CHAPTER ONE
The Catcher in the Rye Guiding Questions 1-14
 How does Holden feel about his brother D.B.?
 What do the fencing foils represent? What does this mean?
 What is the significance of Holden feeling that he is disappearing?
CHAPTER TWO
 What does Holden’s reaction to Mr. Spencer reveal about him?
 What does Holden have to say about the Egyptians on the bottom of pg11
 What does Holden wonder about the ducks on pg 13?
 Explain why Holden views Mr. Haas as a phony.
CHAPTER THREE
 What is ironic about what Holden mentions at the beginning of the chapter?
 Who is Ossenburger? How does Holden view him?
 What does Holden buy in New York? How does he wear it?
 Describe Robert Ackley.
 At the bottom of pg 21, what does Holden do with his hat?
 What does Ackley say about Holden’s acquisition? What is Holden’s response to this?
CHAPTER FOUR
 How is Stradlater a “secret slob”?
 How are Holden and Stradlater different? Who is the kid here?
 How do they each view Jane? What does this tell us about them?
CHAPTER FIVE
 How were “Saturday night steaks” a form of phoniness?
 What does Holden’s incident with the snowball tell us about him?
 How do Ackley and Mal Brossard act at the movies? What does Holden think about their behaviour?
 What does Holden have to say about Allie? Why does he feel so strongly about Allie?
 Describe the function of the hunting hat in this chapter. How does it relate to truth?
CHAPTER SIX
 How do Holden’s comments at the beginning of the chapter foreshadow future events?
 Describe the altercation in this chapter? What does the altercation reveal about both of the combatants?
CHAPTER SEVEN
 Describe the hypocrisy of Ackley’s comments on pg 47
 How is Stradlater a phony with his dates?
 Describe Holden’s plan as outlined on pg 51
 How do we know that Holden is depressed?
CHAPTER EIGHT
 What does Holden do at the bottom of pg 53? How is that significant in terms of his conversation with Mrs. Morrow?
 What do we learn about Holden through his conversation with Mrs. Morrow?
 How does Holden feel about Ernest Morrow? What does Holden say about people that are rats as a child?
 What is the source of Holden’s alias? (fake name)

CHAPTER NINE
 What is the first thing Holden does (or doesn’t do) when he arrives in NY?
 Describe Holden’s first conversation with the cab driver about the ducks.
 Describe Holden’s conversation with Faith? What does it tell us about him at this point of the novel?
CHAPTER TEN
 How does Holden describe Phoebe?
 Describe Holden’s interaction with the girls from Seattle.
 Provide two instances of Holden trying to engage in adult behaviours.
 What is Holden’s alias with the girls? What quality might he be trying to convey? Why?
(consider last name)
 Holden is disgusted by a number of things in this chapter. List and explain two of them.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
 Is Holden in denial about Jane?
 What is suggested about Jane’s relationship with Mr. Cudahy?
CHAPTER TWELVE
 What evidence do we have that Holden is getting increasingly depressed?
 Describe Holden’s conversation with Horwitz. What does it reveal about Holden?
 How does Holden view Ernie? Explain.
 Explain how Holden viewed the conversation between the “Joe-Yale looking guy and the terrific-looking girl”
 Describe Lillian Simmons and her companion from the Navy
 What realization does Holden come to at the end of the chapter?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
 What is revealed about Holden through his thoughts on his gloves?
 What is revealed about Holden through his thoughts on “horsing around with girls”
 Describe Holden’s experience with Sunny. Why do you think Holden could not go through with it?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
 What memory of Allie makes Holden depressed?
 Who is Holden’s favourite person in the Bible? Why do you think Holden identifies with him?
 Why does Holden dislike ministers?
 Describe Holden’s encounter with Sunny and Maurice. What might Maurice symbolize?
Is Holden child-like or adult-like in this confrontation?
 How does Holden deal with his wounds? What does this reveal about him? Explain the significance of the last paragraph of the chapter.