Catcher in the Rye: Chapters 1-14 Questions

Holden often generalizes about people. Cite two examples.

"All morons hate it when you call them a moron. " " You [morons] never want to discuss anything. "

"To give a girl the time" is an example of euphemism. What does its use indicate about Holden's attitudes toward sex? Toward Jane?

"To give a girl the time," means to have sex. Holden's attitude towards sex is that it is a secretive and two-sided affair. People shouldn't just go around having sex, in his opinion.

Of what significance is it that Holden does not want to throw a snowball at a car while he is waiting for Ackley?

He does not want to disturb the peacefulness and innocence.

Holden makes frequent references to his emotional state in this chapter. Find at least five examples of what he feels.

He starts to miss Stradlater, he the ice skates, and gets sad, got mad at Stradlater for talking about Jane in a bad way, he is going to miss his history teacher, qnde has nobody to call or talk to when he gets to New York

What does Holden have against bald men?

He thinks bald men are phonies because they try to comb their 'hair' over and pretend that they do have hair.

What emotional response does Holden want to get from Mrs. Morrow by calling himself Rudolf Schmidt? By telling her he has a brain tumor? By praising her son Ernest?

He thought she was going to think that Rudolf was a weird name Mrs. Morrow had no feelings towards it. She also felt bad for him because he 'had' a brain tumor. Holden finds all this funny because none of it is true.

What effect did Allie's death have on Holden, and what is the quality of the composition Holden writes for Stradlater?

He was destroyed, he was extremely upset, and he broke the windows in his garage and broke his hand as well. He was sent to the hospital to get psychoanalyzed because his parents thought there was something wrong with him.

What might she symbolize to him?

His old life when he was ok, maybe an old school crush

Why does Holden allow Maurice to send the prostitute to his room? How does Holden excuse his agreeing to meet a prostitute?

Holden allows Maurice to send the prostitute to his room because he is feeling lonely, and he just wants someone to talk to. His excuse was that he needed intimacy.

Find two examples of ironies Holden is aware of in this chapter.

Holden asks a simple question about ducks and the cab driver seems completely annoyed, but then turns around and tells Holden that mother nature takes care of her own

What does Holden's pseudonym indicate about his insecurities?

Holden did not really want to have sex with Sunny and he felt too uncomfortable, so he never told her his real name

What are Holden's feelings toward money?

Holden does not really care about money because he has so much of it, so he tries to spend it.

What is Holden's attitude toward Ackley?

Holden doesn't like Ackley very much. He consistently gives Ackley hints to leave him alone and go away, but he just doesn't. Holden doesn't think he is a huge phony, but everyone is a phony in his eyes.

Why does Holden regret having lied to Marty about seeing Gary Cooper?

Holden doesn't think you should mess with people, no matter what, so he regrets lying.

Holden discusses his actual age and the age of his maturity. What is ironic about his appearance in regard to his feelings about adults

Holden is 17 when he was writing this, but in the book, he is 16. Holden reveals that he may be 16, but he has gray hair, and he acts like a 12-year-old. This is ironic because Holden doesn't particularly like adults, but he looks like one.

Is Holden religious? Supply proof for your answer.

Holden is an atheist, and he says that people who base their lives on their religion are phonies.

Explain Holden's confusion about his own assertiveness.

Holden is confused about his assertiveness because he is usually a 'yellow' person, also known as a coward.

Explain what happens between Holden and the prostitute. What does this scene tell us about Holden?

Holden is not the type of person to just have sex for fun, he wants to have sex with someone who matters to him, so Holden told her to leave, and he paid her. He tells Sunny to go home and this shows that he is not ready to open himself up to anyone even if it is just for sex.

Why is Holden thinking of joining a monastery?

Holden is thinking of joining a monastery because he could escape his world own world and focus on something else.

How has Holden's brother D.B. lost his respect recently?

Holden lost respect for his brother because he moved out to Hollywood to write movies. Holden hates movies.

What does Holden mean when he says D.B. is in Hollywood "being a prostitute?"

Holden means that D.B. changed his writing styles so he could sell more books

What is Holden's attitude toward religion?

Holden never went to church as a child and he considers himself an atheist. He doesn't like preachers because they sound like phonies, so why would he go to church if he doesn't like the phonies.

What is the purpose or function of the red hunting hat? (What does Holden say it is?)

Holden purchased the red hunting hat on the subway in NYC after he realized that he lost the equipment. I think the fact that Holden only wears it when he's alone shows us that he is only comfortable being his true self around himself.

What does Holden reach for after his fight with Stradlater? What might this object symbolize?

Holden reaches for his red hunting hat. I think the hat might symbolize his 'alter-ego.' The one that is strong and fights back and is not an outsider.

Explain Holden's relationship with Jane. In his description of Jane, what characteristics does Holden point out about Jane that is also true of Phoebe?

Holden says he held Jane's hand, and that they played tennis, golf, and checkers together. They have a very close relationship and Holden does not think she is a phony like all the other girls. Holden sees both Jane and Phoebe in an idealistic and pure way. Both Jane and Phoebe are smart and kind , lovers of reading books and poetry , great hand-holders, etc.

What reaction does Holden have to Mrs. Spencer opening the door?

Holden sees that a maid doesn't open up the door. This seems to be abnormal to him, because a maid must open his door, so he is surprised. This reveals that Holden must be accustomed to a maid opening the door.

What does the fight between Holden and Stradlater tell us about Holden? About Stradlater?

Holden shows his occasional inability to control himself, and he wanted to "protect" Jane from Stradlater. Stradlater is strong and somewhat composed while trying to calm Holden down.

Why does Holden say he is "just going through a phase?" Do you believe this? Why or why not?

Holden tells Mr. Spencer that he is just going through a phase, so he doesn't get lectured. If Holden were to disagree with Mr. Spencer on this topic, he would get a talking to. I don't personally believe that Holden believes this because that's not who Holdens character is

What is humorous about this chapter?

Holden tells Mrs. Morrow a whole bunch of lies and she believes every word of it.

What do girls need to do (or be) to appeal to Holden?

Holden thinks that girls who can dance are the best, and he also likes blond-haired people.

When Holden sees the couple at the Edmont Hotel squirting water at each other, what does he think?

Holden thinks that these people are absolutely disgusting, and he becomes self-aware of how he acts, and he puts himself above these 'disgusting' people.

Why does Holden want to give Faith Cavendish a phony name over the phone?

Holden wanted to give Faith a fake name because everything else he was saying was fake, so why use his real name?

What is the impression Holden wants to make on the three girls in the cocktail lounge by saying he is Jim Steele? What do Rudolph Schmidt and Jim Steele have in common?

Holden wants to impress the girls in the cocktail lounge. Rudolph and Jim are both fake names that Holden has used so far.

Why is Holden nervous at the end of this chapter?

Holden was nervous because he was thinking about all the times that he had been on double dates with Stradlater and it seems as though he practically raped a girl and Holden was nervous because he didn't want that to happen to Jane.

What does Holden's encounter with Mr. Spencer reveal about his opinion in regard to adults? Give at least three points.

Holden's encounters with Mr. Spencer shows us that he really cares for Mr. Spencer and he believed Mr. Spencer isn't a phony. We can tell the Holden and Mr. Spencer truly do care about each other but in an odd way. Holden doesn't want to hear Mr. Spencer go off on a tangent about life? Holden does not believe that Mr. Spencer is a phony, so he tolerates him.

What is Holden's self-image in Chapter One? Find two supporting quotations.

Holden's self-image is rebellious. He thinks he's a rebel and he wants everyone else to know as well. He proves this when he gets kicked out of a prestigious school, "They kicked me out... I was flunking four subjects and not applying myself at all." He also was a smoker and he got in trouble for it, "I have no wind, if you want to know the truth. I'm quite a heavy smoker, for one thing-that is, I used to be." Holden is a flat-out rebel, and at this point we don't know what he is rebelling about, but it is probably against his parents.

Explain Holden's reaction to packing the ice skates.

Holdens mother bought him the ice skates and Holden is upset because he knows he is going to make his mother feel disappointed when she finds out he was expelled from school.

While talking to Mr. Spencer, Holden daydreams about the ducks in Central Park. What do you think the significance of this is?

I think the significance of Holden's daydreams about the ducks at the lagoon in Central Park shows us that he himself is really a child at heart. He gets distracted by ducks and not intellectual thoughts, out of everything, he gets distracted by ducks.

Why do people have to say stuff like "glad to've met you" in order to stay alive? What does Holden mean?

If you do not say the stereotypical things such as, "nice to meet you," you will be seen as rude and immature. In the society Holden lives in, he is just trying to stay afloat and not drown, and saying those things to adults helps keep him out of trouble and be just like any other normal kid.

What does the opening line of chapter three suggest about Holden both as a person and as our narrator?

In the first paragraph of chapter three Holden tells us how good of a liar he is. That tells us how much of an unreliable narrator he and how much of a phony he is. He thinks that people who lie are phonies, so he is a phony himself.

On page 103, Holden says, "I thought I was dying." In Chapter 1 Holden says, "...I felt like I was sort of disappearing." Find two statements he makes in this chapter to indicate his mental state.

Page 98, "I felt so depressed, you can't imagine. What I did, I started talking, sort of loud, to Allie. I do that sometimes when I get very depressed." Page 103, "All of a sudden I started to cry. I'd given anything if I hadn't, but I did."

How does Holden feel about Pencey Prep? (think about their slogan and the people)

Pencey Prep is a school for boys and Holden dislikes it because he feels that the people are fake and the whole place is phony. This shows that Holdens character is very vulnerable and sensitive. He may be good at goodbyes, but that doesn't mean he likes saying goodbyes.

What characteristics make Phoebe so important to Holden?

Phoebe is one of the only people left that Holden likes. She is very smart, understanding, and most importantly, she is not a phony.

What sorts of things does Holden remember about Jane?

She danced even when it was super-hot out and they played checkers together

How had Holden known Jane Gallagher?

She was his neighbor last summer

Why does Holden call Stradlater a "secret slob?"

Stradlater is a secret slob because he appears well-groomed, but his toiletries are disgusting and overused. For everyone else who sees him out in public thinks he has good hygiene but for Holden, he actually knows the behind the scenes of his appearance.

How is Stradlater characterized?

Stradlater is handsome, self-satisfied, and popular, in that case, Holden doesn't like him at all because he is a BIG phony. Stradlater is a stereotypical popular kid.

What comment shows Holden's sensitivity to language?

Sunny is sensitive to swear words and Holden has never seen that before, so he holds back with his swear words.

What is significant about Jane's keeping "all her kings in the back row"?

This means that Jane is not aggressive, but she is cautious, and she keeps the things that are important to her close

Again, what does the duck question (asked of Horowitz, the cab driver) show about Holden's character?

This shows that Holden is an awkward character and once he gets stuck on a subject or idea, he cannot and will not change his mind or stop inquiring about it.

What do we learn in this chapter about Holden's precarious emotional state?

We learn that he is mentally unstable due to his brother's death, it hit him hard, he had a close relationship with his brother.

What do we learn about Holden's relationship with his parents in this chapter?

We learn that his parents provided him with a lousy childhood because they were too occupied. He also calls them touchy, and they didn't like when he told them personal stuff

Holden is very aware of the way he acts and of his own identity. Cite two examples of explanations he gives for his behavior.

When Holden starts to lie, he cannot stop, and he tries to impress everyone. He also gave the cab driver his home address instead of the hotel address. When he sees all the weird people at the hotel, he says he is normal but that is not saying much. He is also aware that when he is lying, he is putting himself in a hole. He takes off his red hunting hat when he checks in, so he does not look weird.

What does Holden mean when he uses the word "phony"? Define it as he might. Find two examples of "phonies" in this chapter.

When Holden uses the word, "phony," he means that people aren't real and genuine. He would say that his brother D.B. is a phony because he changed to appease the world around him, and he would say that his parents are phonies.

Holden is very quick to recognize irony. Find one example.

When Stradlater asked Holden to write his descriptive paper assignment, Holden found it ironic because he was the one flunking out of the school, yet Stradlater wanted him to do his homework.

"People always clap for the wrong things," according to Holden. Cite three examples.

When the people clapped for Ernie, but they could barely see him, just his face and the people did not know real talent