breakdown within a few weeks time (which may be quickened with inpatient psychiatric treatment). Longer-term recovery usually takes months of ongoing outpatient treatment with mental health specialists, such as a psychiatrist or psychologist. A nervous breakdown is not a condition to be afraid of, as it is simply an indication of overhwelming stress and mental illness in a persons life.