Catcher in the Rye

Describe Holden's relationship with Jane Gallagher.

Holden and Jane were quite close after spending a whole summer essentially together. They would play sports together, go to the movies, and talk a lot. There seemed to do nothing past holding hands romantic wise.

What did Holden and Luce discuss?

Holden and Luce mostly discussed Luce's new girlfriend and his sex life. The new girlfriend was older and Chinese which Holden was curious about.

Why doesn't Holden go down to see Jane?

Holden claims that he is not in the mood to see her and that he has to be in the mood to do those kinds of things.

What did Holden write Stradlater's composition about?

Holden wrote Stradlater's composition about his dead younger brother's, Allie's, baseball mitt.The glove was a lefty glove with poems written all over it in green ink.

Why did Maurice hit Holden?

Maurice hit Holden because he wanted the five dollars that he claimed Holden owed him for the prostitute. After Sunny took the money out of Holden's wallet, Holden was insulting him, so Maurice punched him.

What made Holden "not so depressed anymore" on his way to the record store?

On his way to the record store, Holden saw a family walking in front of him. The kid was walking right next to the curb and singing the song, "If a body catch a body coming through the rye." As busy life continued on and no one paid attention to him, the kid kept singing making Holden less depressed.

Who was Robert Ackley?

Robert Ackley was a guy who roomed next to Holden at Pencey with bad hygiene. He was a weird guy who barged into Holden's room often and rarely went out. Ackley was a senior who was very tall and round shouldered with bad teeth. He also had a lot of pimples and a terrible personality. He disliked Stradlater a lot. He seemed to act as if he was superior to everyone and indifferent to things. He also annoyed Holden a lot who thought he was a nuisance.

Identify Sally Hayes.

Sally Hayes was a girl that Holden had known for years who he thought was very good looking. She went to Mary A. Woodruff school and knew a lot about theater and literature. Holden and her have been "necking" for years and he believed that she was quite stupid. He calls her up from the hotel room and asks to go on a date. They end up going to the theater and ice skating, with the date ending on a sour note due to Holden insulting Sally. Holden later calls her when he is drunk.

Who was Stradlater?

Stradlater was Holden's roommate at Pencey. He was a pretty friendly guy, but was very conceited and vain. Holden describes Stradlater as a secret slob, as his shaver was always kept dirty. He was also bad at English as he asked Holden to write his composition for him.

What was the "big mess" Holden got into when he got back to the hotel after being at Ernie's?

The big mess that Holden got into was with Maurice and Sunny. Maurice, an elevator guy, offered Holden a prostitute for five dollars which Holden accepted. When she got there, he didn't feel up to it so they just talked. He gave the prostitute, Sunny, the five dollars but she claimed it was ten. She eventually left, but came back with Maurice who demanded for another five. Sunny eventually just took it out of his wallet and Maurice slapped him before both of them left.

What was Phoebe's reaction when she first saw Holden? What was her reaction when she found out that he had been expelled?

When Phoebe first saw Holden she was really excited and started talking a lot about her play and a movie she watched that day. She was also super affectionate, giving him hugs. When she found out he was expelled, she got really mad and started hitting Holden. She claimed that their dad was going to kill him and started to ignore him.

What did Holden think of "George something--"?

Holden thought that "George something--" was a big phony and snobby. He disliked him for butting into his date as well.

Identify Bernice, Marty and Laverne.

After Holden checked into the hotel, he went down to the bar, the Lavender Room, that was located on the bottom floor of it. There he met Bernice, Marty, and Laverne. Bernice was a blonde who Holden thought was pretty good looking and an extremely good dance. She annoyed him by asking what after almost everything he said. Marty was a really bad dancer who Holden tricked into thinking a celebrity was at the bar. Marty also said a lot of corny stuff. Laverne was not too bad of a dancer and made fun of Holden for not drinking alcohol. All of these ladies were from the same insurance company in Seattle and were looking for famous people.

How did Holden's feelings for Sally change from the beginning of the date to the end?

At the beginning of the date, Holden claimed that he was in love with Sally the moment he saw her as she was very beautiful and even thought about marrying her on the spot. At the end, after Holden had asked her to run away with him and she rejected him, they shared a mutual hatred and he thought she was a pain.

Who is Holden Caulfield?

Holden Caulfield is a sixteen year old kid who goes to Pencey Prep. He is the main character and the narrator of the story who is explaining the happenings of his life from the Christmas before. He has seemingly rich parents that are quite touchy and two siblings. His older brother, D.B., is a writer in Hollywood who is quite rich. He also has a younger sister named Phoebe who he claims is really smart. His younger brother, Allie, passed away due to cancer. He has been kicked out of multiple schools in his life due to his lack of care.

Why did Holden check out of the hotel, and where did he go?

Holden checked out of the hotel because he was scared to see Maurice again. After he checked out, he went to Grand Central Station so that he could put his bags in a storage box there. After that he went to a sandwich bar to have breakfast.

Where did Holden decide to go?

Holden decided to leave Pencey and go to New York where he could get a cheap hotel and just relax. He wanted to wait until Wednesday to go home so his parents could get the information about him getting kicked out and digest it.

What did Holden think of the show at Radio City?

Holden did not like the show at Radio City as he believed the actors were phony and stupid. He thought that the religious part of the show was neither religious or pretty and believed Jesus wouldn't even like it. The only part he enjoyed was one of the men who played the drums. When watching the actual picture, Holden claimed he was about to puke because the actors were phony and the storyline was not good.

Holden said he felt like committing suicide. Why didn't he?

Holden didn't commit suicide because he knew no one would cover him up as soon as he died and he didn't want a bunch of people to look at him.

Why wasn't Holden at the big football game?

Holden didn't go to the big football game because he just returned from New York where he traveled to with the fencing team which he was the manager of. He wasn't supposed to return to school until dinner time, but he left the team's foils and equipment on the subway causing them to return early. He also had to go say goodbye to his old history teacher Mr. Spencer.

Why didn't Holden like actors?

Holden doesn't like actors because none of them act like real people, and if they are good enough, they spoil because they know that they're good. He believed they were phonies.

How did Holden explain his catcher in the rye daydream?

Holden explains his catcher in the rye dream by saying that he pictures a bunch of little kids playing in a rye field, with him being the only big person. He says that he stands on the edge of the cliff and if a child almost goes over the cliff, it would be his job to catch them. He knows that the dream is crazy, but it's what he wants to do.

Why did Holden go to Mr. Antolini's house?

Holden goes to Mr. Antolini's house because his parents came home and he had to leave before they saw him. He wanted to stay there for the night instead of staying home and he didn't have any mother.

What record did Holden get for Phoebe? Why?

Holden got a record called "Little Shirley Beans," which was about a kid who was too embarrassed to leave her house because she lost her two front teeth. He got it because he had heard it at Pencey from a boy that lived on the next floor and knew that Phoebe would like it. When he tried to buy it off the guy, the guy said no so Holden got it from the record store.

Why did Holden have to leave Ernie's?

Holden had to leave Ernie's because he met Lillian Simmons, his brother's ex, and her new boyfriend there. They started talking and Lillian invited Holden to her table, but he did not want to so he claimed that he was leaving. He felt the need to actually leave after that so she wouldn't think he was lying.

Where is Holden as he narrates the story?

Holden is narrating the story from the future in some sort of care facility or mental hospital undergoing some treatment.

Why did Holden leave Mr. Antolini's home before morning?

Holden left Mr. Antolini's home before morning because he woke up to him patting his head and staring at him. This made Holden uncomfortable and he started to believe that Mr. Antolini was a pervert and a "flit." Holden decided to leave after that.

Why did Holden like the museum so much?

Holden liked the museum so much because everything stayed in the same place. Nothing was different and nobody would move. The only thing that changed was yourself.

Who did Holden meet on his train ride? Why did Holden lie to her about Ernie?

Holden met the mother of one of his old classmates at Pencey, Ernie Morrow. Holden lied to her about Ernie because he liked her and wanted to just tell her what she wanted to hear so she would be proud of her son.

Who did Holden meet at the "little sandwich bar" after he locked his bags at the station? What did they talk about?

Holden met two nuns when he went to the sandwich bar. First, he asked if they were taking donations and then donated some money. Then they started talking about general topics which led them to talking about English, as that was Holden's best subject and one of the nuns taught it. Holden and the nun started talking about Romeo and Juliet in which they showed a difference in opinions. The nuns then tried to change the subject and eventually said bye.

Why did Holden sit on the bench in the rain even though it was coming down in buckets?

Holden sat on the bench in the rain because he was watching Phoebe ride the carousel. He was enjoying it and it made him happy.

What was Holden's reply when Phoebe asked him why he "got the ax again"?

Holden says that he is sick of people asking him that and then gave multiple reasons as to why Pencey was such a bad school. He talked about the fellow students there, the phony teachers, and what happens on their Veterans' Day.

Why did Holden tear up the composition he had written for Stradlater?

Holden tore up the composition because Stradlater was yelling at him that he did it wrong because he wrote about a baseball mitt, not a room. He also insulted Holden by saying that it was no surprise that he was flunking out of school because he always does everything wrong.

Why wouldn't Holden be back to Pencey after Christmas vacation?

Holden wasn't going back to Pencey after Christmas vacation because he was kicked out for flunking four subjects out of five and not applying himself.

Why did Holden call Carl Luce even though he didn't like him much?

Holden, desperate for someone to talk to, called Carl Luce because he was an intellectual guy who Holden hoped to have an intellectual conversation with. Holden also believed that Carl was an enlightening guy.

Why did Stradlater hit Holden?

Holden, frustrated with Stradlater's indifference towards Jane, tried to punch Stradlater first and ended up hitting him in the head. Stradlater then pinned him down to the ground to stop him. While he was pinned, Holden kept on shouting insults including calling Stradlater a moron. Stradlater said that he would let him up if he stopped screaming. When he let him up, Holden continued to yell insults until Stradlater punched him leaving Holden with a bloody nose.

Identify James Castle.

James Castle was a boy that Holden knew from one of his old schools, Elkton Hills. Castle had said that this boy, Phil Stabile, was conceited so Stabile and six other guys went to his room. They tried to make James Castle take it back and when he wouldn't they started beating him up and doing other unspeakable things to him. Castle then jumped out the window and died from the fall. Castle was a very quiet guy and actually was wearing Holden's turtleneck when he died.

Identify Jane Gallagher.

Jane Gallagher was Stradlater's date on the night of the big football game. Holden knew her as she was his neighbor one summer who he spent a lot of time with. Holden and her met as her dog kept on peeing in his yard. Her parents were divorced, but her mother was remarried to a lousy drunkard who walked around naked in their house. Jane and Holden also used to play checkers where she never moved her kings. Holden seemed to like her a lot as he continuously talked about her with Stradlater.

What advice did Mr. Antolini give Holden?

Mr. Antolini gave Holden a piece of paper that said, "The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one." He tells Holden to keep this advice.

What "dirty trick" did Mr. Spencer pull on Holden?

Mr. Spencer made Holden get his exam paper in order to show Holden that he knew nothing. Mr. Spencer then proceeded to read Holden's nonsense of an essay out loud and the note Holden wrote, embarrassing him.

Who is Phoebe?

Phoebe is Holden's 10 year old, little sister. She has reddish hair and is skinny. Holden sees her as very smart and knowledgeable. Phoebe was also described as being extremely affectionate and emotional. They seem to have a good relationship where they communicate a lot.

How did Phoebe surprise Holden? What was Holden's reaction?

Phoebe surprised Holden by showing up to their meeting spot with a suitcase and claiming that she was running away with him and not returning to school. Holden tells Phoebe that she can't go and to "shut up." Phoebe starts crying and getting angry, causing Holden to try to soothe her by trying to take her back to school and saying that he won't leave either.

What do we learn about Holden from his diversion about his gloves being stolen at Pencey?

We learn that Holden does not really believe in violence and is kind of a coward when it comes to it. He also does not like to fight and is too humane to hurt someone. He would rather be angry at someone and think about what he could do, not act on it.

Why did Holden go home so early (before Wednesday)?

When Holden was sitting outside, he was scared he would get pneumonia and die due to the cold weather as his hair was freezing. He thought of his sister's, Phoebe's, reaction if he were to die and decided to go visit her one last time in case it happened.