Goulet Catcher in the Rye & Salinger Bio

"Then something terrible happened just as I got in the park. I dropped old Phoebe's record. It broke-into about fifty pieces. It was in a big envelope and all, but it broke anyway. I damn near cried, it made me feel so terrible, but all I did was, I took the pieces out of the envelope and put them in my coat pocket."

Moment of Sensitivity for Holden -Seen when he drops Phoebe's record -Sensitivity is a rare emotion for Holden -Holden is losing control of his emotion -His unstable state can reach a breaking point

"Then something happened. I don't even like to talk about it. I woke up all of a sudden. I don't know what time it was or anything, but I woke up. I felt something on my head, some guy's hand. Boy, it really scared hell out of me. What it was, it was Mr. Antolini's hand. What he was doing was, he was sitting on the floor right next to the couch, in the dark and all, and he was sort of petting me or patting me on the goddam head. Boy, I'll bet I jumped about a thousand feet. "What the hellya doing?" I said. "Nothing! I'm simply sitting here, admiring--" "What're ya doing, anyway?" I said over again. I didn't know what the hell to say- -I mean I was embarrassed as hell. "How 'bout keeping your voice down? I'm simply sitting here--""

Mr. Antolini's Betrayal (Holden's POV) -Years of trust are now gone -Holden immediately senses the worst -Accuses him of being "flitty"

"I'd like to put some sense in that head of yours, boy. I'm trying to help you. I'm trying to help you, if I can." He really was, too. You could see that. But it was just that we were too much on opposite sides of the pole, that's all."

Mr. Spencer Character Analysis -"Father-figure" to Holden -Holden's History teacher @Pencey -Offers guidance to Holden

"Even without looking up, I knew right away who it was. It was Robert Ackley, this guy that roomed right next to me. There was a shower right between every two rooms in our wing, and about eighty-five times a day old Ackley barged in on me. He was probably the only guy in the whole dorm, besides me, that wasn't down at the game. He hardly ever went anywhere. He was a very peculiar guy."

Robert Ackley Character Analysis -Lives next to Holden @Pencey -Physically disturbing -Socially awkward

"That's all I'm going to tell about. I could probably tell you what I did after I went home, and how I got sick and all, and what school I'm supposed to go to next fall, after I get out of here, but I don't feel like it. I really don't. That stuff doesn't interest me too much right now."

Salinger's Final, Ambiguous Chapter -Salinger leaves Holden's suicide attempt ambiguous -He says that he "got sick" -No direct mention of the event or events that led him to being hospitalized -The implications are quite clear to Holden

"If you want to know the truth, I don't know what I think about it. I'm sorry I told so many people about it. About all I know is, I sort of miss everybody I told about. Even old Stradlater and Ackley, for instance. I think I even miss that goddam Maurice. It's funny. Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody."

Salinger's Future for Holden -Salinger's ends the novel inconclusively -Does not describe any future for Holden -Holden hasn't really learned much throughout his journey -Holden can possibly return to "getting sick" -Cycle of poor decisions/poor behavior (self-destructive)

Salinger's Early Life

-Grew up and was born in Manhattan -At the age of 20, Salinger enrolled in a short story writing class taught by Whit Burnett, the founder and editor of Story Magazine, at Columbia University -However, during WWII, Salinger was drafted and he was involved in the Normandy invasion -After serving in the Army until 1946, he devoted himself to writing

"I'll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy"

-Holden is being treated because of an incident -Discussing with his doctor or therapist -Retelling events

Salinger's Personal Life

-In 1945, Salinger married a doctor named Sylvia, only to be divorced in a matter of years -In 1955, he remarried, this time to Claire Douglas -Salinger became completely obsessed with Zen Buddhism and he completely retreated from society -This removal led to a divorce from Douglas in 1967 -Salinger married again in the late 1980s to Colleen O'Neill

Salinger's Literary Life

-Salinger wrote for years, but he did not permit anyone to see or read his work. -He wrote one novel, "The Catcher in the Rye"

Catcher Background

-Salinger's most famous novel/work -Published in 1951 -Huge, immediate success/international glory Salinger wanted to remove himself from his novel --No picture/no bio --No promotion --Wanted the novel to stand alone Written in a monologue --Holden Caulfield "Catchy", popular slang -250k - 300k new copies sold every year -Huge, cultural impact

" He's dead now. He got leukemia and died when we were up in Maine, on July 18, 1946. You'd have liked him. He was two years younger than I was, but he was about fifty times as intelligent. He was terrifically intelligent. His teachers were always writing letters to my mother, telling her what a pleasure it was having a boy like Allie in their class. And they weren't just shooting the crap. They really meant it. But it wasn't just that he was the most intelligent member in the family. He was also the nicest, in lots of ways. He never got mad at anybody. People with red hair are supposed to get mad very easily, but Allie never did, and he had very red hair. I'll tell you what kind of red hair he had."

1st possible source of physiological problems for Holden -The death of Allie is his first source of issues -Through Stradlater's composition, Holden opens himself up to the reader -Allie's death --origin/starting point of physiological problems for Holden --important/greatly impacts Holden's life --Constantly thinks of Allie

"I got about a hundred pages to read for history for Monday," he said. "How 'bout writing a composition for me, for English? I'll be up the creek if I don't get the goddam thing in by Monday, the reason I ask. How 'bout it?" It was very ironical. It really was. "I'm the one that's flunking out of the goddam place, and you're asking me to write you a goddam composition," I said. "Yeah, I know. The thing is, though, I'll be up the creek if I don't get it in. Be a buddy. Be a buddyroo. Okay?"

A New Perspective On Holden -Ward asks Holden to write his composition for him -Holden is cynical and w/o a place -He is intelligent/ strong qualities; Passed English/may be strong writer -Holden behaves impulsively --Pattern of behavior to watch

"Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules." "Yes, sir. I know it is. I know it." Game, my ass."

Dr. Thurmer Character Analysis -Headmaster @Pencey -Offers support/advice to Holden --Not genuine --No real care for Holden

"Thanks a lot," I said. "G'by!" The elevator was finally there. I got in and went down. Boy, I was shaking like a madman. I was sweating, too. When something perverty like that happens, I start sweating like a bastard. That kind of stuff's happened to me about twenty times since I was a kid. I can't stand it"

During the Incident: Holden's Narration -Audience must remember Holden as unreliable -Based on his background, Antolini should not be acting in this manner -"20 times since I was a kid" --perspective? hyperbole? -Holden suspects the worst and runs from his problems

"She was right, though. It is "If a body meet a body comin through the rye." I didn't know it then, though. "I thought it was 'If a body catch a body,'" I said. "Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around--nobody big, I mean--except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff--I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be. I know it's crazy."

Evaluation Holden's dream -Holden's dream expresses his love for childhood -Holden desires to save the children from pressures and experiences of adulthood -Wants them to maintain childhood innocence -Wants to be catcher in the rye so that kids can play in the fields with no worries

"Anyway, I kept worrying that I was getting pneumonia, with all those hunks of ice in my hair, and that I was going to die. I felt sorry as hell for my mother and father. Especially my mother, because she still isn't over my brother Allie yet. I kept picturing her not knowing what to do with all my suits and athletic equipment and all. The only good thing, I knew she wouldn't let old Phoebe come to my goddam funeral because she was only a little kid. That was the only good part. Then I thought about the whole bunch of them sticking me in a goddam cemetery and all, with my name on this tombstone and all. Surrounded by dead guys. Boy, when you're dead, they really fix you up. I hope to hell when I do die somebody has sense enough to just dump me in the river or something. Anything except sticking me in a goddam cemetery. People coming and putting a bunch of flowers on your stomach on Sunday, and all that crap. Who wants flowers when you're dead? Nobody."

Foreshadowing Holden's Death -Holden vividly imagines his funeral -Clearly foreshadows his future -An eventually suicide attempt seems probable here -Holden's only concern is Phoebe's reaction

"I stayed in the bathroom for about an hour, taking a bath and all. Then I got back in bed. It took me quite a while to get to sleep--I wasn't even tired--but finally I did. What I really felt like, though, was committing suicide. I felt like jumping out the window. I probably would've done it, too, if I'd been sure somebody'd cover me up as soon as I landed. I didn't want a bunch of stupid rubbernecks looking at me when I was all gory."

Foreshadowing in Holden's Behavior and Thoughts -Depression/sadness: Thoughts of suicide and Jumping from window -Foreshadows that Holden may attempt to take his life

"I forgot to tell you about that. They kicked me out. I wasn't supposed to come back after Christmas vacation on account of I was flunking four subjects and not applying myself and all. They gave me frequent warning to start applying myself--especially around midterms, when my parents came up for a conference with old Thurmer--but I didn't do it."

Holden Caulfield Character Analysis -Moves from boarding school to boarding school (struggles w/academics) -Wealthy New York family -Protagonist -Narrator

" Then I took my hunting hat out of my coat pocket and gave it to her. She likes those kind of crazy hats. She didn't want to take it, but I made her. I'll bet she slept with it on. She really likes those kind of hats. Then I told her again I'd give her a buzz if I got a chance, and then I left."

Holden Passing his hat to Phoebe -Giving/passing on of the hat is extremely significant --Most important/valuable/prized possessions -Personal memoir --item that Phoebe can use to remember him by, as he does not expect to see her again Hat: offers protection from pressures of adulthood and offers security

"He brought her to a dance at Princeton once, and they nearly kicked him out for bringing her. She used to be a burlesque stripper or something. Anyway, I went over to the phone and gave her a buzz. Her name was Faith Cavendish, and she lived at the Stanford Arms Hotel on Sixty-fifth and Broadway. A dump, no doubt."

Holden and the Madonna Complex Holden suffers from Madonna Complex -Madonna Complex: expresses a man's view of a woman based upon sexuality, but only in two ways: --absolute degradation:Faith Cavendish --absolute purity: Jane Gallagher -two opposing aspects of female sexuality

"I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful. If I'm on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I'm going, I'm liable to say I'm going to the opera. It's terrible. So when I told old Spencer I had to go to the gym and get my equipment and stuff, that was a sheer lie. I don't even keep my goddam equipment in the gym."

Holden as a Great Liar -Profound admission is treated as a correct statement --Holden's lies extend to further complications --These lies will lead to more lies --Creates world of self-delusion --Holden will begin to even believe and trust his own lies Irony -Holden's critical of phonies around him -Holden is the biggest phony of them all --Fails to recognize his own falsity

"All I know is my goddam gloves were in your goddam galoshes." Right away then, the guy would know for sure that I wasn't going to take a sock at him, and he probably would've said, "Listen. Let's get this straight. Are you calling me a thief?" Then I probably would've said, "Nobody's calling anybody a thief. All I know is my gloves were in your goddam galoshes." It could go on like that for hours. Finally, though, I'd leave his room without even taking a sock at him. I'd probably go down to the can and sneak a cigarette and watch myself getting tough in the mirror. Anyway, that's what I thought about the whole way back to the hotel. It's no fun to he yellow."

Holden as a Scared Teenager -Holden reveals himself to be a coward -Holden admits that he fails to stand up for himself/property -"It's no fun to be yellow" -Situations that require thought/commitment -Fails to apply -Runs/escapes from everything -Holden may never commit to anything

"You can't just do something like that," old Sally said. She sounded sore as hell. "Why not? Why the hell not?" "Stop screaming at me, please," she said. Which was crap, because I wasn't even screaming at her. "Why can'tcha? Why not?"

Holden as an Unreliable Narrator -Interaction between Holden and Sally shows Holden's unreliability -Holden fails to realize he is shouting --denies this to himself and the readers, makes him an unreliable narrator *focal point*

"On my right, the conversation was even worse, though.A On my right there was this very Joe Yale-looking guy, in a gray flannel suit and one of those flitty-looking Tattersall vests. All those Ivy League bastards look alike. My father wants me to go to Yale, or maybe Princeton, but I swear, I wouldn't go to one of those Ivy League colleges, if I was dying, for God's sake. Anyway, this Joe Yale-looking guy had a terrific-looking girl with him. Boy, she was good-looking. But you should've heard the conversation they were having. In the first place, they were both slightly crocked. What he was doing, he was giving her a feel under the table, and at the same time telling her all about some guy in his dorm that had eaten a whole bottle of aspirin and nearly committed suicide. His date kept saying to him, "How horrible . . . Don't, darling. Please, don't. Not here." Imagine giving somebody a feel and telling them about a guy committing suicide at the same time! They killed me."

Holden's Anger: Direction -Holden's anger is evident in his description of the "Joe Yale character" -Holden's anger is directed at himself/ peers and people most like him -self-loathing/ Holden is a Joe Yale character

"I pictured myself coming out of the goddam bathroom, dressed and all, with my automatic in my pocket, and staggering around a little bit. Then I'd walk downstairs, instead of using the elevator. I'd hold onto the banister and all, with this blood trickling out of the side of my mouth a little at a time. What I'd do, I'd walk down a few floors--holding onto my guts, blood leaking all over the place-- and then I'd ring the elevator bell. As soon as old Maurice opened the doors, he'd see me with the automatic in my hand and he'd start screaming at me, in this very high-pitched, yellowbelly voice, to leave him alone. But I'd plug him anyway. Six shots right through his fat hairy belly. Then I'd throw my automatic down the elevator shaft--after I'd wiped off all the finger prints and all. Then I'd crawl back to my room and call up Jane and have her come over and bandage up my guts. I pictured her holding a cigarette for me to smoke while I was bleeding and all."

Holden's Behavior: More Destructive -Holden's vision/fantasy about murdering Maurice -Evolving self-destruction -twisted pleasure from this vision -role-plays as a gangster -Holden is the #1 target of his own behavior

"All of a sudden, I decided what I'd really do, I'd get the hell out of Pencey-- right that same night and all. I mean not wait till Wednesday or anything. I just didn't want to hang around any more. It made me too sad and lonesome. So what I decided to do, I decided I'd take a room in a hotel in New York--some very inexpensive hotel and all--and just take it easy till Wednesday. Then, on Wednesday, I'd go home all rested up and feeling swell."

Holden's Boiling Point -Holden suddenly decides to escape --Boiling Point -aimlessly impulsive, selfish action -Holden thinks himself to be superior -Why waste time with worthless peers

"But he wasn't a bastard or anything. He was a very nice guy. But this Roberta Walsh's roommate didn't like him at all. She told Roberta he was too conceited--and the reason she thought he was conceited was because he happened to mention to her that he was captain of the debating team. A little thing like that, and she thought he was conceited! The trouble with girls is, if they like a boy, no matter how big a bastard he is, they'll say he has an inferiority complex, and if they don't like him, no matter how nice a guy he is, or how big an inferiority complex he has, they'll say he's conceited. Even smart girls do it."

Holden's Capability for Intelligent Thought -Holden's observations express an ability to still think clearly and process information -Despite his life crumbling, Holden is capable/rational thinker at times

" I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes. That way I wouldn't have to have any goddam stupid useless conversations with anybody. If anybody wanted to tell me something, they'd have to write it on a piece of paper and shove it over to me. They'd get bored as hell doing that after a while, and then I'd be through with having conversations for the rest of my life. Everybody'd think I was just a poor deaf-mute bastard and they'd leave me alone."

Holden's Complete Rejection of Society -Holden his lost control of himself and his life -Show a possible suicide attempt -Holden wants to reject society -Holden's thoughts now will impact him mentally and physically -Parallel to Salinger's rejection/removal from society

"He was one of these very, very tall, round-shouldered guys--he was about six four--with lousy teeth. The whole time he roomed next to me, I never even once saw him brush his teeth. They always looked mossy and awful, and he damn near made you sick if you saw him in the dining room with his mouth full of mashed potatoes and peas or something. Besides that, he had a lot of pimples."

Holden's Description of His Peers -slanted perception; readers must be skeptical -cannot be trusted -Holden is an unreliable narrator

"While I was eating my eggs, these two nuns with suitcases and all--I guessed they were moving to another convent or something and were waiting for a train--came in and sat down next to me at the counter. They didn't seem to know what the hell to do with their suitcases, so I gave them a hand. They were these very inexpensive-looking suitcases--the ones that aren't genuine leather or anything. It isn't important, I know, but I hate it when somebody has cheap suitcases. It sounds terrible to say it, but I can even get to hate somebody, just looking at them, if they have cheap suitcases with them. Something happened once. For a while when I was at Elkton Hills, I roomed with this boy, Dick Slagle, that had these very inexpensive suitcases. He used to keep them under the bed, instead of on the rack, so that nobody'd see them standing next to mine. It depressed holy hell out of me, and I kept wanting to throw mine out or something, or even trade with him. Mine came from Mark Cross, and they were genuine cowhide and all that crap, and I guess they cost quite a pretty penny. But it was a funny thing. Here's what happened. What I did, I finally put my suitcases under my bed, instead of on the rack, so that old Slagle wouldn't get a goddam inferiority complex about it. But here's what he did. The day after I put mine under my bed, he took them out and put them back on the rack. The reason he did it, it took me a while to find out, was because he wanted people to think my bags were his. He really did. He was a very funny guy, that way. He was always saying snotty things about them, my suitcases, for instance. He kept saying they were too new and bourgeois. That was his favorite goddam word."

Holden's Idea of Social Arrogance -Holden's dislike of people with cheap suitcases expresses his social arrogance -Holden criticizes people he calls snobs/phonies but proves himself to be an equal. -Holden links social class and social taste

"If you want to know the truth, I don't even know why I started all that stuff with her. I mean about going away somewhere, to Massachusetts and Vermont and all. I probably wouldn't've taken her even if she'd wanted to go with me. She wouldn't have been anybody to go with. The terrible part, though, is that I meant it when I asked her. That's the terrible part. I swear to God I'm a madman."

Holden's Illogical Admittance -"I swear to God I'm a mad man" -Holden is without a concrete reason to invite Sally to New England -Holden admits that his actions have no logic behind them *TREND: Holden acts without thought

"This next part I don't remember so hot. All I know is I got up from the bed, like I was going down to the can or something, and then I tried to sock him, with all my might, right smack in the toothbrush, so it would split his goddam throat open. Only, I missed. I didn't connect. All I did was sort of get him on the side of the head or something. It probably hurt him a little bit, but not as much as I wanted. It probably would've hurt him a lot, but I did it with my right hand, and I can't make a good fist with that hand. On account of that injury I told you about."

Holden's Inability to Control his Behavior -Holden impulsively attacks Stradlater -No concrete reason to suddenly punch Stradlater -Sign of his impulsive behavior -Holden suspects that Stradlater gave Jane "the time" -Holden's extreme behavior will intensify/reach new level

"I'd been there quite a few times, because after I left Elkton Hills Mr. Antolini came up to our house for dinner quite frequently to find out how I was getting along. He wasn't married then. Then when he got married, I used to play tennis with he and Mrs. Antolini quite frequently, out at the West Side Tennis Club, in Forest Hills, Long Island"

Holden's Initial Perception of Mr.Antolini -Holden completely trusts Mr. Antolini/Only adult -Holden does not call Mr. Antolini "old Antolini" --This emphasizes their relationships trust -Mr Antolini offers Holden an escape -safe/someone Holden can rely on

"I thought how she'd see the same stuff I used to see, and how she'd be different every time she saw it. It didn't exactly depress me to think about it, but it didn't make me feel gay as hell, either. Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone. I know that's impossible, but it's too bad anyway. Anyway, I kept thinking about all that while I walked."

Holden's Longing For Childhood -Thinking of Phoebe and himself at the museum, Holden expresses a desire to return -"certain things" --He resists change/ keep everything in these glass cases --Holden fears maturity, adulthood, responsibilities --Places great value on childhood/pleasures

"Yeah? No kidding? How old is she?" "I've never asked her, for God's sake." "Well, around how old?" "I should imagine she's in her late thirties," old Luce said. "In her late thirties? Yeah? You like that?" I asked him. "You like 'em that old?" The reason I was asking was because he really knew quite a bit about sex and all. He was one of the few guys I knew that did. He lost his virginity when he was only fourteen, in Nantucket. He really did. "I like a mature person, if that's what you mean. Certainly." "You do? Why? No kidding, they better for sex and all?"

Holden's Obsession With Sex -Interaction with Carl Luce -Holden expresses this obsession with sex -Sign of immaturity/lack of respect for others --Holden persists with these question (get more intense)

"I went down by a different staircase, and I saw another "Fuçk you" on the wall. I tried to rub it off with my hand again, but this one was scratched on, with a knife or something. It wouldn't come off. It's hopeless, anyway. If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn't rub out even half the "Fuçk you" signs in the world. It's impossible"

Holden's Obsession with Profanity -Walking through his old school -Holden reveals his obsession with profanity -Holden wants to eliminate the profanity and protect the innocence of the children -Holden admits defeat and shows his fear of adulthood

"No, he won't. The worst he'll do, he'll give me hell again, and then he'll send me to that goddam military school. That's all he'll do to me. And in the first place, I won't even be around. I'll be away. I'll be--I'll probably be in Colorado on this ranch."

Holden's Response to Phoebe's Words -Phoebe confronts Holden -looks to run away and escape the conflict Behavioral pattern: threatening/commitment= escape -Holden threatens departure

"Old Mrs. Morrow didn't say anything, but boy, you should've seen her. I had her glued to her seat. You take somebody's mother, all they want to hear about is what a hotshot their son is. Then I really started chucking the old crap around"

Holden's State of Mind -Interaction with Mrs. Morrow Reflects Holden's state of mind --Holden flatters Mrs. Morrow -Lies to her to make her happy -Constant lying is a sign of immaturity -Disturbing disconnect exists between Holden's state of mind and reality

"She was always reading, and she read very good books. She read a lot of poetry and all. She was the only one, outside my family, that I ever showed Allie's baseball mitt to, with all the poems written on it. She'd never met Allie or anything, because that was her first summer in Maine--before that, she went to Cape Cod- -but I told her quite a lot about him. She was interested in that kind of stuff."

Holden's Story about Jane Gallagher -Story is two-fold Allie → extremely important role in Holden's life Jane→ extremely close to Holden Holden is comfortable to share private info w/ her; Strong relationship built upon trust

" But you ought to see old Phoebe. She has this sort of red hair, a little bit like Allie's was, that's very short in the summertime. In the summertime, she sticks it behind her ears. She has nice, pretty little ears. In the wintertime, it's pretty long, though. Sometimes my mother braids it and sometimes she doesn't. It's really nice, though. She's only ten. She's quite skinny, like me, but nice skinny. Roller-skate skinny. I watched her once from the window when she was crossing over Fifth Avenue to go to the park, and that's what she is, roller-skate skinny. You'd like her"

Holden's View of Phoebe -representation of childhood innocence -positive/favorable light -often praises her Childhood Innocence -Phoebe: 10 y.o. sister -Allie: never grew up/ never lost innocence -Jane Gallagher: childhood friend who will always be the simple girl who never moves her kings from the back row

1:" They're quite touchy about anything like that, especially my father. They're nice and all--I'm not saying that--but they're also touchy as hell." 2:"Now he's out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute. If there's one thing I hate, it's the movies. Don't even mention them to me"

Holden: Typical Teenager -Holden's descriptions --1:His parents --2:DB ---Holden's older brother ---Both are authority figures for Holden -Descriptions show Holden's skeptical look of authority -Always challenge him -Holden values authenticity *Authenticity in a phony world*

"But I just couldn't hang around there any longer, the way we were on opposite sides of the pole, and the way he kept missing the bed whenever he chucked something at it, and his sad old bathrobe with his chest showing, and that grippy smell of Vicks Nose Drops all over the place. "Look, sir. Don't worry about me," I said. "I mean it. I'll be all right. I'm just going through a phase right now. Everybody goes through phases and all, don't they?"

Holden: character against adulthood -Experience and interaction between Holden and Spencer shows aversion -Illusion: Holden appears to be an adult -Reality: Holden is stuck mentally between childhood and adulthood Is very immature

"Here's what he 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.'"

Importance of Mr.Antolini's Note -Mr. Antolini is the only adult character who fully understands/recognizes the seriousness of Holden's situation -Quote by Wilhelm Stekel -Expects Holden to attempt suicide; Holden's life is at risk and Mr. Antolini is trying to offer help

Author of Catcher

JD (Jerome David) Salinger

"'A Christmas Pageant for Americans.' It stinks, but I'm Benedict Arnold. I have practically the biggest part," she said. Boy, was she wide-awake. She gets very excited when she tells you that stuff. "It starts out when I'm dying. This ghost comes in on Christmas Eve and asks me if I'm ashamed and everything. You know. For betraying my country and everything. Are you coming to it?" She was sitting way the hell up in the bed and all. "That's what I wrote you about. Are you?" "Sure I'm coming. Certainly I'm coming."

The Character of Phoebe Caulfield -Holden's ideal childhood -Actually listens to her -treats her with kindness and respect -Phoebe represents the ideal childhood, which Holden admires Phoebe: Realistic Holden: Sentimental

"All of a sudden the door opened, and old Stradlater barged in, in a big hurry. He was always in a big hurry. Everything was a very big deal. He came over to me and gave me these two playful as hell slaps on both cheeks--which is something that can be very annoying. 'Listen," he said. "You going out anywheres special tonight?"

Ward Stradlater Character Analysis -Senior @Pencey -Holden's roommate -Self-centered and arrogant