The Catcher in the Rye

1
The Catcher in the Rye

• Pages 66-98

2
Phoebe

• Holdens sister
• I certainly felt like talking to her on the
  phone. Somebody with sense and all. (66)
• The only trouble is, shes a little too
  affectionate sometimes. Shes very emotional, for
  a child. (68)
• Arent children, by nature, emotional?

3
The Three Girls at the Bar

• Holden seems annoyed by them.
• I was half in love with her by the time we sat
  down. Thats the thing about girls. Every time
  they do something pretty, even if theyre not
  much to look at, or even if theyre sort of
  stupid, you fall half in love with them, and then
  you never know where the hell you are. GirlsThey
  can drive you crazy. They really can. (73)

4
The Three Girls at the Bar

• They didnt invite me to sit down at their
  tablemostly because they were too ignorantbut I
  sat down anyway. (73)
• Is it because the girls are ignorant or because
  they did not want Holden with them?
• In other words, who has made the social faux pas?

5
Holdens Joke

• He tells the girl he sees a celebrity
• I was sorry as hell Id kidded her. Some people
  you shouldnt kid, even if they deserve it. (74)
• What is it about some people that makes Holden
  not want to kid them?

6
Jane Gallagher

• Holden feels completely comfortable with her
• She was the only one, outside my family, that I
  ever showed Allies baseball mitt to, with all
  the poems written on it. (77)

7
The Date

• Holden is still thinking about Jane and
  Stradlaters date
• I knew she wouldnt let him get to first base
  with her, but it drove me crazy anyway. I dont
  even like to talk about it, if you want to know
  the truth. (80)

8
The Date

• If he knows nothing would happen, why is he still
  so concerned?
• If he doesnt like to talk about it, why is he
  always talking about it?

9
Phony

• Is Holden a phony?
• I almost was once in a movie short, but I
  changed my mind at the last minute. I figured
  that anybody that hates the movies as much as I
  do, Id be a phony if I let them stick me in a
  movie short. (77)

10
Phony

• Here, Holden will not participate in an activity
  that makes him a phony
• However, has he acted like a phony before?
• What does this say about Holden?
• Lack of self-knowledge or self-identity?

11
Ernies Night Club

• Hes so good hes almost corny, in fact. I dont
  exactly know what I mean by that, but I mean it.
  (80)
• Diction
• What does this quote say about Holden?

12
Ernies Night Club

• I think its because sometimes when he plays, he
  sounds like the kind of guy that wont talk to
  you unless youre a big shot. (80)
• Assumption
• Holden makes this conclusion based on the way
  Ernie plays the piano.

13
Ernies Night Club

• In a funny way, though, I felt sort of sorry for
  him when he was finished. I dont even think he
  knows any more when hes playing right or not. It
  isnt all his fault. I partly blame all those
  dopes that clap their heads off-theyd foul up
  anybody, if you gave them a chance. (84)

14
Ernies Night Club

• People are to blame
• People are always ruining things for you. (87)

15
Setting and Tone

• New Yorks terrible when somebody laughs on the
  street very late at night. You can hear it for
  miles. It makes you feel so lonesome and
  depressed. (81)
• The whole lobby was empty. It smelled like fifty
  million dead cigars. It really did. I wasnt
  sleepy or anything, but I was feeling sort of
  lousy. Depressed and all. I almost wished I was
  dead. (90)

16
The Ducks

• Typical question by Holden, but a new piece of
  information
• I mean does somebody come around in a truck or
  something and take them away, or do they fly away
  by themselvesgo south or something? (82)

17
The Ducks

• What is it that Holden is saying?
• Who is responsible for the well-being and safety
  of the ducks?
• Other people?
• The ducks themselves?

18
Horwitz

• The cab driver
• Reaction
• The fish dont go no place. They stay right
  where they are, the fish. Right in the lake.
  (82)

19
Horwitzs Reaction, cont.

• Its tougher for the fish, the winter and all,
  than it is for the ducks (82)
• If you was a fish, Mother Natured take care of
  you, wouldnt she? Right? You dont think them
  fish just die when it gets to be winter, do ya?
  (83)

20
Holdens Reaction

• They cant just ignore the ice. They cant just
  ignore it. (82)
• Symbolism of ice?

21
Red Hunting Hat

• But it was freezing cold, and I took my red
  hunting hat out of my pocket and put it onI
  didnt give a damn how I looked. I even put the
  earlaps down. (88)
• Offers protection to Holden

22
Maurice

• Elevator operator
• Pimp
• Offers Holden a prostitute
• It was against my principles and all, but I was
  feeling so depressed I didnt even think. Thats
  the whole trouble. When youre feeling very
  depressed, you cant even think. (91)

23
Sunny

• Prostitute
• Young
• I think it was because she was young as hell.
  She was around my ageShe had a tiny little
  wheeny-whiny voice. You could hardly hear her.
  She never said thank you, either, when you
  offered her something. She just didnt know any
  better. (94)

24
Sunny

• Like fun you are. (94)
• It was a funny thing to say. It sounded like a
  real kid. (94)
• So long, crumb-bum (98)

25
Holdens Reaction to Sunny

• I felt much more depressed than sexy. (95)
• Dont you feel like talking for a while? I
  asked her. It was a childish thing to say, but I
  was feeling so damn peculiar. (95)
• She looked at me like I was a madman. (95)

26
Holdens Reaction to Sunny

• The trouble was, I just didnt want to do it. I
  felt more depressed than sexy, if you want to
  know the truth. She was depressing. Her green
  dress hanging in the closet and all. (96)

27
Holdens Reaction to Sunny

• She was a pretty spooky kid. Even with that
  little bitty voice she had, she could sort of
  scare you a little bit. If shed been a big old
  prostitute, with a lot of makeup on her face and
  all, she wouldnt have been half as spooky. (98)

28
Why Does Holden Have This Reaction?

• Conflicting reality of Sunnys age with her
  profession
• By definition, a prostitute is experienced
• Holden can not come to terms with a kid (who, in
  his opinion, should be innocent) who exists in a
  profession of experience.
• This reality depresses him.