English 3201/3202
Catcher in the Rye Notes
Chapter
Summary
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Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Holden is telling this story from
some sort of hospital ("grew six
and a half inches" and
"practically got t.b." and "came
out here for all these goddamn
checkups and stuff").
He tells us that he has been kicked
out of Pencey prep school
He went to say good-bye to Mr.
Spencer, who is sick.
It’s Saturday
This is the fourth school Holden's
been booted from; he says "boy!"
a lot; he was sixteen during all
this; he has gray hair; and he acts
like he's twelve—except when he
doesn't.
He failed four classes, except
English
Mr. Spencer lectures him about
the future; Holden finds this
depressing.
Characters
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Symbols/Themes/Literary
Concepts/slang words
Holden Caulfield – 17,
kicked out of boy’s prep
school, doesn’t like much
Mr. Spencer – old
teacher, disappointed by
Holden
DB – Holden’s brother
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Stream of consciousness
Phonies
Holden seems to find
many things depressing
and find little joy in life.
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“Life is a game”
Ducks – curiosity and youth,
perseverance despite harsh
environment, change and
disappearance, transition between
childhood and adulthood.
English 3201/3202
Catcher in the Rye Notes
Chapter
Summary


Chapter 3
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
Chapter 4
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Holden tells us he’s a terrific liar.
So, should we believe this story?
We find out Holden lives in a dorm
named after a wealthy funeral
director.
Holden likes books that, after you
read them, you wish the author
was a friend of yours that you
could just call up and talk to.
(Like, say, Catcher in the Rye?)
His gross teethed neighbor visits.
Holden is not interested.
Holden talks about his “people
shooting hat”
Holden goes with Stradlater to the
“can”
Stradlater asks him to write a
composition for him (without
perfect punctuation!)
He randomly starts tap-dancing.
Stradlater tells him his date is Jane
Gallagher, a girl who grew up next
door to Holden.
Holden worries about what
Stradlater might do with Jane.
Characters
Ackley - He's a tall guy with dirty
teeth and pimples.
 He annoys Holden by
picking at his things and
putting them back in he
wrong place.
Themes/Symbols/Important points
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Stradlater is attractive,
but a secret slob.
It seems that Holden
looks up to him or is
envious of him.
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This chapter shows us how Holden
interacts with others. He can be
annoyed by people, but still treats
them with basic kindness.
This also shows his isolation and
loneliness.
Hat – image, appearance, selfconscious
The pressure of adolescent
sexuality—an important theme
throughout The Catcher in the
Rye—makes itself felt here for the
first time: Holden’s greatest worry is
that Stradlater will make sexual
advances toward Jane.
English 3201/3202
Chapter 5
Catcher in the Rye Notes
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Holden, Mal, and Ackley go to
town to see a movie (they don’t
actually watch one).
When they get back, Ackley won’t
leave (picks his pimples and tells a
fake sex story). Finally, Holden
straight out tells him to go.
Holden begins to write the
composition for Stradlater. He
writes about his brother’s baseball
mitt. It had poems written all over
it.
He tells us his brother died of
Leukemia. That night, Holden
broke all the windows in the
garage and his fist has not been
the same since.
Allie – Holden’s younger brother;
he was intelligent and goodnatured and had red hair—the kind
you could see from a mile away. He
used to laugh so hard he'd fall off
his chair
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Examples of phony – steak dinner,
Holden and the snowball.
Hat – puts it on after Ackley left
(image)
Holden says he doesn’t care about
his fist…really? He seems not to care
about much, yet he is telling this
from a rest home.
Allie. Important in Holden’s
depression.