The Catcher in the Rye: Chapters 13-17
CHAPTER 13
Chapter Summary
In one sentence, describe the major focus of Chapter 13. (E.g. In Chapter 1, a future Holden explains how the
beginning of his “madman stuff” started around the time he was expelled from school and angered the fencing
team.
In point form, list the plot points of this chapter.
Character
In point form, list what we learn about Holden in this chapter (e.g. personal beliefs, history, interests…).
In 1-2 sentences, describe Holden’s emotional/mental state in this chapter, including any changes you notice.
Key Quotes
What is the most important quote of the chapter, and why?
How are the following quotes important to understanding Holden and/or the story?
“I’m one of these very yellow guys. I try not to show it, but I am.” (88)
“The trouble with me is, I stop. Most guys don’t. I can’t help it.” and “The trouble is, I get to feeling sorry for
them. I mean most girls are so dumb and all. After you neck them for awhile, you can really watch them losing
their brains.” (92)
“Sexy was about the last thing I was feeling. I felt much more depressed than sexy.” (95) and “The trouble was, I
just didn’t want to do it. I felt more depressed than sexy, if you want to know the truth. She was depressing.”
(96)
“She was a pretty spooky kid. Even with that little bitty voice she had, she could sort of scare you a little bit. If
she’d been a big old prostitute, with a lot of makeup on her face and all, she wouldn’t have been half as
spooky.” (98)
Sources
You are encouraged to look up information about this chapter online. For each site you consult, list the website
name (such as www.sparknotes.com) and the full URL address of the page.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapters 13-17
CHAPTER 14
Chapter Summary
In one sentence, describe the major focus of Chapter 14. (E.g. In Chapter 1, a future Holden explains how the
beginning of his “madman stuff” started around the time he was expelled from school and angered the fencing
team.
In point form, list the plot points of this chapter.
Character
In point form, list what we learn about Holden in this chapter (e.g. personal beliefs, history, interests…).
In 1-2 sentences, describe Holden’s emotional/mental state in this chapter, including any changes you notice.
Key Quotes
What is the most important quote of the chapter, and why?
How are the following quotes important to understanding Holden and/or the story?
“Boy, I felt miserable. I felt so depressed, you can’t imagine. What I did, I started talking, sort of out loud, to
Allie. I do that sometimes when I get very depressed.” (98)
“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn’t do it. I can’t always pray when I feel like it. In
the first place, I’m sort of an atheist.” (99)
“All of a sudden I started to cry. I’d give anything if I hadn’t, but I did.” (103)
“But I’m crazy. I swear to God I am. About halfway to the bathroom, I sort of started pretending I had a bullet in
my guts.” (103-104)
“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.” (104)
Sources
You are encouraged to look up information about this chapter online. For each site you consult, list the website
name (such as www.sparknotes.com) and the full URL address of the page.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapters 13-17
CHAPTER 15
Chapter Summary
In one sentence, describe the major focus of Chapter 15. (E.g. In Chapter 1, a future Holden explains how the
beginning of his “madman stuff” started around the time he was expelled from school and angered the fencing
team.
In point form, list the plot points of this chapter.
Character
In point form, list what we learn about Holden in this chapter (e.g. personal beliefs, history, interests…).
In 1-2 sentences, describe Holden’s emotional/mental state in this chapter, including any changes you notice.
Key Quotes
What is the most important quote of the chapter, and why?
How are the following quotes important to understanding Holden and/or the story?
“I thought of giving old Jane a buzz, to see if she was home yet and all, but I wasn’t in the mood. / What I did do,
I gave old Sally Hayes a buzz.” (105)
“She was quite a little phony.” (106) and “She gave me a pain in the ass, but she was very good-looking.” (106)
“She hasn’t felt too healthy since my brother Allie died. She’s very nervous. That’s another reason why I hated
like hell for her to know I got the ax again.” (107)
“The thing is, it drives me crazy if somebody gets killed—especially somebody very smart and entertaining and
all—and it’s somebody else’s fault.” (111)
“I said I’d enjoyed talking to them a lot, too. I meant it, too.” (112)
Sources
You are encouraged to look up information about this chapter online. For each site you consult, list the website
name (such as www.sparknotes.com) and the full URL address of the page.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapters 13-17
CHAPTER 16
Chapter Summary
In one sentence, describe the major focus of Chapter 16. (E.g. In Chapter 1, a future Holden explains how the
beginning of his “madman stuff” started around the time he was expelled from school and angered the fencing
team.
In point form, list the plot points of this chapter.
Character
In point form, list what we learn about Holden in this chapter (e.g. personal beliefs, history, interests…).
In 1-2 sentences, describe Holden’s emotional/mental state in this chapter, including any changes you notice.
Key Quotes
What is the most important quote of the chapter, and why?
How are the following quotes important to understanding Holden and/or the story?
“I couldn’t stop thinking about those two nuns.” (113) and “That’s what I liked about those nuns.. You could tell,
for one thing, that they never went anywhere swanky for lunch. It made me so damn sad when I thought about
it, their never going anywhere swanky for lunch or anything, I knew it wasn’t too important, but it made me sad
anyway.” (114)
“It made me feel not so depressed anymore.” (115)
“She was a very nice, polite little kid. God, I love it when a kid’s nice and polite when you tighten their skate for
them or something. Most kids are. They really are.” (119)
“The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move.
You could go there a hundred thousand times, and that Eskimo would still be just finished catching those two
fish…Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you.” (121)
“Certain things 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.” (122)
Sources
You are encouraged to look up information about this chapter online. For each site you consult, list the website
name (such as www.sparknotes.com) and the full URL address of the page.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapters 13-17
CHAPTER 17
Chapter Summary
In one sentence, describe the major focus of Chapter 17. (E.g. In Chapter 1, a future Holden explains how the
beginning of his “madman stuff” started around the time he was expelled from school and angered the fencing
team.
In point form, list the plot points of this chapter.
Character
In point form, list what we learn about Holden in this chapter (e.g. personal beliefs, history, interests…).
I
n 1-2 sentences, describe Holden’s emotional/mental state in this chapter, including any changes you notice.
Key Quotes
What is the most important quote of the chapter, and why?
How are the following quotes important to understanding Holden and/or the story?
“It was really nice sightseeing, if you know what I mean In a way, it was sort of depressing, too, because you
kept wondering what the hell would happen to all of them. When they got out of school and college, I mean.”
(123)
“The funny part is, I felt like marrying her the minute I saw her. I’m crazy. I didn’t even like her much, and yet all
of a sudden I felt like I was in love with her and wanted to marry her. I swear to God I’m crazy. I admit it.” (124)
and “…when we were coming out of this big clinch, I told her I loved her and all. It was a lie, of course, but the
thing is, I meant it when I said it. I’m crazy. I swear to God I am.” (125)
“’Did you ever get fed up?’ I said. ‘I mean did you ever get scared that everything was going to go lousy unless
you did something?’” (130)
“’Don’t shout, please,’ old Sally said. Which was very funny, because I wasn’t even shouting.” (130)
“’…when the dough runs out , I could get a job somewhere and we could live somewhere with a brook and all
and, later on, we could get married or something, I could chop all our own wood in the wintertime and all.
Honest to God, we could have a terrific time! Wuddaya say? C’mon! Wudduya say? Will you do it with me?
Please!’” (132) and “If you want to know the truth, I don’t even know whey I started all that stuff with her…I
probably wouldn’t’ve taken her even if she’d wanted to go with me…The terrible port, though, is that I meant it
when I asked her. That’s the terrible part. I swear to God I’m a madman.” (134)
“The whole thing was sort of funny in a way, if you thought about it, and all of a sudden I did something I
shouldn’t have. I laughed.” (134)
Sources
You are encouraged to look up information about this chapter online. For each site you consult, list the website
name (such as www.sparknotes.com) and the full URL address of the page.