The Catcher in the Rye

1
The Catcher in the Rye

• Pages 26-46

2
Stradlater

• In chapter 3, Holden seems to like Stradlater
• Holdens Descriptions of Stradlater in Chapters
  4, 5 6
• Stradlater was more of a secret slob. (27)
• The reason he fixed himself up to look good was
  because he was madly in love with himself. He
  thought he was the handsomest guy in the Western
  Hemisphere. (7)

3
Stradlater

• He spent around half his life in front of the
  mirror. (33)
• I kept thinking about Jane, and Stradlater
  having a date with her and all. It made me so
  nervous I nearly went crazy. I already told you
  what a sexy bastard Stradlater was. (34)
• God, how I hated him. (42)
• I didnt even answer him. God, how I hated him.
  (42)

4
Ackley

• Ackleys Canadian Girlfriend
• That guy had just about everything. Sinus
  trouble, pimples, lousy teeth, halitosis, crumby
  fingernails. You had to feel a little sorry for
  the crazy (39)

5
Jane Gallagher

• Stradlaters date for the evening
• Holden knows Jane
• She practically lived right next door to me, the
  summer before last. (31)

6
Jane Gallagher

• I used to play checkers with her all the
  timeShe wouldnt move any of her kings. What
  shed do, when shed get a king, she wouldnt
  move it. Shed just leave it in the back row.
  Shed get them all lined up in the back row. Then
  shed never use them. She just liked the way they
  looked when they were all in the back row.
  (31-32)

7
Jane Gallagher

• Why wouldnt Jane move her kings?
• If she doesnt move them, she will not lose them.
• If she doesnt take the risk, she will not be
  hurt.
• Holden seems to admire this philosophy
• At the same time, if she doesnt move her kings,
  she cannot win.

8
Jane Gallagher

• Holden debates if he should say hello to her
• I oughta go down and say hello to her or
  something. (31)
• I oughta go down and at least say hello to her
  (32)
• I oughta go down and say hello to her, at
  least. (32)

9
Why Doesnt Holden Say Hello?

• Im not in the mood right now, I said. I
  wasnt, either. You have to be in the mood for
  those things.(33)
• Does not want to take the risk
• She might not remember him?
• She might not have the same feelings for him?
• She might have changed from how he remembers her?

10
Snow

• There were about three inches of snow on the
  ground, and it was still coming down like a
  madman. It looked pretty as hell, and we all
  started throwing snowballs and horsing around all
  over the place. It was very childish, but
  everybody was really enjoying themselves. (35)
• The enjoyment comes from acting like a kid.

11
Snow

• I went over to my window and opened it and
  packed a snowball with my bare hands. The snow
  was very good for packing. I didnt throw it at
  anything, though. I started to throw it. At a car
  that was parked across the street. But I changed
  my mind. The car looked so nice and white. Then I
  started to throw it at a hydrant, but that looked
  too nice and white, too. Finally I didnt throw
  it at anything. All I did was close the window
  and walk around the room with the snowball,
  packing it harder. (36)

12
Snow

• Why doesnt Holden throw the snowball?
• Does not want to destroy the innocence and purity
  of the setting.
• Once it is touched, the innocence cannot be
  returned.

13
Allie

• Pages 38-39
• Holden obviously loves and misses Allie
• No sarcasm at all when discussing Allie
• Everything is sincere

14
Allies Characteristics

• Red Hair
• Intelligent
• Funny
• Kind

• Wrote poems in green ink on his baseball glove
• Died of leukemia
• Two years younger than Holden

15
Holdens Reaction to Allies Death

• Broke all of the windows in the garage
• Tried to break the windows in the station wagon
• Could not do it because his hand was broken

16
Holdens Reaction to Allies Death

• Holden is still affected by the broken hand
• I cant make a real fist any morenot a tight
  one, I meanbut outside of that I dont care
  much. I mean Im not going to be a surgeon or a
  violinist or anything anyway. (39)
• Sense of hopelessness

17
Holdens Reaction to the Date

• I was getting sort of nervous, all of a sudden.
  Im quite a nervous guy. (34)
• I kept thinking about Jane, and about Stradlater
  having a date with her and all. It made me so
  nervous I nearly went crazy. (34)

18
Holdens Reaction to the Date

• I was so damn worried, thats why. When I really
  worry about something, I dont just fool around.
  I even have to go to the bathroom when I worry
  about something. Only, I dont go. Im too
  worried to go. If you knew Stradlater, youd have
  been worried, too. Id double-dated with that
  bastard a couple of times, and I know what Im
  talking about. He was unscrupulous. He really
  was. (40)

19
Holdens Reaction to the Date

• I could hardly keep my voice from shaking all
  over the place. Boy, was I getting nervous. I
  just had a feeling something had gone funny.
  (42)
• My voice was shaking something awful. (43)

20
Holdens Reaction to the Date

• Why is Holden so nervous?
• Why is Holden so protective of Jane?
• What is Holden protective of?
• Janes sexuality?

21
Holdens Fight

• Fights Stradlater when he returns from his date
  with Jane
• I tried to sock him, with all my might, right
  smack in the toothbrush, so it would split
  histhroat open. (43)
• Extreme behavior
• Idve killed him. (43)
• Extreme comment

22
Holdens Fight

• I was almost bawling. I really was. (44)
• I told him he thought he could give the time to
  anybody he felt like. I told him he didnt even
  care if a girl kept all her kings in the back row
  or not and the reason he didnt care was because
  he was a stupid moron. He hated it when you
  called him a moron. All morons hate it when you
  call them a moron. (44)

23
Holdens Fight

• He probably was scared hed fractured my skull
  or something when I hit the floor. Its too bad I
  didnt. (45)
• Why would Holden say this?

24
Holdens Immaturity

• Get your dirty stinking moron knees off my
  chest. (44)
• I told him to go wash his own moron facewhich
  was a pretty childish thing to say, but I was mad
  as hell. I told him to stop off on the way to the
  can and give Mrs. Schmidt the time. Mrs. Schmidt
  was the janitors wife. She was around
  sixty-five. (45)

25
Holdens Immaturity

• Then I got up. I couldnt find my hunting hat
  anywhere. Finally I found it. It was under the
  bed. I put it on, and turned the old peak around
  to the back, the way I liked it (45)

26
Holdens Immaturity

• Why does Holden immediately go for his hunting
  hat?
• Symbolic Value of the Hat?
• Security Blanket
• Like a child