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The Catcher in the Rye Study Guide

Chapter 1:

1a. Where did Holden go to school?

1b. Describe what this place was like.

2a. Who is D.B.?

2b. What is D.B. doing at this time?

3. What kind of kid is Holden? What clues in the story lead us to think this?

Chapter 2:

4. What was the only class Holden passed during the grading period?

5. How does Holden feel about adults?

6. How does Holden feel about Mr. Spencer?

7. When talking to Mr. Spencer, how is Holden different (Hint: stream of consciousness)?

Chapter 3:

8. What kind of hat did Holden buy in New York?

9. Who is Stradlater? How does Holden describe him? Does Holden like him?

10. Who is Ackley? How does Holden describe him? Does Holden like him?

Chapter 4:

11. How did Holden know Stradlater’s date, Jane Gallagher?

12. Why didn’t Holden want to go talk to her?

13. What was ironic about Holden writing Stradlater’s composition?

Chapter 5:

14. What did Holden write the composition about?

15. Why was this important? Why did Holden have it with him?

16. Why did Holden break all the windows and sleep in the garage?

Chapter 6:

17. What did Holden do with the composition?

18. Why?

19. Why is Holden interested about Stradlater and Jane?

20. Why did Stradlater punch Holden?

Chapter 7:

21. Why does Holden lie to Ackley about the fight?

22. What does Holden say when he leaves school?

23. Why?

24. When he leaves school, he gets sad and even starts to cry. Why? What does this tell us?

Chapter 8:

25. How does Holden get to New York?

26. What is Holden doing with Mrs. Morrow? Why?

27. How are Holden and D.B. alike in this chapter?

28. What does Holden say he is going home for?

Chapter 9:

29. How does Holden feel about girls/sex?

30. What does Holden see out of his hotel window?

31. Why does Holden call Faith Cavendish instead of Jane?

32. What ends up happening with Faith?

Chapter 10:

33. Who is Phoebe? What does Holden tell us about her?

34. Who does Holden meet at the bar? What does he do with them?

Chapter 11:

35. What game do Holden and Jane play?

36. Holden talks about the first time they kissed. Why was Jane crying?

37. How does Jane feel about Holden?

Chapter 12:

38. Why is Holden so worried about the ducks?

39. What does Holden think of the couples around him?

40. How do the cabdriver and Lillian feel about Holden?

Chapter 13:

41. What is the significance of Holden’s red hunting hat?

42. Who is Sunny? Who is Maurice? Why are they important?

Chapter 14:

43. Why doesn’t Holden turn to religion in his misery?

44. How did Holden react to Sunny and Maurice’s demands?

45. Compare his mental revenge to his actual reaction.

Chapter 15:

46. Is there anything hypocritical in Holden’s view of Sally Hayes? Is there anything hypocritical in his estimate of Slagle and the suitcases?

Chapter 16:

47. When does he wear the red hunting cap?

48. Why doesn’t he go into the museum?

Chapter 17:

49. On the date with Sally Hayes, what self-insight does Holden show?

50. Why does Sally get mad at him? Why does he get fed up with her?

51. What inner contradictions in Holden are displayed in this chapter?

Chapter 18:

52. What is ironic about Holden’s visit to Radio City Music Hall?

Chapter 19:

53. How does “Old Luce” regard Holden?

Chapter 20:

54. What is the significance of “People never give your message to anybody”?

55. Why does Holden never phone Jane?

56. Why did Holden do his “bullet in the guts” number again?

57. What events in this chapter seem to parallel what is happening to Holden emotionally?

58. Why does he decide to go home?

Chapter 21:

59. What significance is there to the movie plots mentioned throughout the book?

60. What is Phoebe’s reaction to Holden’s being kicked out of Pencey?

61. How do you believe Holden feels about this reaction?

Chapter 22:

62. What type of things does Holden dislike about Pencey?

63. What does he like?

64. What does he want to be? Why?

65. What makes him think of Antolini here?

Chapter 23:

66. Why does Holden cry?

Chapter 24:

67. Why did “oral expression” bother Holden?

68. What is Holden’s physical state in this chapter?

69. What is Antolini’s prediction for Holden?

70. What are the benefits of education as Antolini sees them?

71. Did Antolini really make a pass at Holden? Explain why you believe as you do.

Chapter 25:

72. What is the “very spooky” thing that happens to Holden?

73. What do you think is really happening to him?

74. Why does Holden want to be a deaf-mute?

75. What depresses him at Phoebe’s school? Why?

76. What happens in this tomb? Why is it significant?

77. How does Holden become a “catcher” in this chapter?

Chapter 26:

78. Where is Holden in this chapter?

79. What do you think will become of him?

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