The Catcher in the Rye
JD Salinger
Chapters 15-26: Notes
Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen
1. What is the point that Holden tries to make about
people when he elaborates about the suitcases of the
nuns and his former roommate?

He is slightly ashamed of being
born into money
Materialism creates a rift,
“inferiority,” which makes
Holden depressed
“The thing is, it’s really hard to be
roommates with people if your
suitcases are much better than
theirs…” (109)
Chapter Fifteen
2. How does Holden treat the nuns?

Holden admires the nuns for
their good nature; he treats the
nuns with respect and patience
He offers them a $10 donation
Juxtapose this with his refusal to
give Maurice $5?
Does Holden envy the nuns for
their lack of money/choice not to
worry about money?
Chapter Fifteen
3. Why does Holden think it spoils a conversation if
someone asks which religion he practices?

Religion tends to be too
outward to too many people
Some people feel the need to
identify others’ religious beliefs
or convert/preach to others
about their own beliefs
“Catholics are always trying to
find out if you’re a Catholic.” (112)
Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen
Holden states, “That’s what I liked about those nuns…
they never went anywhere swanky for lunch.”…

The nuns are not obsessed with
material acquisitions; they do
not wish for personal wealth
and would rather donate
money than spend it on
themselves
Holden wishes that money did not
have such a grip on him; he envies
the nuns’ financial indifference
Chapter Sixteen
1. Who does Holden make a date with? Why
does he call her up if he thinks she is a phony?

Holden calls Sally Hayes (exgirlfriend)
 “I used to think she was quite intelligent, in my
stupidity.” (105)
Holden is physically attracted to
Sally, has a sexual urge to see her,
but acknowledges that this urge
clouds his judgment
 “My big trouble is, I always sort of think whoever
I’m necking is a pretty intelligent person.” (105)
Chapter Sixteen
2. How does Holden treat little kids? Give an
example.

Holden treats children with a
profound respect and appreciation
Holden buys Phoebe a “Little
Shirley Beans” record
Holden observes a young boy “just
singing for the hell of it” as he walks
with his parents
Holden interacts with a young girl
in the park and helps her tighten her
skate
“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)

Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Sixteen
3. What is the significance of the young boy with
his parents that Holden sees on Broadway?

Holden’s depression is
interrupted and he is briefly
cheered up by witnessing this
child be so carefree and jolly
First mentioning of the
novel’s title:
“If a body catch a body coming
through the rye.” (115)
Chapter Sixteen
The Museum of Natural History particularly
intrigues Holden…

Holden has many memories
attached to this museum
He is intrigued by the fact that
things stay exactly the same each
time he goes, and yet notices that
he changes each and every time
he is there
 “The best thing, though, in that museum was that
everything always stayed right where it was.”
(121)
Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen
1. What does Holden’s comment about Sally,
“Suddenly I felt like I was in love with her and wanted
to marry her,” show about his current emotional state?

Holden is desperate for
companionship and love, even
to the point where he may
profess love to someone he
actually hates
Holden is only physically attracted to
Sally; he does not have a spiritual
connection with her like he thinks he has
with Jane
Chapter Seventeen
2. How does Holden feel about Sally as
the date progresses?

Holden is increasingly agitated and annoyed
with Sally as the date progresses
Sally converses with an ex-boyfriend of
hers, making Holden seem like a third
wheel
 He tries to have an intellectual conversation
with her, but it turns into an unfocused rant
on the things Holden hates; Sally becomes
fearful of Holden’s apparent craziness
 Holden eventually calls her “a pain in the
ass” and walks out on her
Chapter Seventeen
3. What does Holden admit to Sally
about his health?

Holden comments on his mental
state:
He is “fed up” and in “lousy
shape,” admitting “I don’t get
hardly anything out of anything.”
Discuss
Do “crazy” people know that they are
crazy?
Is this a cry for help? Is Holden looking
for someone to cure him?
Chapter Seventeen
4. As a result of his mental state, what
does Holden suggest to Sally?

Holden suggests that she escape
with him, somewhere north, to live
in a cabin away from society
“How would you like to get the hell
out of here? …we could live
somewhere with a brook and
all…we could get married or
something. I could chop all our own
wood in the wintertime and all…”
(132)
Chapter Seventeen
5. Why does Holden feel the need to
escape now rather than later in life?

Holden realizes that if they wait,
they’ll get mired in adulthood
The older one gets, the more stuck
one becomes
Quote133
Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen
1. Who is Carl Luce?

Carl Luce
Former classmate of Holden’s at
Whooton School
3 years older than Holden
The highest IQ of Holden’s
classmates
Holden, following a lousy
conversation with Sally, is seeking an
intellectual conversation with
someone.
Chapter Eighteen
2. What does the Radio City experience
prompt Holden to think about?

The one and only thing Holden
admires about RCMH’s Christmas
show is the kettle drummer
The only genuine performer in the
show
It invokes a memory involving Allie,
in which the two moved their seats
to get a closer view of the drummer
Allie tried to send the drummer a
postcard while on vacation
Chapter Eighteen
3. What opinions does Holden have about
war?

 Holden is a self-professed “pacifist” but
accepts/understands the necessity of war
 He witnessed how DB was changed by
WWII (Salinger fought in D-Day too!)
 He loathes having to be in an army more
than fighting in battle
Why fight alongside people you actually
hate? Is any cause so noble?
 He appreciates the invention of the atomic
bomb for its efficient means of ending the
war
“…It’d drive me crazy if I was in the war
with a bunch of guys like Ackley and
Stradlater and Old Maurice all the time,
marching with them and all… I swear if
there’s ever another war, they better just
take me out and stick me in front of a
firing squad. I wouldn’t object… I’m sort
of glad they have the atomic bomb
invented. If there’s ever another war, I’m
going to sit right the hell on top of it. I’ll
volunteer for it, I swear to God I will.”
(140-141)

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen
Carl Luce…

 Carl is a former classmate and student
adviser of Holden’s at Whooton School
 Currently attends Columbia University in
NYC
 In high school, Carl was known to be one of
the few kids who experienced sex
 According to Holden, Carl “knew who every
flit and Lesbian in the United States was”
 Described as highly intellectual; has the
highest IQ
Chapter Nineteen
1. Has Holden matured at all since first
knowing Carl Luce? Prove it!

 Holden, although admitting to us that he is
seeking an intelligent conversation, seems
hell-bent on talking about Carl’s sex life
 Holden sticks to the same topic of
conversation rehearsed with Carl in high
school three years prior
He has not progressed from high school,
whereas Carl certainly has
“Must we pursue this horrible trend of
thought?” (Carl, 145)
Chapter Nineteen
2. What more do we learn about Holden’s
opinion of sex?

 Carl to Holden: “[Chinese] regard sex as
both a physical and spiritual experience.”
 Holden to Carl: “So do I! …I know it’s
supposed to be physical and spiritual, and
artistic and all… you can’t do it with
everybody– every girl you neck with and all–
and make it come out that way.”
 Holden respects (but has not experienced
first-hand) the sanctity, spirituality of sex
Chapter Nineteen
Holden the homophobe?

Holden is homophobic?
He chooses to use a derogatory term for homosexual
(“flit”)
“He used to scare the hell out of us. I kept waiting to
turn into a flit or something”
Holden is tolerant of homosexuality?
He is simply judgmental about all topics that concern
or intrigue him
The fact that he uses a derogatory term is merely a
product of his immaturity and ignorance; shows his
stubborn refusal to be mature and speak maturely
Chapter Nineteen
3. What does Luce suggest to Holden (Carl has
suggested that Holden do this before)?

 Carl’s father is a psychoanalyst
 There is evidence that Carl once
suggested to Holden that he seek
therapy
“For one thing, [Carl’s father] would help
you recognize the patterns of your mind.”
(Luce to Holden, 148)
 Perhaps the true reason that Holden
has met with Carl at the Wicker Bar is
to ask for help?
Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty
1. What does Holden pretend happens to him at the
Wicker Bar?

 An increasingly drunk Holden secretly playacts that he has been shot in the stomach and
is holding his guts
Holding onto his guts = Mentally degrading?
 He thinks to call Jane at this time
 We witnessed Holden do this after being
punched in the stomach by Maurice and
chiseled out of money
“I was even concealing the fact that I was a
wounded sonuvabitch.” (150)
Chapter Twenty
2. What happens to Holden’s gift for his sister?
How does he feel at this point?

 Holden’s gift, the “Little Shirley Beans”
record he purchased for her, is accidentally
dropped and breaks “into about fifty pieces”
 Holden is devastated but does not disregard
the broken gift and holds on to it
“I damn near cried, it made me feel so
terrible, but all I did was, I took the pieces out
of the envelope and put them in my coat
pocket.” (154)
Chapter Twenty
Holden’s “drunk dial” with Sally Hayes…

 Holden calls Sally Hayes
 He asks her/accepts her invitation to
“trimma goddam tree for her” (decorate the
Christmas tree) on Christmas Eve
Sexual inuendo?
 He is still “holding onto [his] guts”
An apology for acting the way he did, calling
her a “pain in the ass”?
Chapter Twenty
3. Where does Holden go after leaving the Wicker
Bar?

 Holden winds up in Central Park, which he
claims to “know... Like the back of my hand”
 He is searching for the lagoon where the
ducks may be but is unable to find it
Holden’s inability to locate himself, find a
direction in life?
“I didn’t even know where I was supposed to
go… I started walking over to the park. I
figured I’d go by that little lake and see what
the hell the ducks were doing, see if they were
around or not. I still didn’t know if they were
around or not.” (153)
Chapter Twenty
4. What information does Holden finally tell us
about Allie’s funeral?

 Holden admits that he did not attend Allie’s
funeral, on account of his hand being broken
and having to be in the hospital
 Does this help us understand Holden’s
inability to find closure with his brother’s
death?
 Allie is “stuck” in a cemetery
Holden resents the fact that Allie can’t move
on from the ground and hopes that when he
dies, someone has “sense enough to just dump
[him] in the river.” (155)
Chapter Twenty
5. What does Holden say about Allie that
contradicts all his other statements about being an
atheist?

 He contradicts his supposed atheism by
admitting that Allie’s soul ascended to
heaven “and all that crap”
Atheists would not believe in an afterlife as,
say, a Catholic would.
One of the many contradictory elements of
Holden’s character
An accurate portrayal of a youth’s
“belief”?
When developing socially, spiritually, academically,
etc., it seems hard-pressed for any 16-year old to say
“I believe…”
Chapter Twenty
6. Besides Allie, what are some of Holden’s other
thoughts as he sits in Central Park?

 Holden thinks he is about to die from
pneumonia (harsh winter cold; hunks of ice
in his hair) as he is sitting on a bench in
Central Park
 Holden does not wish to be memorialized
after death and hopes his “lousy” family
members do not attend his funeral
Chapter Twenty
7. After he leaves the park, where does
Holden go?

 Holden, fearing death, decides to go see the
one person he would surely want to see
before he dies: Phoebe
 He plans on sneaking in his parents’
apartment, avoiding them, in order to speak
to Phoebe
“I started thinking about how Phoebe would
feel if I got pneumonia and died… I figured I
better sneak home and see her… and just sort
of chew the fat with her for a while.” (156)
Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One
1. What does Holden find so intriguing about
Phoebe’s notebook?

 She has “about five thousand notebooks”
HYPERBOLE!
 She uses a fake middle name: “Weatherfield”
 Although she is very smart and gets great
grades, her notebooks are not filled with
only academic notes; she inscribes her name
over and over again and writes notes to her
classmates
She is not overpowered or encumbered by
academic responsibilities
Chapter Twenty-One
2. What is the one critique Holden has about
Phoebe?

 “She’s very affectionate. I mean she’s quite
affectionate, for a child. Sometimes she’s
even too affectionate.” (161)
 Perhaps Holden is worried that her overly
kind nature will allow others to take
advantage of her kindness?
 DISCUSS: Do you know anyone who is “too
affectionate”?
Chapter Twenty-One
Phoebe’s reaction to Holden’s broken gift…

 She accepts the broken “Little Shirley Beans”
record and saves the pieces and stores them
in the drawer of her night table
 She is appreciative of a gift that she can’t
even use
This demonstrates her gratitude and
appreciation for her older brother
Chapter Twenty-One
3. Why does Phoebe become so upset with Holden?

 She figures out that he has been expelled
again; she is not told (very perceptive for her
age)
 Phoebe is very disappointed and, perhaps,
overly dramatic
 She punches him
 “She gets very fisty when she feels like it” (165)
 She worries that Holden’s father is going to kill
him
 She puts a pillow over her head and refuses to
acknowledge Holden’s pleas
Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two
Holden’s reasoning as to why he got kicked
out of school again…

 Holden has “a million reasons why” he was
kicked out of Pencey Prep and admits to
Phoebe that he “didn’t like anything that
was happening” there
 “Everybody was always locking their door
when somebody wanted to come in” (167)
 Teachers acts differently when the
headmaster is around (phony adults)
 Alumni always return to PP and refer to their
high school days as “the happiest days” of
their lives
Chapter Twenty-Two
1. What does it tell us about Holden when Phoebe
states, “You don’t like anything that’s happening”?

 This demonstrates that Holden’s cynical
apathy has been a recurring pattern for some
time now
 Holden tells the reader that he “couldn’t
concentrate too hot” after she asks him to
name one thing he likes
 He admits to liking…
The nuns with “those old straw baskets”
James Castle
His brother, Allie
“chewing the fat with [Phoebe]”
Chapter Twenty-Two
2. Why does Holden think about James Castle when
Phoebe asks him to name one thing he likes a lot.

 James Castle = Holden’s former classmate at
Elkton Hills
 Was bullied and abused because he called a
kid “conceited”
 Refused to take back what he said
 Had something “too repulsive” done to him
by Stabile and a handful of other guys
 Committed suicide by jumping out the
window
 He was wearing a turtleneck sweater that
Holden let him borrow
Chapter Twenty-Two
3. What does it tell us about Holden when he says, “Just
because somebody’s dead…”?

 “Just because somebody’s dead, you don’t
just stop liking them, for God’s sake–
especially if they were a thousand times
nicer than the people you know that’re alive
and all.” (171)
 Holden has set a standard of comparison for
all he meets since Allie’s death
 Holden still positions Allie as a living entity;
has not found closure from Allie’s passing
 Holden wishes to keep his memory of Allie
preserved as is
Chapter Twenty-Two
4. What does Holden tell Phoebe he’d like to be?
(Significance of novel’s title)

 Holden wants to be the “catcher in the rye”
 Imagines himself as the only adult in a
field full of children who are playing
innocently
 He has to catch them from falling off a
cliff if they get too close to the edge of the
field
 Inference = Holden wishes to protect children
from the phoniness and corrupt nature of
adulthood
 Falling off the cliff = becoming an adult;
giving up one’s innocence
Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three
1. Who is Mr. Antolini?

 Mr. Antolini = Holden’s former
English teacher at Elkton Hills
 Family friend of the Caulfields
 About the same age as D.B.
“He was about the best teacher I ever had…
You could kid around with him without
losing your respect for him.” (174)
Chapter Twenty-Three
2. How does Phoebe cover for Holden when their
parents come home?

She lies to avoid situations just
like her older brother does
She covers for Holden and
tells her mother that she was
smoking a cigarette
Chapter Twenty-Three
3. In talking with her mother, how does Phoebe
“sound” like Holden?

She chooses similar inappropriate
words to use
“Lousy”
She speaks with a similar cynical
tone and emphasizes certain words
“The lambchop was all right, but
Charlene always breathes on me
whenever she puts something down.
She breathes all over the food and
everything. She breathes on everything.”
(178)
Chapter Twenty-Three
4. What does Phoebe do that makes Holden
cry?

 Phoebe offers (then makes) Holden take her
Christmas money
 Reasons why Holden cries?
Humility
The big brother accepting a handout from the
little sister
Admiration
He is so overcome with gratitude and does not
feel worthy of such charity
Pattern of Depression/Symptoms of nervous
breakdown
He has cried several other times in the novel;
this seems to be a pattern
Chapter Twenty-Three
Holden gives Phoebe his red hunting hat…
 Significance?

This is the only item of value (sentimental)
that he has on his possession
A passing of the torch which signifies
Holden’s lasting legacy
A memento for Phoebe to keep in case he dies
(similar to Holden keeping Allie’s mitt)
He is giving up the emblem of his protection
from the adult world and, upon leaving home
uncertain that he’ll ever return, he is prepared
to live on dangerously/unprotected
Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four
Mr. Antolini…

 “More witty than intellectual”
 Holden has a closer, more familial
relationship with him than just studentteacher (plays tennis with he and his wife)
 He agrees with Holden that D.B. is wasting
his talents in Hollywood
 When Holden arrives he answers the door in
his bathrobe, is seemingly drunk after
having people over for a party earlier in the
evening
Chapter Twenty-Four
1. Why did Holden fail his ‘Oral Expression’ course at
Pencey?

 The teacher, Mr. Vinson, forced students to
stay on topic/stick to the point when giving
speeches
 Students (and Mr. Vinson) yelled
“Digression!” whenever anyone strayed from
the point
 He made nervous students like Richard
Kinsella, who had trouble sticking to the point,
feel inferior
 Holden likes it when somebody digresses
“I don’t like it when somebody sticks to the
point all the time” (183)
Chapter Twenty-Four
2. How does Holden feel physically when he
talks to Mr. Antolini?

 “…but I felt sort of funny when I got outside. Sort of





dizzy.” (181)
“I was still feeling sort of dizzy or something and I had a
helluva headache all of a sudden.” (183)
“I didn’t feel much like thinking and answering and all. I
had a headache and I felt lousy. I even had sort of a
stomach-ache…” (184)
“I didn’t feel at all like discussing it. The coffee made my
stomach feel a little beter, but I still had this awful
headache.” (186)
“The thing was, though, I didn’t feel much like
concentrating. Boy, I felt so damn tired all of a sudden.”
(188)
“I kept trying not to yawn… I was so damn sleepy all of a
sudden.” (190)
Chapter Twenty-Four
3. What does Holden say about hating people,
such as Ackley and Stradlater?

 Holden’s hatred masks the secret
appreciation/gratitude and dependency he
has for others
“I don’t hate too many guys. What I may do,
I may hate them for a little while… but it
doesn’t last long… After a while, if I didn’t
see [Ackley and Stradlater], if they didn’t
come to the room, or if I didn’t see them in
the dining room for a couple of meals, I sort
of missed them. I mean I sort of missed
them.” (187)
Chapter Twenty-Four
4. Explain Antolini’s advice: “The mark of the immature man is
that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the
mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.”

 Maturity comes to those who endure life’s
struggles humbly
 No cause is worth risking one’s life, no
matter how nobly one pursues or defies the
cause
 Youth is a time of great impulse and urgency
while wisdom comes from experience and
time
Which type of man is Holden? DISCUSS!
Chapter Twenty-Four
Comparing Mr. Antolini’s advice to that of Mr.
Spencer’s advice from earlier in the story…

 Antolini’s advice is similar to Spencer’s
advice in that he is urging Holden to
conform to the expectations of
adults/society
 His advice differs, however, because he
offers Holden hope that once he gets through
school he can find “the size of [his] mind”
His advice is to deal with the phoniness of
school for as long as it takes to get through
school; Spencer’s advice is to “play the game
according to the rules” forever
Chapter Twenty-Four
5. How does Antolini upset and scare Holden? Can you
relate this to Holden’s previous digression about
“flits”?

 Holden wakes up to Antolini crouched next
to him on the couch, in the dark, and feels
Antolini’s hand “sort of petting me or
patting me on the goddam head.”
 Holden admits to having “perverty”
experiences as a child
“Boy, I’ll bet I jumped about a thousand
feet… When something perverty like that
happens, I start sweating like a bastard. That
kind of stuff’s happened to me about twenty
times since I was a kid. I can’t stand it.” (193)
Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five
1. Later, after he has had time to think about it, what
does Holden think about Antolini?

 Holden wonders whether or not he
overreacted
 Perhaps Antolini was not making “a flitty
pass” at him but was simply
admiring/caring for him as a father would
his son
 It depresses Holden even more when he
starts to feel guilty about leaving/not
returning to Antolini’s apartment
“The more I thought about it, the more
depressed and screwed up about it I got.”
(195)
Chapter Twenty-Five
Holden reads a magazine article about hormones while
at Grand Central Station

 The article reminds him of impending old
age
 He is reminded that he is getting older no
matter what he does and he can not stop
time from changing him
 He is terrified at the thought of dying from
cancer
“I figured I’d be dead in a couple of months
because I had cancer. I really did. I was even
positive I would be. It certainly didn’t make
me feel too gorgeous.” (196)
Chapter Twenty-Five
2. What strange feeling does Holden start to have when
he steps off of curbs?

 As he is attempting to walk across the street,
Holden feels like he is going to disappear
“…I had this feeling that I’d never get to the
other side of the street. I thought I’d just go
down, down, down, and nobody’d ever see
me again. Boy did it scare me. You can’t
imagine.” (197-198)
 This reminds the reader of an earlier episode,
in Agerstown, PA, when Holden felt this
way while running to Spencer’s house
Chapter Twenty-Five
Holden keeps repeating, “Allie, don’t let me
disappear”…

 Perhaps this helps Holden summon the
strength and power to keep going
 When he gets to other side of the street, he
thanks Allie
 He admits that he was scared to stop doing it
but also admits that he couldn’t remember
this episode too well
Discussion: What other experiences
throughout the novel does Holden have
trouble remembering?
Chapter Twenty-Five
3. What does Holden decide he must do next? Where
does he go?

 Holden makes the decision to flee NYC and
hitchhike out west
He’ll own a cabin that is somewhat in the
woods but still mostly in the sun
He’ll become a deaf mute, marry a deaf mute,
and demand that his beautiful wife, like
everyone else, write him notes instead of
speak to him
He’ll have children but will not allow them to
go to school; he will teach them himself
He’ll work at a filling station or someplace
where nobody tries to talk to him
Chapter Twenty-Five
4. With all the bad language that Holden uses, why is
he so upset that curse words are written on a school
wall?

 The curse words on the wall at school make
Holden fearful that the children that do not
know what the words mean will become
curious, find out, and become exposed to the
true meaning of the words
He is worried that children will lose their
innocence
Chapter Twenty-Five
5. How does Holden treat the two boys at the museum?

 Holden admires the two brothers he meets at
the museum
 He jokes around with them
 He guides them to where the mummies are
 He informs them about Egyptian history
This is contrasted to Holden’s failed paper
(topic = Egyptians) he read aloud earlier in the
story at Spencer’s house
Chapter Twenty-Five
6. Why is it so important to Holden that Phoebe not be
mad at him? Relate this to his past (think: Allie).

 Holden once did not allow Allie to play with
him and has harbored that guilt since his
brother’s death
Earlier in the story, he explains the situation
when he tried to protect Allie from the
dangers of shooting BB guns and did not
allow him to play with him
 He is scared to do the same to Phoebe and
feels a need to include her in case he (or she)
dies/vanishes
Chapter Twenty-Five
Holden and Phoebe come “full circle”

 The siblings wind up in Central Park at the
carrousel, one of Phoebe’s favorite childhood
rides
 The carrousel, like many NYC landmarks,
never seems to change nor age
It is similar to the Museum of Natural
History, for example
“That’s one nice thing about carrousels, they
always play the same songs.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
7. What does Holden mean when he states, “The thing with kids is,
if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it,
and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you
say anything to them”?

 This statement contradicts what he says
about being the “catcher in the rye” and
preventing children from falling off the cliff
 Here, Holden argues for the need to let
children learn to go hardships and growing
pains so that they can learn from their own
mistakes
Chapter Twenty-Five
8. Of what may the carousel be considered symbolic?

 Carrousel symbolism:
Cyclical nature of time
Until this moment, Holden seems to view life
as a linear path which begins at birth, moves
through childhood, to adulthood, and
ultimately to death. The carrousel makes
Holden wonder if time is more revolving than
straight
Icon of childhood
The carrousel in Central Park is in Holden’s
childhood backyard/playground. It reminds
him of the times when he was young, when
DB, Allie, Phoebe and he were kids
Chapter Twenty-Five
Holden becomes so happy that he is “damn near
bawling”…

 Holden has an epiphany; a moment of selfactualization and realization that life can
be okay
 He has decided, at this point, to give up his
“madman” journey and return home
“I felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the
way Phoebe kept going around and
around… It was just that she looked so damn
nice… God, I wish you could’ve been there.”
(213)
Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six
1. According to Holden, why shouldn’t we “ever tell
anybody anything”?

 “If you do, you start missing everybody.”
The more we reflect upon our lives, the more
appreciative we become of our journey
The more we reflect upon our lives, the more
reminded we become that all people have had
a huge impact, positive or negative, on us
Chapter Twenty-Six
Does Holden seem to be better off or worse off after
being psychoanalyzed in California?

 There is evidence to argue for either side
DISCUSSION: Better off or worse off?