Spring final: The catcher and the Rye

List all the people Holden thinks of calling when he arrives at Penn Station. Why does he not call any of them?

1) D.B. was in Holly wood so probably busy 2) Kid sister Phoebe but his parents would probably pick up the phone first. 3) Jane Galleger to find out when Janes vaccation started but he thought it was to late. 4) Sally Hayes didn't want her mom to answer the phone and then tell Holdens mom. 5) Carl Luce a guy from Whooton but he doesn't like him much

What are some of the lies Holden tells Mrs. Morrow? Is he sorry for the lies?

1) His name is Rudolf Schmitt 2) His nose was bleeding from being hit by a snowball. 3) That Ernie would not allow people to elect him as class president. 4) That he is going home early for an operation on a tiny tumor. 5) Going to South America with his Grandmas in the summer. I don't think he really feels sorry for the lies because he enjoys making them up and once he starts he can not stop.

During his date with Sally, what are some of the signs that Holden's impending breakdown? Trace the path of his thoughts and emotions from when he first sees her to the end of chapter 17.

1) While they were in the can Holden told Sally he lived her. 2) When they are smoking outside and sally recognizes someone Holden gets jealous and says Sally should go kiss him. 3) By the time Sally and Holden got into the car Holden almost hated her. 4) After they are done skating Holden purposes that they run away together and get married then. 5) When sally says no Holden gets angry and then yells at sally ending up calling her a pain in the ass and she starts to cry and makes Holden leave.

What does Ackley do that annoys Holden?

Ackley comes into Holden's room and moves things around but does not put them back in their original spot.

Who is Ackley? Describe him. What kind of relationship does he have with Holden?

Ackley is a senior who goes to Pency and has been there for four years. he was described as very tall, rounded shoulders, with bad hygiene especially for his teeth. Ackley always barges into Holden's room to talk to Holden. Holden is nice to him but doesn't necessarily like him.

Who is Allie? Why is his baseball mitt so special to Holden?

Allie is Holdens younger brother who died from Lukemia wen Holden was 13. His brothers was a red head who was very intelligent and kind. His brother played baseball and on the inside of his mitt he wrote poems in green ink so he could read them when he was bored.

Why did it depress Holden when the old guy told him that his days at pency prep were the happiest days of his life

Because Holden didn't have a good time at pency prep and also thinks the old guy is being a phony.

Why did Holden fill his speech class?

Because he didn't like how people would just stick to the point but he doesn't like people who stick to the point too much

Who is D.B.? What does he do for a living? What does Holden mean when he says D.B. is out in Hollywood "being a prostitute"?

D.B. is Holden's older brother who is working in California as a movie writer. When Holden calls his brother a prostitute he means that D.B. is giving his writing ti the movies which Holden hates.

What a strange feeling does Holden start having when he stepped off the curb?

Every time he got to the curb he wasn't sure if he will make it to the other side.

Who is Faith Cavendish? What is the outcome of Holden's conversation with her?

Faith is a girl that he got the address of from a guy at a party last summer. She lives in a dump on stanford arms hotel 65th street. When Holden calls her she was angry over the phone but then calmed down. The end result was they planed on going out for drinks on Sunday but Holden blew it and said he needed to see her that night but she was not available then.

Why does Holden call Carl Luce? Why is this ironic?

He calls him because he was lonely and wanted to have an intellectual conversation. It is ironic because Holden does not really like Carl and its also ironic because they end up not having an intellectual conversation at all.

With all the bad language holding uses, why was he so upset that the cursewords were written on the walls?

He didn't want other innocent children reading it like Phoebe and wondering what it meant

At the conclusion of the novel where is Holden?

He is at a mental hospital telling us that all he's going to say now

Holden finally had to calm moment when he sees Phoebe sleeping on the bed. Why?

He is finally home in a familiar place with the smell of his house and he finally gets to see phoebe who he had been missing

How did Holden feel physically while he was talking to Mr. Antolini

He is having a hangover getting bad headaches and dizzy he also really needs to sleep

Where is Holden when the story begins?

He is in the mental hospital telling us about his life.

What kind of health is Holden in at this point?

He is not in good health because he is smoking a lot but he tells us "I'm pretty healthy though."

What does the end tell you about Holden's present state of mind

He is starting to get better and is missing people that before he didn't miss at all

Why does Holden lie to Spencer?

He lies saying that he has to go to the gym and pick up his equipment. The reason he lies is because Spencer was giving him a talk about how he needs to start caring about life and Holden needed an excuse for leaving.

Why is it so important to hold on that Phoebe not be mad at him? Relate this test past and allie

He loves Phoebe so much and would never want her to be angry especially if something happened to either of them. When he told Allie he couldn't come with biking and shoot BB guns that when later he died and he felt guilty

What does Holden mean when he states," the thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them."

He means the kids need to learn lessons themselves from experience

Why does Holden say about hating people so much such a stradlater and ackley

He said that he doesn't hate too many guys but that he hates them once in a while but it doesn't last long.

Why does Holden not mind that sally is late?

He said that if your date is late to show up but looks good then you shouldn't complain.

What does Holden mean when he says," I'm quite illiterate, but I read a lot"? Give some examples of what he reads.

He says illiterate but he should probably just be saying that he is not that intelligent or doesn't try hard . His favorite author is his brother D.B., some of the books he reads are called "Out of Africa" by Isak Dinesene, "The return of the Natives," and "Human bondage" by Somerset Maugham.

What is his final goodbye to Pency?

He says, "sleep tight, ya morons!"

What does Holden admit to Carl luce at the end of chapter 19?

He tells Carl that he is lonely

What is Holden's opinion of people who stay at the Edmont Hotel? Provide evidence to support your veiw.

He thinks all the people there are perverts and morons. The bellboy was a 65 year old man with a small amount of hair that was depressing. There was another man who had grey hair and was getting dressed up as a women. Then the last thing he saw was a couple spitting water on eachother.

How does Holden treat to two small boys in the museum?

He tries to show them where the mommies are but he also scares them with stories of mommies. He said the boys should really know about Egyptian it's ironic because Holden failed his Egyptian quiz

Why does he keep repeating Allie don't let me disappear

He would say this hoping he would make it to the other side of the road

What does Holden give to Phoebe?

His red hunting hat

What does Holden try to make about people when he talks about the "commas" and Ackleys description of the basketball player?

Holden always talks about how people are phonies. He was saying lots of people assume you are good at writing if you can put commas in the proper places but that's not the case. Holden says that people make excuses by saying for example that the only reasons stradlater is a bad writer is because he doesn't know where to put commas. Ackley also said that a basketball player at their school named Coyle was good at basketball because he was built for it.

What kind of relationship does Holden have with his parents? How do you know?

Holden and his parents don't really seem to have a close relationship. Holden tells us that hes parents are nice people which we can infer that he doesn't seem to have a close connection with them and also says," touchy as hell." to describe them.

Holden says he is a "pacifist." What is that, and do you think Holden is actually a pacifist? Why or why not?

Holden calls himself a pacifist which is a person who doesn't see fighting as the way to solve issues. I don't think that Holden is actually a pacifist as he tried to fight Stradlater by punching him.

Where does Holden then decide to go?

Holden decided to leave Pency and go to an inexpensive hotel in New York until Wednesday when he needs to go home.

What does Holden decide he must do next? Where does he go first?

Holden decides that he should run away from home first he goes to get paper and a pen to write a letter to phoebe. Then he gives the letter to her school and waits at the museum for her.

What is Holdens opinion on the Christmas show at Radio City?

Holden did not like the shew and could not understand any of the religious aspects. He said people in the show were good but he was not in the mood for it.

What does the opening of the chapter reflect about Holdens attitude toward the school?

Holden does not seem to like his school Pency. He talks about how they always have the same meals on Saturday hard and dry steak along with mashed potatoes and brown betty.

What is Holdens opinion of war? How has the war affected D.B.?

Holden does not think that he could stand war and doesn't like that you have to serve for a certain amount of time. When his brother D.B. got back from war he was depressed and would just lay in his bedroom all day. DB hated the war and said it was full of bastards and nazis.

Why does Holden go to the park?

Holden goes to the park hoping he will see his sister Phoebe their playing or skating

Why is Holden getting kicked out of Pency Prep?

Holden is getting kicked out because he is failing four out of five of his classes and doesn't see, to be putting in the effort.

After he had time to think about it, what does Holden think about Mr. Antolini?

Holden is wondering if he was making a flitty pass at him or if you just like patting guys on the head he also said that he's been very nice to him

What does Holden continually ask Carl about? Why do you think he is this?

Holden keeps asking Carl about his sex life because he is curious and likes to hear about others sex life holding is also very confused with his own life and why he didn't feel like getting sexy with Sunny that night

Why did it make Holden nervous that Stradlater was going out with Jane Gallagher?

Holden knows Jane and how she has had a tough childhood. He thinks that Stradlater will take advantage of her.

Why can't Holden stop thinking about Stradlater and Jane?

Holden knows that Stradlater takes advantage of girls and sleeps around. He can not get the thought of Stradlater and Jane being together out of his head. He also knows that once when they were on a double date Stradlater and another girl where messing around together.

Why does Holden leave in the middle of the night?

Holden leaves in the middle of the night because Mr. Antolini freaked him out. He said that he had to go pick up his bag that he left at the station

What does Holden like about the exhibits at the Museum on Natural history?

Holden likes all the different things at the museum such as how the one theater room always smells like candy and the smell of rain,but most of all he likes that everything stays the same and is in one spot. The only thing changing is you.

How does Holden let the fencing team down? What is ironic about this?

Holden looses all of the fencing teams gear on a subway. What is ironic about it is that he is not used to subways and usually takes cabs because he is rich. It is also ironic because he gets lost in New York City where he lives.

How does Holden feel about having physical relationships with girls?

Holden refers to himslef at a "sex maniac" He also says that if you don't like a girl you should not horse around with her and if you do like a girl you shouldn't spit water in their faces. Holden also tells us that sex is something that he really does not understand.

What sort of things does Holden recall about his friendship with Jane? How are these things significant?

Holden remembers that Jane and him used to play golf together in the summer along with checkers where Jane would keep all her kings in the back row. Holden also recalls how Jane was an athlete and really enjoyed sports. He also recalls a time when James step dad came out asking for cigarettes and Jane did not answer and as soon as her stepdad went back inside Jane started crying. Holden went over to comfort her and ended up kissing her face.

Why is Holden so confused by religion? What influences both Salinger's and Holden thoughts on the subject?

Holden said he's kind of an atheist who likes Jesus but doesn't really like anything else in the Bible. He thinks that the disciples were annoying because all they did was keep letting Jesus down. What influences Holden thoughts on religion besides the Bible was a kid named Arthur child. You told told him that if he didn't like the disciples then he did not like Jesus. Also Holdans parents are both different religions, of all the children are atheist. Salinger grew up as a Jewish Catholic but later in life explored many different religions maybe making him confused by religion. Soundr his parents were also two different religions

What does Holden tell Phoebe he'd like to be? Why do you think this is significant?

Holden says that he would like to be the catcher who would catch kids who were about to fall off a cliff. It's significant because is the name of the book.

What does Holden think money does to people

Holden talks about how he has very expensive luggage and he feel sad looking at someone who has cheap luggage like or man's on the train he took money always ends up making hold and blue

Why does Holden decide to visit Ackley's room?

Holden thought Ackley would be awake from listening to his and Stradlaters fight. He goes over to get away from Stradlater while still having company. He wants to sleep in Ely's bed while he is gone.

Why is Holden so concerned about where the ducks go in the winter? Why is this curiosity significant?

Holden wants to know where the ducks go in the winter because he does not understand why anyone else is not concerned about it. Most people just take one look at them and move on. I think this is something with a deeper meaning of Holden wanting to take care of others.

What does Holden's father want him to do after high school?

Holden's father wants Holden to go to an Ivy League school like yell or Princeton. Holden disagrees and doesn't like the way people look at Ivy League school

Why do you think Holden was crying when he left?

I think Holden was still kind of attached to the school.

What does Holden mean when he says, "All mothers are slightly insane."?

I think he is saying that they don't always know their own children as they actually are and just see the good in them.

What does it tell us about Holden when Phoebe states you don't like anything that's happening.

It shows us that Holden finds no pleasure in life and other people around him notice it.

How was the carousel symbolic?

It's showing Phoebe as a child reaching for rain or otherwise known as growing up open wants her to stay young

Who is James castle? Why does Holden think about him?

James castle was a misfit at Elkton hills who was trapped in a room being bullied so he jumped out of the window and died. Holden thinks that he was sad and weird

What does Mr. Antolini give to Holden? Does he still have it?

Mr. Antolini gave holden a quote written on a piece of paper and holden still has it.

What does Mr. Antolini speech foreshadow

Mr. Antolini speech foreshadows that hold and will be hitting rock-bottom soon

Who is Mr. Antolini? Why does Holden decide to call him?

Mr. antolini wasn't English teacher at Elton Hills. Well then decide to go in because he was lonely and then have many people in his phone book

Why do Holden's parents want to have him psychoanalyzed?

Once Holdens younger brother died he slept in the garage that night and got so upset that he smashed all the windows ouT and was going to break the station wagons windows as well but by the time he was done with the garage his hands were broken.

How does Mr. Antolini upset and scare holding? Can you relate this to Holden's previous digression about flits

Once holding for us to sleep on the couch he wakes up to Mr. Antolini patting his head. Just kind of makes me think that Mr. Angelini is flit who is attracted to holden

What is Pency Prep? Where is it located?

Pency prep is a highschool Holden is going to and it is located Pennsylvania.

What does Phoebe figure out? How does She react?

Phoebe finds out that Holden have been kicked out of Pencie prep and says daddy's going to kill you

What does Phoebe do that makes Holden cry?

Phoebe gives Holden her x-mas money.

Who is phoebe? Describe her. What does Holden think about her?

Phoebe is Holden's younger sister, he thinks that she is very pretty and smart. She has red hair that's short in the summer and long in he winter. She is 10 years old and skinny.

Why did Holden and Stradlater fight at the beginning of chapter 6? Why does Holden get so upset about this?

Stradlater comes back to the dorm room and asks for his paper that Holden wrote from him. Stradlater is angry because Holden was supposed to write about a room or a house but instead wrote about a baseball mitt. Holden gets upset about the paper because it was something that meant a lot to him and was about Allie and stradlater just came in and insulted them.

Who is Stradlater? Why does Holden refer to him as a "secret slob"? What does Stradlater look like?

Stradlater is a jock at Pency who is Holden's roommate. Stradlater is called a very attractive guy with lots of muscles and referred to as "yearbook handsome" Holden says he is a "secrete slob" because he appears to be very put together but he is not because he uses a very old rusty razor.

Why does the article about hormones upset Holden?

The article made Holden feel worse, describing how you should look and what guys with bad hormones looks like was holding. About sores that lead to cancer and Holden had one in his mouth.

Why did Holden and the cab driver talk about?

The cab driver Holden had was named Hortwitz. Holden asked Hortwitz about the ducks in Central Park lagoon and where they went during the winter. The cabdriver was sore and said," how the hell should I know? "Then I talked about where the fish go in the winter and Hortwitz said that they get frozen in one place because it's part of their nature.

How does this information help us understand why Holden is so upset when he thinks about Jane and stradlatee together?

The information helps relies that Holden knows about Jane having a tough life so he wants to protect her from any harm and is also a little jealous that anyone else would be kissing Jane.

Why does Holden think the women who cried through the movie was phony?

The women was crying at all the phony parts of the movie and said you would think that she had a kind heart but she did not. one of her kids was bored and needed to go to the bathroom but the lady ignored her child because she wanted to watch the movie.

What does Holden sometimes do when he gets very depressed? Why is this troubling?

When Holden is very depressed he sometimes starts talking out loud to Allie. He tells Allie that he should go to get to get his bike and go with him and Bobby Fallon to ride around the lake, and shoot BB guns. Because when Ally was younger holden would always say no to him coming with. it's troubling because he's making plans and talking to his brother who is no longer alive

On page 88 Holden says "I'm one of thoes very yellow guys. I try not to show it, but I am." What does he mean?

When Holden says he's a very yellow guy he means that he is a coward but he tries not to show it, that's why he acts tough.

What does Holden mean when he says "the funny thing about old Luce, I think used to think he was sort of flitty himself in a way."

When Holden says that he used to think with that old Luxe was flitty he means he thought Lucy was gay. He thought that maybe since this could recognize all the different gay people and actors that he was gay self

How does Holden react to his encounter with Maurice ?

When Maurice comes asking for Holden for the extra five dollars Holden asking for Holden for the extra five dollars Holden fights him all the way not wanting to pay for something he was told was only going to be five dollars not 10. Even though holding a scared of confrontation he always asked tough. As a result old and gets angry calling a race a dirty moron and that makes Maurice upset punching holes into the ground fights him all the way not wanting to pay for something he was told was only going to be five dollars not 10. Even though holding a scared of confrontation he always asked tough. As a result holden gets angry calling a race a dirty moron and that makes Maurice upset punching Holden into the ground

What does Stradlater think about Holden's behavior? What does Stradlaters reaction tell us about Holden?

When Stradlater comes back and does not like what Holden wrote, Holden tries to punch Stradlater. Stradlater is confused about his behavior and says, "What the hell's the matter with you?" Stradlaters reaction tells us that Holden is being unpredictable and violent.

What happened between sunny and Holden? Why did he think she was depressing?

When Sunny comes to Holden's room, Holden decides he did not want to have sex with her but instead wanted to just talk. He told all the sun and he would still pay her. Holden think Sunny is depressing because she is so young but is working as a prostitute. When Sunny hangs her dress up in Holden's dresser Holden Imagens her going into the store buying the dress and no one knowing that it was for her job of being a prostitute

Why does Holden get mad at loose for calling looses old girlfriend the horror of New Hampshire?

Woman gets mad at Lou's for calling his old girlfriend a ***** from New Hampshire because she let him get sexy with him and if a girl that you get sexy with her you shouldn't call her names

Is Holden happy to see Mr and Mrs. Antolini? why or why not?

Yes, because they are a familiar face and a close family friend.

What evidence is there that shows us that Holden probably doesn't look as old as he says he looks?

You can tell Holden looks younger than he says because when he tried ordering liquor he was asked to show his ID.

How does Phoebe cover for Holden when their parents come home?

her parents smell the smoke and phoebe says that she could not sleep so she just took one puff of a cigarette.