Questions and Answers: The Catcher in the Rye Essay

1.What happened at the beginning, middle, and end? 2.Who are the characters in the account, and what are they like? Holden Caulfield The protagonist and teller of the novel, Holden is a sixteen-year-old junior who has just been expelled for academician failure from a school called Pencey Prep. Although he is intelligent and sensitive, Holden narrates in a cynical and jaded voice. He finds the hypocrisy and ugliness of the world around him almost unbearable, and with his cynicism he tries to protect himself from the pain and disappointment of the adult world. However, the criticisms that Holden aims at people around him are similarly aimed at himself.He is uncomfortable with his own weaknesses, and at times displays as much phoniness, meanness, and superficiality as anyone else in the book. As the novel opens, Holden stands poised on the cliff separating childhood from adulthood. His inability to successfully discuss the chasm leaves him on the verge of emotional collapse. Ackl ey Holdens next-door neighbor in his dorm at Pencey Prep. Ackley is a pimply, unsteady boy with terrible dental hygiene. He often barges into Holdens room and acts completely oblivious to Holdens hints that he should leave. Holden believes that Ackley makes up elaborate lies about his sexual experience.Stradlater Holdens roommate at Pencey Prep. Stradlater is handsome, self-satisfied, and popular, but Holden calls him a secret slob, because he appears well groomed, but his toiletries, such as his razor, are disgustingly unclean. Stradlater is sexually ready and quite experienced for a prep school student, which is why Holden also calls him a sexy bastard. Jane Gallagher A girl with whom Holden spent a lot of time one summer, when their families stayed in neighboring summer houses in Maine. Jane never actually appears in The Catcher in the Rye, but she is extremely important to Holden, because she is one of the fewer girls whom he both respects and finds attractive.Phoebe Caulf ield Phoebe is Holdens ten-year-old sister, whom he loves dearly. Although she is six long time young than Holden, she listens to what he says and understands him more than than most other people do. Phoebe is intelligent, neat, and a wonderful dancer, and her childish sinlessness is one of Holdens only consistent sources of happiness throughout the novel. At times, she exhibits great maturity and pull down chastises Holden for his immaturity. Like Mr. Antolini, Phoebe seems to recognize that Holden is his own worst enemy. Read an in-depth abbreviation of Phoebe Caulfield.Allie Caulfield Holdens junior brother. Allie dies of leukemia three years before the start of the novel. Allie was a brilliant, friendly, red-headed boyaccording to Holden, he was the smartest of the Caulfields. Holden is tormented by Allies death and carries around a baseball glove on which Allie used to write poems in green ink. Sally Hayes A actually attractive girl whom Holden has known and dated for a long time. Though Sally is well read, Holden claims that she is stupid, although it is difficult to tell whether this judgment is based in human race or merely in Holdens ambivalence about being sexually attracted to her. She is certainly more conventional than Holden in her tastes and manners.Mr. Spencer Holdens history teacher at Pencey Prep, who unsuccessfully tries to shake Holden out of his academic apathy. Carl Luce A student at Columbia who was Holdens student advisor at the Whooton School. Luce is three years older than Holden and has a great deal of sexual experience. At Whooton, he was a source of intimacy about sex for the younger boys, and Holden tries to get him to talk about sex at their meeting. Mr. Antolini Holdens originator English teacher at the Elkton Hills School. Mr. Antolini now teaches at New York University. He is young, clever, sympathetic, and likable, and Holden respects him. Holden sometimes finds him a bit too clever, but he looks to him for gu idance. Like many characters in the novel, he drinks heavily. Read an in-depth analysis of Mr. Antolini.Maurice The elevator operator at the Edmont Hotel, who procures a prostitute for Holden. Sunny The prostitute whom Holden hires through Maurice. She is one of a number of women in the book with whom Holden clumsily attempts to connect. D. B. Caulfield Holdens older brother. D. B. wrote a volume of short stories that Holden admires very much, but Holden feels that D. B. prostitutes his talents by writing for Hollywood movies.3.Which ones changed? Explain how the characters that changed. 4.Which ones stayed the same?5.What is the setting of the story? Does it remain ceaseless? If not, list all settings. 6.What effect does the setting have on the story? (If you changed the setting, how would the story change?) Holden begins his story in Pennsylvania, at his former school, Pencey Prep. He then recounts his adventures in New York City 7.If you wanted to choke this story a differe nt a title, what would it be and why? 8.Find one place in the schoolbook where the author uses language in an interesting way. Explain why it is interesting.