The Catcher in the Rye

Chapters 17-22

Companionship

• Focus on lack of compatibility – “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. You figured most of them would probably marry dopey guys. Guys that always talk about how many miles they get to a gallon in their goddamn cars…” (123).

• Holden worries about other girls • He should worry about his situation • He is meeting Sally but should be meeting Jane

Companionship

• Focus on lack of compatibility – Play focuses on life partners

• Seem compatible but phony • Lunts are good, but too good

– Like Ernie they are superficial – Holden’s continued search for companion

Companionship

• Focus on lack of compatibility – “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).

• She is the opposite of Holden• She represents the phoniness Holden despises

Holden’s Manic Behavior• Indicate he’s heading for an emotional

breakdown– Contradicts himself about his feelings for her

» “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” (125).

– Yells at Sally and doesn’t realize it» “Don’t shout, please,” old Sally said. Which

was very funny, because I wasn’t even shouting” (132).

– Reveals his passions and feelings to her – She doesn’t understand or have the depth to

Holden’s Increasing Manic Behavior

• Wants to run away with Sally– Indicates break from reality

» “We’ll stay in these cabin camps and stuff like that…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!” (132).

• Sally is conventional and practical and questions practicality of this venture

Fear and Confusion with Sex

• Immaturity and inexperience » “I kept waiting to turn into a flit or something”

(143)

• Seeks guidance and insight about sex

» “’You do? Wuddaya mean ‘philosophy?’ Ya mean sex and all? You mean it’s better in China? That what you mean?” (146)

Breakdown

• Holden is acting random

• Calls Sally and talks about the mob

• Confused and looks for the ducks

• Drunk, alone and cold with no money

Cemetery

• Not able to attend the funeral services – “I went with them a couple times, but I cut it out. In the

first place, I certainly don’t enjoy seeing him in that crazy cemetery” (155)

• Finality of the grave• Allie can’t leave

– “It was awful. It rained on his lousy tombstone, and it rained on the grass on his stomach. It rained all over the place. All the visitors that were visiting the cemetery started running like hell over to their cars. That’s what nearly drove me crazy. All the visitors could get into their cars and turn on their radios and all and then go someplace nice for dinner- everybody except Allie…I know it’s his body and all that’s in the cemetery, and his soul’s in Heaven and all that crap, but I couldn’t stand it anyway. I just wish he was here” (155-156).

Phoebe• Represents innocence

– “She had her mouth way open. It’s funny. You take adults, they look lousy when they’re asleep and they have their mouths way open, but kids don’t. Kids look all right. They can even have spit all over the pillow and they still look all right” (159)

• He trusts her and can confide in her • She speaks rationally and intelligently • She doesn’t understand Holden’s darker side

– His need to self-destruct and his failure

Phoebe

• Her alienation affects Holden» “She was ostracizing the hell out of me. Just like

the fencing team at Pencey when I left all the goddam foils on the subway” (166)

» “’Oh, why did you do it?’ She meant why did I get the ax again. It made me sort of sad, the way she said it” (167)

– She is compassionate and caring towards Holden

Phoebe

• Phoebe is the one person who can confront Holden

– “’You don’t like anything that’s happening.’ It made me even more depressed when she said that.” (169)

– “’Allie’s dead- you always say that…” (171)» She can confront but doesn’t

understand enough to help Holden

Loss of Innocence

• James Castle – “He was a skinny little weak-looking guy, with

wrists about as big as pencils. Finally what he did, instead of taking back what he said, he jumped out the window…and there was old James Castle laying right on the stone steps and all. He was dead, and his teeth, and blood, were all over the place, and nobody would even go near him. He had on this turtleneck sweater I’d lent him” (170).

Loss of Innocence

• Holden could not save James from his loss

• Dies in Holden’s sweater– Will Holden end up like him?

Significance of the Title

• “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all…and nobody’s around- nobody big, I mean except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff- I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they are going I have to come out and from somewhere and catch them” (173)

Significance of the Title

• Wants to save the children from the ugliness and phoniness of the adult world

• Save their innocence – No one saved James Castle – No one saved Allie– No one is there to save him