home

=Period 6=

__The Catcher in the Rye __
= __The Characters__ =

Holden Caufield


 Holden is the narrator of the **Catcher in the Rye.** Holden is the son of a wealthy New York family who moves from boarding school to boarding school after repeatedly being expelled. Holden is particularly devastated about the death of his brother Allie, who is considered to be the “perfect child”. Holden is unable to find joy in life and does not know how to cope with his loss. Holden considers himself to be a failure. He has been told by his parents, teachers and just about everybody else he knows that his expulsions and reckless acts make him a failure. Holden is caught in his limbo: judging a person, making a half-hearted attempt to reach out, and then being disappointed when that person isn’t there to support him, talk with him, or try to understand him

= D.B =

D.B. is Holden's older brother and a screenwriter in Hollywood. D.B was also in the army and the war deeply affected him. Holden would explain how D.B would come home on relief and lie in his bed and stare at the ceiling. He used to write stories that Holden and Allie used to love, but then he switched his talent to screen writing.” He just got a Jaguar. One of those little English jobs that can do around two hundred miles an hour. It cost him damn near four thousand bucks. He’s got a lot of dough, now.” “Now he’s out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute.” = Old Spencer =

Old Spencer is Holden’s history teacher who which he is sort of close to. Holden goes to visit him to say goodbye because he is getting kicked out of another school. Old Spencer lectures Holden about being kicked out of Pencey and what is to become of his future.

“Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules.” – Mr. Spencer, the Catcher in the Rye = **Allie** =



 Holden’s little brother who died of cancer (leukemia). He was 9 yrs of age. He meant a lot to Holden and he was the most loved child in the house. He was the smartest in the house.  "//My brother D.B.’s a writer and all, and my brother Allie, the one that died, that I told you about, was a wizard. I’m the only really dumb one.//": ** Pheobe **



In the //Catcher in the Rye,// Pheobe is Holden’s kid sister, or little sister. In the story Pheobe is 10 years old. She is the youngest one in Holden’s family. Pheobe has red hair and she is the one who understands Holden the most in his family. Holden describes her as a really smart, skinny, and has a huge crush on Robert Donat girl. Holden has spent a lot of time with Pheobe during the movie, by taking her to the movies to see The Baker’s Wife. She loves the actor Robert Donat in it and has memorized the whole movie. Holden also thinks that Pheobe can be a little too affectionate sometimes. She is very emotional for a child. Pheobe writes books all the time but she never finishes them. Her stories were always about an orphan and his tall scary dad. = Jane Gallagher  =



Catcher in the Rye’s Holden shows interest in his neighbor young **Jane Gallagher**. She is the stereotypical “good-girl” figure. Although she has a close friendship with Holden she also shows a liking of him. She enjoys reading, checkers, golf, dancing, and tennis. Even if she isn’t so good at golf, tends to keep her kings in the back row, and never closes her mouth when she reads. Jane is the only person that Holden shows any connection with. Through out the book he feels the need/want to call Jane, and he tends to reminisce about her often:

//“////She was a funny girl, old Jane. I wouldn’t exactly describe her as beautiful. She knocked me out, though. She was sort of muckle-mouthed. I mean when she was talking and she got excited about something, her mouth sort of went in about fifty directions, her lips and all. That killed me. And she never really closed it all the way her mouth… She was always reading, and she read very good books. She read a lot of poetry and all. She was the only one, outside my family, that I ever showed Allie’s baseball mitt to, with all of the poems written on it////.”// - J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye: **82**

// “Most girls, if you hold hands with them, their god dam hand dies on you, or else they think they have to keep moving their hand all the time, as if they were afraid they’d bore you or something. Jane was different. We’d get into a god dam movie or something, and right away we’d start holding hands, and we wouldn’t quit till the movie was over. And without changing position or making a big deal out of it. You never even worried, with Jane, whether your hand was sweaty or not. All you knew was, you were happy. You really were.” // - J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye: **84**.

//“I told he didn’t even care if a girl kept all her kings in the back row or not, and the reason he didn’t care was because he was a goddamn stupid moron.”// - J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye: **48**

Jane Gallagher lives in New York with her mother and, alcoholic, step father. During their summers together Holden came up with the impression that Jane and her step father are not close. There is some evidence by the way she reacts to his presence that there could have been some physical or even sexual abuse in the past. This causes Holden to become concerned, yet Jane will not admit to any accounts.

 ** Ackley **



Ackley mainly barges in on Holden when he’s in the middle of something. He is this disgusting pig his teeth are mossy, his ears are filthy, and his face is zit central. Strangely enough he is always cleaning his fingernails. Ackley is a kind of guy that won’t take a hint, the way only you’ll be able to get anything through to him is if you yell it at him. Ackley really hates it if anyone calls him “Ackley kid.” he also cuts his nails in Holden’s room. The last place you want to be is next to him at dinner. When Ackley eats it is so disgusting, it will make you want to throw up. Ackley hates everyone’s guts it just annoys him.

**__Symbolism__**

The Red Hunting Hat

 In catcher and the rye, Holden is constantly putting his hat on and off, he does this because his hat acts as a safety blanket to him, he uses it when he feels threatened or embarrassed.

 Allie's Baseball Glove

 Allies baseball glove is the most loved thing by Holden. He writes his poems on it.  “//The thing that was descriptive about it, though, was that he had poems written all over the fingers and pocket and everywhere. In green ink.”//

** Central Park **** Ducks ** 

The Central Park Ducks in //The Catcher in the Rye// represents freedom and escape. Throughout the book Holden is always wondering where the ducks go and what happens to them in the winter. Holden is always thinking about them and wondering if they are okay. You could say that Holden is interested in the ducks throughout the book and whenever something bad is happening Holden is always thinking about the ducks. The ducks could represent happiness or curiosity within Holden. You can tell that he cares about the ducks. Holden always sees them flying away and that is what Holden wants to do is to escape. = __Places __ =

= **Pencey Prep** =

= **“Pencey Prep is this school that's in** Agerstown, Pennsylvania**. You probably heard of it. You've probably seen the ads, anyway. They advertise in about a thousand magazines, always showing some hotshot guy on a horse jumping over a fence. Like as if all you ever did at Pencey was play polo all the time. I never even once saw a horse anywhere //near// the place.”** ** Holden's Home ** **__ ﻿ __**

The foyer of Holden’s home has this funny smell it wasn’t perfume or cauliflower but, when Holden detects that smell he knows he’s home. The closet in the foyer is full of hangers that rattle like a madman so he left his coat on. The front door to Holden’s room creaks like crazy. His apartment house was pretty old. D.B.’s room is the biggest in the house. There’s this big old madman desk in it. D.B. has this gigantic bed that Pheobe likes to sleep in. Pheobe likes to sleep in D.B.’s bed when he’s not there. The desk in D.B.’s room is almost as big as the bed itself. D.B. got the desk from some alcoholic in Philadelphia.