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.