Synopsis:
Chapters 1 - 5
Chapter 1:
Salinger’s first chapter introduces the main character and narrator— Holden. Holden first mentions his brother, D.B., who is a writer in Hollywood. Yet Holden doesn’t seem to care for his brother’s activities too much, admitting that D.B. is "being a prostitute." Secondly, Holden describes his dissatisfaction with his school, Pencey Prep., where the slogan, "molding boys into splendid, clear-thinking young men," doesn’t seem applicable. Holden thinks that too many of the people at Pencey are "phonies" His fencing team had to forfeit the match when Holden left all their equipment on the wrong train. Holden is embarrassed by this, but is quick to judge the team, blaming them for the loss of equipment. Later, Holden admits that he’s getting kicked out of Pencey Prep. because of his poor grades. This too, seems to cause embarrassment, but again, Holden blames others by saying, "the more expensive a school is, the more crooks it has."
Chapter 2:
Holden goes to see Mr Spencer, He describes him as always stooped over in class— an old, weak teacher. The two converse for a while before Mr. Spencer tells Holden, "Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules." Holden nods his head in agreement but inwardly he says it’s only a game for "hot-shots." Holden can’t truly accept what Mr. Spencer is saying because Holden can’t accept the rules and has never accepted them. After writing only a few brief sentences, Holden inscribed a personal message to Mr. Spencer, apologizing for the essay and saying that he won’t blame Mr. Spencer if he fails him. This uncovers the truly humanitarian side of Holden. Even though he and Mr. Spencer lie on "opposite sides of the pole," Holden still attempts to console the elderly teacher, telling him it’s not his teaching that caused him to fail. It’s as if Holden is trying to preserve Mr. Spencer’s self-dignity, an innocence Holden wants to protect.
Chapter 3:
He tells us about a speech Ossenburger made to all the Pencey Prep. students in which he tells the boys to speak to God as though he’s one’s best friend. Holden can’t comprehend this because its meaning is clouded in his mind: he sees Ossenburger as just bragging that he talks to God this way, which makes Holden more firmly believe that Ossenburger is a phony. As will be shown later, Holden has a hard time accepting established religion.
After Holden tells about what kinds of books he likes to read, he introduces Ackley to the reader. Ackley is the Pencey student who lives right next to Holden in the dorm. Holden describes Ackley as a dirty fellow who never brushes his teeth and has terrible pimples all over his face. Like the other people he’s encountered, Holden is quick to judge Ackley, saying that he’s an annoying guy who he never really likes to be around.
Chapter 4:
Holden describes Stradlater as a phony moron, a good-looking guy with a nice build but someone who can’t carry on an intelligent conversation. Holden resents Stradlater for being so successful without any concern with what’s right or wrong. Soon Stradlater begs Holden to write his English composition paper for him. Holden reluctantly agrees, again showing his selfless concern for others. Stradlater also mentions his date with Jane Gallagher, a childhood girlfriend of Holden. Holden quickly remembers all the fun the two of them had together as kids. Distinctly, he recalls how they always used to play checkers and how she would always keep her kings in the back row. To Holden, this detail represents more than simply a childhood memory, but actually an inability to separate his past from his present.
Chapter 5:
The first continuation is the commentary about phonies. Holden again knocks the school he is leaving by saying that the only reason they have steak on Saturday nights is because so many parents visit on Sundays, and when the students’ mothers ask their sons what they had for dinner the night before they can answer that they had steak. To the reader, this seems to be a pretty superficial explanation, but Holden is adamant about his conviction. The second continuation of previous themes is when Holden, always thinking of others, invites Ackley along to the movies. Although Holden admits that sitting next to him at the movies is "not at all enjoyable," he doesn’t say anything, viewing the movie as more of a public service than a fun thing to do with friends. Holden comments on the phoniness of the actors, saying they don’t act like real people. He can’t imagine why anyone would actually watch a movie for entertainment alone. Again, this delves into Holden’s inability to separate reality from fiction. Holden decides to use his brother Allie’s baseball mitt for Stradlater's composition. Allie, he says, has died of Leukemia a few years before. Soon he goes into a long narration about what a great brother Allie was, and how he was nice to everyone. He talks about how wonderful Allie was in every aspect of life, and then Holden confesses that he is really the only dumb one in the family. Holden feels guilty that he hasn’t lived up to the family standard.
Salinger’s first chapter introduces the main character and narrator— Holden. Holden first mentions his brother, D.B., who is a writer in Hollywood. Yet Holden doesn’t seem to care for his brother’s activities too much, admitting that D.B. is "being a prostitute." Secondly, Holden describes his dissatisfaction with his school, Pencey Prep., where the slogan, "molding boys into splendid, clear-thinking young men," doesn’t seem applicable. Holden thinks that too many of the people at Pencey are "phonies" His fencing team had to forfeit the match when Holden left all their equipment on the wrong train. Holden is embarrassed by this, but is quick to judge the team, blaming them for the loss of equipment. Later, Holden admits that he’s getting kicked out of Pencey Prep. because of his poor grades. This too, seems to cause embarrassment, but again, Holden blames others by saying, "the more expensive a school is, the more crooks it has."
Chapter 2:
Holden goes to see Mr Spencer, He describes him as always stooped over in class— an old, weak teacher. The two converse for a while before Mr. Spencer tells Holden, "Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules." Holden nods his head in agreement but inwardly he says it’s only a game for "hot-shots." Holden can’t truly accept what Mr. Spencer is saying because Holden can’t accept the rules and has never accepted them. After writing only a few brief sentences, Holden inscribed a personal message to Mr. Spencer, apologizing for the essay and saying that he won’t blame Mr. Spencer if he fails him. This uncovers the truly humanitarian side of Holden. Even though he and Mr. Spencer lie on "opposite sides of the pole," Holden still attempts to console the elderly teacher, telling him it’s not his teaching that caused him to fail. It’s as if Holden is trying to preserve Mr. Spencer’s self-dignity, an innocence Holden wants to protect.
Chapter 3:
He tells us about a speech Ossenburger made to all the Pencey Prep. students in which he tells the boys to speak to God as though he’s one’s best friend. Holden can’t comprehend this because its meaning is clouded in his mind: he sees Ossenburger as just bragging that he talks to God this way, which makes Holden more firmly believe that Ossenburger is a phony. As will be shown later, Holden has a hard time accepting established religion.
After Holden tells about what kinds of books he likes to read, he introduces Ackley to the reader. Ackley is the Pencey student who lives right next to Holden in the dorm. Holden describes Ackley as a dirty fellow who never brushes his teeth and has terrible pimples all over his face. Like the other people he’s encountered, Holden is quick to judge Ackley, saying that he’s an annoying guy who he never really likes to be around.
Chapter 4:
Holden describes Stradlater as a phony moron, a good-looking guy with a nice build but someone who can’t carry on an intelligent conversation. Holden resents Stradlater for being so successful without any concern with what’s right or wrong. Soon Stradlater begs Holden to write his English composition paper for him. Holden reluctantly agrees, again showing his selfless concern for others. Stradlater also mentions his date with Jane Gallagher, a childhood girlfriend of Holden. Holden quickly remembers all the fun the two of them had together as kids. Distinctly, he recalls how they always used to play checkers and how she would always keep her kings in the back row. To Holden, this detail represents more than simply a childhood memory, but actually an inability to separate his past from his present.
Chapter 5:
The first continuation is the commentary about phonies. Holden again knocks the school he is leaving by saying that the only reason they have steak on Saturday nights is because so many parents visit on Sundays, and when the students’ mothers ask their sons what they had for dinner the night before they can answer that they had steak. To the reader, this seems to be a pretty superficial explanation, but Holden is adamant about his conviction. The second continuation of previous themes is when Holden, always thinking of others, invites Ackley along to the movies. Although Holden admits that sitting next to him at the movies is "not at all enjoyable," he doesn’t say anything, viewing the movie as more of a public service than a fun thing to do with friends. Holden comments on the phoniness of the actors, saying they don’t act like real people. He can’t imagine why anyone would actually watch a movie for entertainment alone. Again, this delves into Holden’s inability to separate reality from fiction. Holden decides to use his brother Allie’s baseball mitt for Stradlater's composition. Allie, he says, has died of Leukemia a few years before. Soon he goes into a long narration about what a great brother Allie was, and how he was nice to everyone. He talks about how wonderful Allie was in every aspect of life, and then Holden confesses that he is really the only dumb one in the family. Holden feels guilty that he hasn’t lived up to the family standard.
Chapters 6-10
Chapter 6:
After Stradlater returns from his date with Jane, he asks Holden if he’s written his composition for him. Stradlater reads the paper and quickly shoots it down, saying that a description of a baseball glove isn’t what the teacher wants. Holden also asks if he had given Jane "the time" (meaning did she lose her virginity to him), Stradlater shrugs it off by saying that it’s a "professional secret." Holden admits that he doesn’t remember the following events too well. He just says that he knows he tries to punch Stradlater in the mouth but misses and soon finds himself on the floor. Holden’s reaction to his own bloody face. He explains that the sight of so much blood and gore both scared and frightened him. Although he doesn’t understand it himself, deep down he likes the idea of being punished for the sins of Stradlater and Jane. referring to the 'Sadist'
Chapter 7:
Holden’s departure from Pencey Prep. After the fight, Holden decides to take refuge in Ackley’s adjoining room next-door. Of course he does this very late at night, so Ackley is already sleeping or at least trying to sleep. Holden wakes him and asks if he can sleep in the bed of Ackley’s roommate. This annoys Ackley, but he doesn’t make Holden leave. Soon Ackley asks Holden about the fight but Holden lies about it, saying that he was defending Ackley’s reputation. Soon Holden returns to his dorm to pack his bags when he notices brand-new ice skates that his mother has just sent. This reminds him of home and his parents’ expectations for him, most of which he hasn’t lived up to. Holden leaves the dorm with all his belongings. He wakes nearly everyone by screaming, "Sleep tight, ya morons!"
Chapter 8:
In this chapter, Holden gets on a train to New York city, where he plans to spend a few days in a hotel before going home. During the trip he ends up meeting the mother of Ernest, he goes to school with at Pencey Prep. Holden tells her how modest and shy her son is, when in fact he thinks of him as one of the most "conceited bast***s" in the whole school. He also lies to her about how sensitive and caring the boy is. Yet Holden admits to the reader, "That guy Morrow was about as sensitive as a toilet seat." Holden says that he’s going on a trip with his grandmother to South America over the summer. This is ironic, he thinks, since his grandmother is the one person in his family who doesn’t go anywhere.
Chapter 9:
It begins as Holden leaves the train station and decides to go to the phone booth to call someone. His only problem is he doesn’t know who to call. He has plenty of people in mind, but in the end he convinces himself that there are too many excuses not to call; for example, Phoebe, his sister, is already in bed. In the cab, Holden begins to think about where the ducks from the pond in Central Park go during the winter. He asks the cabdriver but doesn’t get a clear answer. Here, like the kings in the back row, a seemingly insignificant detail still bothers Holden immensely. The reader could even infer that the Central Park ducks mean more to Holden than matters of actual importance, like his future. Once in the hotel, Holden curiously peers through his windows and notices various people in other rooms doing very peculiar things. One man is cross-dressing while another couple nearby is spitting water in each others’ faces. This intrigues Holden but also disgusts him. He shrugs it off, saying the hotel was "full of perverts and morons." Soon Holden gets to thinking about his own social life, and admits, "I’m probably the biggest sex maniac you ever saw." To show this to the reader, Holden calls up a good-looking girl he only vaguely knows and asks her out for a date. She rejects him though, and he acknowledges that he really "fouled it up."
Chapter 10:
Here, Holden begins to talk a little more about Phoebe, his beloved sister. It’s obvious that Holden cares for Phoebe the most out of his family. This makes sense since Allie is dead, D.B. is a phony Hollywood prostitute, and his parents are both phonies. Holden describes Phoebe in his classic second-person dialogue, saying, "You never saw a little kid so pretty and smart in your whole life." Yet Holden is afraid to call Phoebe for fear that his parents may answer the phone and know that he is in New York, kicked out of Pencey Prep. Holden decides to go down to the Lavender Room, the hotel nightclub. After being seated, he asks the waiter for a beer, but he questions his age. Acting very annoyed, Holden orders a coca-cola instead. Nearby, he sees three older women sitting by themselves at a table. Holden soon goes over to the table and eventually dances with all three of them, though he seems to despise every minute of his time in their company. All three of the girls, who are tourists from Seattle, are obsessed with movie stars. This especially annoys Holden, since he thinks all movie stars are phonies anyway.
After Stradlater returns from his date with Jane, he asks Holden if he’s written his composition for him. Stradlater reads the paper and quickly shoots it down, saying that a description of a baseball glove isn’t what the teacher wants. Holden also asks if he had given Jane "the time" (meaning did she lose her virginity to him), Stradlater shrugs it off by saying that it’s a "professional secret." Holden admits that he doesn’t remember the following events too well. He just says that he knows he tries to punch Stradlater in the mouth but misses and soon finds himself on the floor. Holden’s reaction to his own bloody face. He explains that the sight of so much blood and gore both scared and frightened him. Although he doesn’t understand it himself, deep down he likes the idea of being punished for the sins of Stradlater and Jane. referring to the 'Sadist'
Chapter 7:
Holden’s departure from Pencey Prep. After the fight, Holden decides to take refuge in Ackley’s adjoining room next-door. Of course he does this very late at night, so Ackley is already sleeping or at least trying to sleep. Holden wakes him and asks if he can sleep in the bed of Ackley’s roommate. This annoys Ackley, but he doesn’t make Holden leave. Soon Ackley asks Holden about the fight but Holden lies about it, saying that he was defending Ackley’s reputation. Soon Holden returns to his dorm to pack his bags when he notices brand-new ice skates that his mother has just sent. This reminds him of home and his parents’ expectations for him, most of which he hasn’t lived up to. Holden leaves the dorm with all his belongings. He wakes nearly everyone by screaming, "Sleep tight, ya morons!"
Chapter 8:
In this chapter, Holden gets on a train to New York city, where he plans to spend a few days in a hotel before going home. During the trip he ends up meeting the mother of Ernest, he goes to school with at Pencey Prep. Holden tells her how modest and shy her son is, when in fact he thinks of him as one of the most "conceited bast***s" in the whole school. He also lies to her about how sensitive and caring the boy is. Yet Holden admits to the reader, "That guy Morrow was about as sensitive as a toilet seat." Holden says that he’s going on a trip with his grandmother to South America over the summer. This is ironic, he thinks, since his grandmother is the one person in his family who doesn’t go anywhere.
Chapter 9:
It begins as Holden leaves the train station and decides to go to the phone booth to call someone. His only problem is he doesn’t know who to call. He has plenty of people in mind, but in the end he convinces himself that there are too many excuses not to call; for example, Phoebe, his sister, is already in bed. In the cab, Holden begins to think about where the ducks from the pond in Central Park go during the winter. He asks the cabdriver but doesn’t get a clear answer. Here, like the kings in the back row, a seemingly insignificant detail still bothers Holden immensely. The reader could even infer that the Central Park ducks mean more to Holden than matters of actual importance, like his future. Once in the hotel, Holden curiously peers through his windows and notices various people in other rooms doing very peculiar things. One man is cross-dressing while another couple nearby is spitting water in each others’ faces. This intrigues Holden but also disgusts him. He shrugs it off, saying the hotel was "full of perverts and morons." Soon Holden gets to thinking about his own social life, and admits, "I’m probably the biggest sex maniac you ever saw." To show this to the reader, Holden calls up a good-looking girl he only vaguely knows and asks her out for a date. She rejects him though, and he acknowledges that he really "fouled it up."
Chapter 10:
Here, Holden begins to talk a little more about Phoebe, his beloved sister. It’s obvious that Holden cares for Phoebe the most out of his family. This makes sense since Allie is dead, D.B. is a phony Hollywood prostitute, and his parents are both phonies. Holden describes Phoebe in his classic second-person dialogue, saying, "You never saw a little kid so pretty and smart in your whole life." Yet Holden is afraid to call Phoebe for fear that his parents may answer the phone and know that he is in New York, kicked out of Pencey Prep. Holden decides to go down to the Lavender Room, the hotel nightclub. After being seated, he asks the waiter for a beer, but he questions his age. Acting very annoyed, Holden orders a coca-cola instead. Nearby, he sees three older women sitting by themselves at a table. Holden soon goes over to the table and eventually dances with all three of them, though he seems to despise every minute of his time in their company. All three of the girls, who are tourists from Seattle, are obsessed with movie stars. This especially annoys Holden, since he thinks all movie stars are phonies anyway.
Chapters 11-15
Chapter 11:
He describes many of the childhood experiences, with Jane, the two of them had together. One such experience is when she and Holden were playing checkers on the back porch of her house when her stepfather started yelling at her. Soon Jane began to cry and Holden found himself putting his arm around her to make her feel better. Soon, Holden says, he found himself kissing her all over the face, except the lips. Yet he doesn’t describe his actions as a conscious decision on his part, but instead simply an involuntary movement of his body, something he can’t really control. Holden’s description of Ernie, the piano player at a nearby nightclub who plays exceptionally well. Yet Holden, instead of offering silent respect and admiration for Ernie, convinces himself that there’s something "phony" about the way he plays. Holden doesn’t really understand it, but deep down believes that a big shot like Ernie must have too much arrogance to be admired.
Chapter 12:
Holden finds himself in a cab again, and again asks the cabdriver where the ducks from the pond in Central Park go in the winter. By this time Salinger has successfully shown the reader how obsessed and neurotic Holden is becoming. After getting yelled at by the cabdriver for asking such a foolish question, Holden becomes even more confused when the driver tells him that the ducks get frozen in place for the winter. After being seated alone in a crowded section of the restaurant, Holden finds himself becoming increasingly depressed since he doesn’t have a date, or anyone else for that matter, to talk to. So he criticizes those around him for applauding at the completion of Ernie’s piano performance. He thinks to himself, "People always clap for the wrong things." Soon Lillian Simmons, an old girlfriend of D.B., sees Holden sitting alone, and with her Navy boyfriend, comes over to his table to greet him. Holden immediately judges her boyfriend, thinking that he’s just pretending to be so manly by shaking hands so strongly.
Chapter 13:
The chapter starts with the confused teen walking back to his hotel in the cold. He decides to put on his red hunting hat to protect himself from the wind. Although he says he doesn’t care how it looks or what someone who saw him might say about him wearing such a ridiculous looking hat, obviously he does care about what other people think of him or he wouldn’t keep talking about it. In earlier chapters it was also obvious that others’ opinions of him were important though he continually denied it.
Soon Holden gets to thinking about why he doesn’t have any gloves and then remembers they were stolen by some "jerk" from Pencey Prep. Holden’s encounter with the prostitute, When taking the elevator up to his room, a man asks him if he wants to hire a prostitute for the night. Holden agrees, and goes up to his room to prepare for her arrival. Soon Holden admits to the reader that he’s still a virgin. He seems kind of ashamed of it, but says that when a girl says no, he always stops. Later, he regrets it, but at the time he always stops. This is consistent with previous behavior patterns of Holden in which concern for others supercedes personal motives. Yet Holden just wants to carry on a conversation with her. When she doesn’t seem to want to talk, Holden realizes that he doesn’t really want to "give her the time" after all. Eventually Holden pays her and tells her to go, saying that he’s still recovering from an operation in the groin area.
Chapter 14:
After Sunny leaves, he seems to become more depressed so he thinks about his deceased brother, Allie, something he often does when he’s depressed, he admits. The next digression in the chapter is a second reference to religion. Holden talks about wanting to kneel down and pray but says he can’t. Then he gets to talking about how he’s an atheist of sorts. He acknowledges that he believes in Jesus and everything but admits that he doesn’t usually agree with other Christians. He recalls an argument he had with a friend where Holden talked about his dislike for the Disciples. He says that it wasn’t Jesus’ fault that the disciples kept letting Him down. The action of the chapter occurs when Sunny and Maurice, return to his hotel from. Maurice, though saying Holden could have Sunny for five dollars, which he paid, now says that it was ten dollars. Holden, though usually conciliatory in situations like this, refuses to pay more, deciding to stand up for the truth for a change. Eventually he calls Maurice a "dirty moron," which leads the man to punch Holden.
Chapter 15
Holden is laying in bed daydreaming about whether or not to call Jane. Eventually, like countless times before, he decides that he isn’t "in the mood." In this way the author again proves that emotion, not logic, dictates Holden’s actions. Holden tells the reader about how wealthy his family is, specifically his father, who works as a "corporate lawyer." Holden almost apologizes for the profession, saying, "those guys really haul it in." He goes on to describe how his father wastes so much of his money on Broadway musicals which always flop. Holden also describes his mother, saying that she hasn’t been too healthy since the death of Allie. Obviously Allie meant a lot to everyone in the family, not just Holden. Holden describes how he moved his suitcases to make it look as though his roommate had the more expensive ones. This is consistent with the previously established theme of Holden as humanitarian. Holden feels really bad about his, saying, "That depressed me. I hate it if I’m eating bacon and eggs or something and somebody else is only eating toast and coffee." This again, shows how Holden apologizes for his money.
He describes many of the childhood experiences, with Jane, the two of them had together. One such experience is when she and Holden were playing checkers on the back porch of her house when her stepfather started yelling at her. Soon Jane began to cry and Holden found himself putting his arm around her to make her feel better. Soon, Holden says, he found himself kissing her all over the face, except the lips. Yet he doesn’t describe his actions as a conscious decision on his part, but instead simply an involuntary movement of his body, something he can’t really control. Holden’s description of Ernie, the piano player at a nearby nightclub who plays exceptionally well. Yet Holden, instead of offering silent respect and admiration for Ernie, convinces himself that there’s something "phony" about the way he plays. Holden doesn’t really understand it, but deep down believes that a big shot like Ernie must have too much arrogance to be admired.
Chapter 12:
Holden finds himself in a cab again, and again asks the cabdriver where the ducks from the pond in Central Park go in the winter. By this time Salinger has successfully shown the reader how obsessed and neurotic Holden is becoming. After getting yelled at by the cabdriver for asking such a foolish question, Holden becomes even more confused when the driver tells him that the ducks get frozen in place for the winter. After being seated alone in a crowded section of the restaurant, Holden finds himself becoming increasingly depressed since he doesn’t have a date, or anyone else for that matter, to talk to. So he criticizes those around him for applauding at the completion of Ernie’s piano performance. He thinks to himself, "People always clap for the wrong things." Soon Lillian Simmons, an old girlfriend of D.B., sees Holden sitting alone, and with her Navy boyfriend, comes over to his table to greet him. Holden immediately judges her boyfriend, thinking that he’s just pretending to be so manly by shaking hands so strongly.
Chapter 13:
The chapter starts with the confused teen walking back to his hotel in the cold. He decides to put on his red hunting hat to protect himself from the wind. Although he says he doesn’t care how it looks or what someone who saw him might say about him wearing such a ridiculous looking hat, obviously he does care about what other people think of him or he wouldn’t keep talking about it. In earlier chapters it was also obvious that others’ opinions of him were important though he continually denied it.
Soon Holden gets to thinking about why he doesn’t have any gloves and then remembers they were stolen by some "jerk" from Pencey Prep. Holden’s encounter with the prostitute, When taking the elevator up to his room, a man asks him if he wants to hire a prostitute for the night. Holden agrees, and goes up to his room to prepare for her arrival. Soon Holden admits to the reader that he’s still a virgin. He seems kind of ashamed of it, but says that when a girl says no, he always stops. Later, he regrets it, but at the time he always stops. This is consistent with previous behavior patterns of Holden in which concern for others supercedes personal motives. Yet Holden just wants to carry on a conversation with her. When she doesn’t seem to want to talk, Holden realizes that he doesn’t really want to "give her the time" after all. Eventually Holden pays her and tells her to go, saying that he’s still recovering from an operation in the groin area.
Chapter 14:
After Sunny leaves, he seems to become more depressed so he thinks about his deceased brother, Allie, something he often does when he’s depressed, he admits. The next digression in the chapter is a second reference to religion. Holden talks about wanting to kneel down and pray but says he can’t. Then he gets to talking about how he’s an atheist of sorts. He acknowledges that he believes in Jesus and everything but admits that he doesn’t usually agree with other Christians. He recalls an argument he had with a friend where Holden talked about his dislike for the Disciples. He says that it wasn’t Jesus’ fault that the disciples kept letting Him down. The action of the chapter occurs when Sunny and Maurice, return to his hotel from. Maurice, though saying Holden could have Sunny for five dollars, which he paid, now says that it was ten dollars. Holden, though usually conciliatory in situations like this, refuses to pay more, deciding to stand up for the truth for a change. Eventually he calls Maurice a "dirty moron," which leads the man to punch Holden.
Chapter 15
Holden is laying in bed daydreaming about whether or not to call Jane. Eventually, like countless times before, he decides that he isn’t "in the mood." In this way the author again proves that emotion, not logic, dictates Holden’s actions. Holden tells the reader about how wealthy his family is, specifically his father, who works as a "corporate lawyer." Holden almost apologizes for the profession, saying, "those guys really haul it in." He goes on to describe how his father wastes so much of his money on Broadway musicals which always flop. Holden also describes his mother, saying that she hasn’t been too healthy since the death of Allie. Obviously Allie meant a lot to everyone in the family, not just Holden. Holden describes how he moved his suitcases to make it look as though his roommate had the more expensive ones. This is consistent with the previously established theme of Holden as humanitarian. Holden feels really bad about his, saying, "That depressed me. I hate it if I’m eating bacon and eggs or something and somebody else is only eating toast and coffee." This again, shows how Holden apologizes for his money.
Chapters 16-20
Chapter 16:
It seems Holden always needs to be engaged in some kind of action in order to think deeply. Holden admits that he can’t stop thinking about the nuns he met. Soon he decides to buy a record for Phoebe called "Little Shirley Beans."
On the walk, Holden passes a small child walking near him and whistling the tune for which the novel is named: "if a body catch a body coming through the rye." At this point in the story Holden isn’t sure of its significance, but subconsciously he likes the song. He admits, "It made me feel better." Finally, Holden decides to get the play tickets for his date with Sally Hayes, "Soon he gets into his feelings about actors. He says that he hates most of them because they don’t act like real people. Then he says that he even hates the best actors because their egos get in the way of their performances. It seems no one can please Holden.
Chapter 17:
This chapter beings with Holden sitting in the lobby, waiting for Sally Hayes to join him for their date. Holden then proceeds to describe all the kinds of dopey guys— guys who get mad over for the dumbest reasons, guys who never read to their kids, guys who are boring. Once he mentions "boring," he digresses into an instance where a seemingly boring guy he knew actually was kind of cool because he had such a knack for whistling. This strikes the reader as odd, but by this time it’s obvious that Holden is not ‘all there.’ Finally Sally arrives for the date ten minutes late— but Holden doesn’t press the issue. In the cab to the show, Holden tells her he loves her, and he says he really meant it at the time, though not anymore. After the show, the couple goes ice-skating at Radio City. Inside the lounge there, Holden shares his hatred for school with Sally. He does into great detail about how he can’t stand any of the phonies or the cliques there, and soon Sally is overwhelmed.
Chapter 18:
Soon he digresses about how unpredictable girls are in general. He cites specific examples from his personal history in which girls thought that the most snobby guys had inferiority complexes and vice-versa. Perhaps all these girls really are hard to understand or perhaps Holden is the one who can’t accurately decipher between a conceited or a humble guy. This is left up to the reader. As usual, Holden has trouble enjoying the show because he can’t comprehend the idea behind acting. He admits, "It seemed so stupid." Soon Holden is even criticizing the people sitting next to him. He tells about one lady who cried throughout the whole picture. He points out, "The phonier it got, the more she cried." Holden thinks very poorly of this lady when she won’t even take her child to go to the bathroom because she’s so enamored by the show. The rest of the chapter is more reminiscing about how D.B. was in the war. Holden says that he could never be in the army because he couldn’t stand to look at the back of a guy’s neck. This makes complete sense, since Holden would rather be looking around at the action, hoping to absorb everything around him.
Chapter 19:
He characterizes the bar as "full of phonies,"-- not an unusual Holden remark. Holden states simply to the reader, "If you sat around there long enough and heard all the phonies applauding and all, you got to hate everybody in the world." Again, Holden can’t stand the arrogance of the performers nor the admiration of the crowd. First, Holden’s conversation with Luce (a former schoolmate and older graduate student) proves two things. First, it proves that Holden desperately wants to impress Luce with his maturity. He talks about standing up to meet him to show how tall he has grown. Second, it proves that Holden is still unable to find self-confidence due to his lack of maturity. Luce tells this to Holden when explaining why the boy has such a "lousy sex life."
Chapter 20:
It seems that the boy is becoming increasingly desperate and full of despair and self-contempt. Eventually Holden decides to call Sally, despite it being the middle of the night. He tells her in his drunken gibberish that he is planning on lighting the Christmas Tree with her on Christmas Eve. It seems Holden has hit a new low. He admits, "...I was feeling so damn depressed and lonesome." Walking aimlessly into the street, Holden drops Phoebe’s record and it breaks into pieces. It seems this record is a metaphor for Holden’s life in general now. Soon Holden starts to daydream about the cemetery in which Allie is buried. He dislikes it, saying that Allie is surrounded by a "bunch of dead guys." To Holden, at least, Allie is very much alive; perhaps this explains his confusion.
It seems Holden always needs to be engaged in some kind of action in order to think deeply. Holden admits that he can’t stop thinking about the nuns he met. Soon he decides to buy a record for Phoebe called "Little Shirley Beans."
On the walk, Holden passes a small child walking near him and whistling the tune for which the novel is named: "if a body catch a body coming through the rye." At this point in the story Holden isn’t sure of its significance, but subconsciously he likes the song. He admits, "It made me feel better." Finally, Holden decides to get the play tickets for his date with Sally Hayes, "Soon he gets into his feelings about actors. He says that he hates most of them because they don’t act like real people. Then he says that he even hates the best actors because their egos get in the way of their performances. It seems no one can please Holden.
Chapter 17:
This chapter beings with Holden sitting in the lobby, waiting for Sally Hayes to join him for their date. Holden then proceeds to describe all the kinds of dopey guys— guys who get mad over for the dumbest reasons, guys who never read to their kids, guys who are boring. Once he mentions "boring," he digresses into an instance where a seemingly boring guy he knew actually was kind of cool because he had such a knack for whistling. This strikes the reader as odd, but by this time it’s obvious that Holden is not ‘all there.’ Finally Sally arrives for the date ten minutes late— but Holden doesn’t press the issue. In the cab to the show, Holden tells her he loves her, and he says he really meant it at the time, though not anymore. After the show, the couple goes ice-skating at Radio City. Inside the lounge there, Holden shares his hatred for school with Sally. He does into great detail about how he can’t stand any of the phonies or the cliques there, and soon Sally is overwhelmed.
Chapter 18:
Soon he digresses about how unpredictable girls are in general. He cites specific examples from his personal history in which girls thought that the most snobby guys had inferiority complexes and vice-versa. Perhaps all these girls really are hard to understand or perhaps Holden is the one who can’t accurately decipher between a conceited or a humble guy. This is left up to the reader. As usual, Holden has trouble enjoying the show because he can’t comprehend the idea behind acting. He admits, "It seemed so stupid." Soon Holden is even criticizing the people sitting next to him. He tells about one lady who cried throughout the whole picture. He points out, "The phonier it got, the more she cried." Holden thinks very poorly of this lady when she won’t even take her child to go to the bathroom because she’s so enamored by the show. The rest of the chapter is more reminiscing about how D.B. was in the war. Holden says that he could never be in the army because he couldn’t stand to look at the back of a guy’s neck. This makes complete sense, since Holden would rather be looking around at the action, hoping to absorb everything around him.
Chapter 19:
He characterizes the bar as "full of phonies,"-- not an unusual Holden remark. Holden states simply to the reader, "If you sat around there long enough and heard all the phonies applauding and all, you got to hate everybody in the world." Again, Holden can’t stand the arrogance of the performers nor the admiration of the crowd. First, Holden’s conversation with Luce (a former schoolmate and older graduate student) proves two things. First, it proves that Holden desperately wants to impress Luce with his maturity. He talks about standing up to meet him to show how tall he has grown. Second, it proves that Holden is still unable to find self-confidence due to his lack of maturity. Luce tells this to Holden when explaining why the boy has such a "lousy sex life."
Chapter 20:
It seems that the boy is becoming increasingly desperate and full of despair and self-contempt. Eventually Holden decides to call Sally, despite it being the middle of the night. He tells her in his drunken gibberish that he is planning on lighting the Christmas Tree with her on Christmas Eve. It seems Holden has hit a new low. He admits, "...I was feeling so damn depressed and lonesome." Walking aimlessly into the street, Holden drops Phoebe’s record and it breaks into pieces. It seems this record is a metaphor for Holden’s life in general now. Soon Holden starts to daydream about the cemetery in which Allie is buried. He dislikes it, saying that Allie is surrounded by a "bunch of dead guys." To Holden, at least, Allie is very much alive; perhaps this explains his confusion.
Chapters 20-26
Chapter 21:
In this chapter Holden sneaks into his own house in order to say hello to Phoebe. It’s obvious that Phoebe is the only person in Holden’s life now worth mentioning. Holden sneaks into her room in the middle of the night, apparently no longer drunk. When Phoebe awakes she hugs Holden, not expecting him to be home so soon. She tells him that their parents will be out late— this is fortunate for Holden, the refugee in his own home.
Chapter 22:
Holden returns to the room where Phoebe is sleeping to continue their conversation. Phoebe, still very upset at Holden, asks him why he flunked out again. Holden is unsure how to respond, so as usual, he blames his academic problems on the phony teachers he has to put up with. He even criticizes Mr. Spencer, his one time role-model and mentor, for changing his personality to impress the headmaster. He describes the annual veteran’s day at Pencey Prep. where alumni return. Holden explains it as an opportunity for old "jerks" to carve their initials on the stall doors to the bathroom. Martyrs always seem to be admired by Holden throughout the book. Finally Holden says that he likes Allie. Phoebe jumps on this, saying that one can’t like someone who’s dead. This deeply troubles Holden.
Finally when asked what he wants to be, Holden says that he wants to be a catcher in the rye. He describes an elaborate fantasy where he is standing on the edge of a cliff in a rye field and his sole job is to keep the kids who are playing from falling over the cliff. The whole meaning of Holden’s life is revealed in this paragraph.
Chapter 23:
After Holden and Phoebe dance to music from her room, Holden decides to spend the night at Mr. Antolini’s and his wife’s house. Mr. Antolini is described by Holden as, "about the best teacher I ever had." Mr. Antolini, he says, was the only one willing to touch James Castle after he jumped from the window. It seems Mr. Antolini is genuinely a nice guy.
Suddenly Holden’s parents return to the home and he is forced to hide in a closet. After his mother says goodnight to Phoebe, who maintains that nothing unusual is going on, Holden quietly leaves his house and heads for the Antolini’s. Before he goes, he borrows Phoebe’s "Christmas dough." Holden feels bad about doing this but Phoebe insists.
Chapter 24:
Holden enters the house of Mr. Antolini, who seems amazingly friendly and not at all bothered that Holden just shows up in the middle of the night. They have polite conversation for awhile. Soon Mr. Antolini, his former English teacher, asks Holden if he flunked English at Pencey Perp. Holden truthfully answers no, saying that the compositions came easy for him. Eventually Holden gets into a long narration about how he hated Oral Communication class because . Holden becomes increasingly tired as the conversation progresses. He doesn’t seem to be soaking much in. Finally, Mr. Antolini tells him to pursue his education in efforts to find what he is looking for in life. He also tells him not to be the martyr-image he so idolizes. Yet this seems to confuse rather than comfort the tired teenager, so Holden sets up a bed on the couch and goes to sleep quickly. Suddenly a few hours later, Holden awakens to find Mr. Antolini kneeling next to him, stroking his hair. Holden is terribly frightened by this, thinking that his favorite teacher is really a pervert. Holden quickly makes up an excuse to leave and then exits the house, more confused than ever.
Chapter 25:
Holden leaves Mr. Antolini’s house dazed and confused, yet still unwilling to judge him without knowing all the facts. Holden is unsure where to go. On impulse it seems, Holden decides to go out west to find a new start and wants to meet Phoebe for the last time to say goodbye. The rest of the chapter involves Holden going to Phoebe’s school to deliver the message to meet him in the museum. Later, Holden and Phoebe meet and have an argument about him going out west. Eventually Holden gives in and decides not to go. Instead he goes to the zoo with Phoebe and the scene ends with her riding on the carousel alone while Holden watches her, again acting as a catcher in the rye.
Chapter 26:
Is a commentary note to the reader by Holden, who provides an update of his current plans. As usual, he isn’t really sure what those plans are, not knowing whether or not he’ll apply himself in school next fall. The book ends with Holden saying that he misses everyone, even Maurice, the seemingly ruthless arch enemy of Holden. This just proves for the last time that Holden has become a true catcher in the rye— someone who wants to protect everyone, no matter whether he is good or evil.
In this chapter Holden sneaks into his own house in order to say hello to Phoebe. It’s obvious that Phoebe is the only person in Holden’s life now worth mentioning. Holden sneaks into her room in the middle of the night, apparently no longer drunk. When Phoebe awakes she hugs Holden, not expecting him to be home so soon. She tells him that their parents will be out late— this is fortunate for Holden, the refugee in his own home.
Chapter 22:
Holden returns to the room where Phoebe is sleeping to continue their conversation. Phoebe, still very upset at Holden, asks him why he flunked out again. Holden is unsure how to respond, so as usual, he blames his academic problems on the phony teachers he has to put up with. He even criticizes Mr. Spencer, his one time role-model and mentor, for changing his personality to impress the headmaster. He describes the annual veteran’s day at Pencey Prep. where alumni return. Holden explains it as an opportunity for old "jerks" to carve their initials on the stall doors to the bathroom. Martyrs always seem to be admired by Holden throughout the book. Finally Holden says that he likes Allie. Phoebe jumps on this, saying that one can’t like someone who’s dead. This deeply troubles Holden.
Finally when asked what he wants to be, Holden says that he wants to be a catcher in the rye. He describes an elaborate fantasy where he is standing on the edge of a cliff in a rye field and his sole job is to keep the kids who are playing from falling over the cliff. The whole meaning of Holden’s life is revealed in this paragraph.
Chapter 23:
After Holden and Phoebe dance to music from her room, Holden decides to spend the night at Mr. Antolini’s and his wife’s house. Mr. Antolini is described by Holden as, "about the best teacher I ever had." Mr. Antolini, he says, was the only one willing to touch James Castle after he jumped from the window. It seems Mr. Antolini is genuinely a nice guy.
Suddenly Holden’s parents return to the home and he is forced to hide in a closet. After his mother says goodnight to Phoebe, who maintains that nothing unusual is going on, Holden quietly leaves his house and heads for the Antolini’s. Before he goes, he borrows Phoebe’s "Christmas dough." Holden feels bad about doing this but Phoebe insists.
Chapter 24:
Holden enters the house of Mr. Antolini, who seems amazingly friendly and not at all bothered that Holden just shows up in the middle of the night. They have polite conversation for awhile. Soon Mr. Antolini, his former English teacher, asks Holden if he flunked English at Pencey Perp. Holden truthfully answers no, saying that the compositions came easy for him. Eventually Holden gets into a long narration about how he hated Oral Communication class because . Holden becomes increasingly tired as the conversation progresses. He doesn’t seem to be soaking much in. Finally, Mr. Antolini tells him to pursue his education in efforts to find what he is looking for in life. He also tells him not to be the martyr-image he so idolizes. Yet this seems to confuse rather than comfort the tired teenager, so Holden sets up a bed on the couch and goes to sleep quickly. Suddenly a few hours later, Holden awakens to find Mr. Antolini kneeling next to him, stroking his hair. Holden is terribly frightened by this, thinking that his favorite teacher is really a pervert. Holden quickly makes up an excuse to leave and then exits the house, more confused than ever.
Chapter 25:
Holden leaves Mr. Antolini’s house dazed and confused, yet still unwilling to judge him without knowing all the facts. Holden is unsure where to go. On impulse it seems, Holden decides to go out west to find a new start and wants to meet Phoebe for the last time to say goodbye. The rest of the chapter involves Holden going to Phoebe’s school to deliver the message to meet him in the museum. Later, Holden and Phoebe meet and have an argument about him going out west. Eventually Holden gives in and decides not to go. Instead he goes to the zoo with Phoebe and the scene ends with her riding on the carousel alone while Holden watches her, again acting as a catcher in the rye.
Chapter 26:
Is a commentary note to the reader by Holden, who provides an update of his current plans. As usual, he isn’t really sure what those plans are, not knowing whether or not he’ll apply himself in school next fall. The book ends with Holden saying that he misses everyone, even Maurice, the seemingly ruthless arch enemy of Holden. This just proves for the last time that Holden has become a true catcher in the rye— someone who wants to protect everyone, no matter whether he is good or evil.