Catcher in the Rye - Character Analysis

James Castle

A boy at Elkton Hills that killed himself while wearing Holden's turtleneck sweater

Bobby Fallon

A childhood friend of Holden's and participant in the famous "Allie, go get your bike and meet me in front of his house" scenario

Raymond Goldfarb

A guy at the Whooton School that Holden got drunk with in the chapel

Sally Hayes

A very attractive girl whom Holden has known and dated for a long time. Though she is well read, Holden claims that she is stupid, but it is difficult to tell whether this judgment is based in reality or that Holden is just sexually attracted to her

Marty and Laverne

Bernice's unattractive friends

Bernice

Girl who Holden dances with in the Lavender Room. She's a lousy conversationalist who only cares about meeting celebrities. She is clearly a tourist.

Mr. Antolini

Holden's former English teacher at the Elkton Hills School. He now teaches at New York University. He is young, clever, sympathetic, and likeable, and Holden respects him. Holden looks to him for guidance, and he also drinks a lot

Mr. Spencer

Holden's history teacher at Pencey Prep, who unsuccessfully tries to shake Holden out of his academic apathy

Ackley

Holden's next-door neighbor in his dorm at Pencey. He is a pimply, insecure boy with terrible dental hygiene who lies about his sexual experience.

D.B. Caulfield

Holden's older brother who wrote a volume of short stories that Holden admires very much, but he feels that D.B. prostitutes his talents by writing for Hollywood movies.

Stradlater

Holden's roommate at Pencey Prep who is handsome, self-satisfied, and popular, but Holden calls him a secret slob because even though he appears well-groomed, his toiletries are disgustingly unclean.

Phoebe Caulfield

Holden's ten-year-old sister, whom he loves dearly. Even though she is six years younger than Holden, she listens to what he says and understands him moe than most other people do.

Allie Caulfield

Holden's younger brother who dies of leukemia three years before the start of the novel. Holden believes he was the smartest of the Caulfield's.

Mr. Cudahy

Jane's alcoholic stepfather who may or may not have tried something with Jane, but regardless, he's not a nice guy

Mrs. Antolini

Mr. Antolini's wife who is old, not too attractive, and wealthy

Mrs. Hayes

Sally Hayes's mother who thinks that Holden is wild and is not a big fan of him going out with her daughter

Maurice

The elevator operator at the Edmont Hotel, who procures a prostitute for Holden.

Dr. Thurmer

The headmaster of Pencey Prep who Holden believes is a phony.

Selma Thurmer

The headmaster's daughter who knows that her father is a phony jerk, yet she wears "falsies" and Holden also considers her a phony.

Rudolf Schmidt

The janitor at Ossenburger Hall whoo lends his name to Holden's fictional persona on the train away from Pencey.

Ernie

The organ player that Holden hears and thinks he's cocky for being so good

Sunny

The prostitute whom Holden hires through Maurice. She is one of a number of women in the book with whom Holden clumsily attempts to connect

Ossenburger

The rich alumnus who made all his money from inexpensive funeral parlors. He also gives boring speeches about applying oneself and praying.

Eddie Birdsell

a Princeton guy Holden met at a party.

Jane Gallagher

a girl with whom Holden spent a lot of time with one summer. Even though she never truly appears in Catcher, she is extremely important to Holden because she is attractive to Holden and respected by him.

Carl Luce

a student at Columbia who was Holden's student advisor at the Whooton School. He is three years older than Holden and has a great deal of sexual experience. He tries to get Holden to get him to talk about sex at their meeting.

Ernest Morrow

a student at Pencey who Holden strongly dislikes. He meets his mother on the train and lies about how great of a guy he is, however.

Mrs. Morrow

an attractive woman and a classmate's mother who Holden meets on the train. He spins some entertaining lies for her benefit, including a fake name of "Rudolf" and having a brain tumor.

Horwitz

cab driver #2 for Holden. He's not as concerned with the ducks as he is with the fishes, which he knows open their pores while frozen in place in the lake to get nutrients

Holden Caulfield

the protagonist and narrator of the novel; sixteen-year-old junior who has just been expelled for academic failure from Pencey Prep while mourning over the death of his younger brother