The Catcher in the Rye (Salinger)
Short Summary
New York City, December 1949. After being expelled from his fourth prep school, Pencey Prep, for failing most of his classes, sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield decided to leave early for Christmas break without telling his parents.
He spent three days wandering around Manhattan, avoiding his parents while growing increasingly depressed and unstable. During this time, he encountered various people: he hired a prostitute but only talked to her, visited his former teacher Mr. Antolini who made him uncomfortable with an ambiguous gesture, and had an awkward date with an old friend Sally Hayes.
Throughout his wanderings, Holden was preoccupied with his younger sister Phoebe, whom he finally visited secretly at night in his parents' apartment.
When Holden told Phoebe about his fantasy of being
I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all... 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're going.
she understood his desire to protect children's innocence. Later, when Holden planned to leave town, Phoebe insisted on going with him. Seeing her determination, he changed his mind and decided to stay. The story ended with Holden in a mental health facility in California, where he was recovering and reflecting on these events.
Throughout his journey, Holden struggled with the loss of his younger brother Allie to leukemia, his inability to connect with others, and his resistance to growing up in a world he saw as dominated by phoniness and adult corruption.
Detailed Summary
Summary sections do not match original text structure.
Leaving Pencey Prep
On a December Saturday at Pencey Preparatory School, sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield stood alone on a hill watching a football game he had no interest in attending. Having been expelled for failing four out of five subjects, he was about to leave the school for good.
Before leaving, Holden visited his history teacher, Mr. Spencer, who lectured him about his academic failures. Back in his dorm, he encountered his unsanitary neighbor Ackley and his roommate Stradlater.
Stradlater was preparing for a date with Jane Gallagher, a girl from Holden's past, which greatly disturbed him. While Stradlater was out, Holden wrote his English composition about his deceased brother Allie's baseball mitt.
When Stradlater returned, he was dismissive of Holden's composition and vague about his date with Jane. This led to a physical fight where Stradlater bloodied Holden's nose. Upset and lonely, Holden decided to leave Pencey that night instead of waiting until Wednesday. He packed his bags, sold his typewriter, and left the dormitory shouting, "Sleep tight, ya morons!"
First Night in New York
Taking a train to New York City, Holden checked into the seedy Edmont Hotel. From his window, he observed the 'perverts' in other rooms, which both disgusted and fascinated him. Feeling restless and depressed, he went to the hotel's nightclub, where he danced with three tourist women and became increasingly frustrated with their superficiality.
You can't ever find a place that's nice and peaceful, because there isn't any. You may think there is, but once you get there, when you're not looking, somebody'll sneak up and write 'Fuck you' right under your nose.
Later that night, the elevator operator Maurice offered to send a prostitute to Holden's room. Though Holden agreed, when Sunny arrived, he found himself unable to go through with the encounter and only paid her for her time. Maurice later returned with Sunny, demanding more money, and punched Holden in the stomach when he refused to pay.
Sunday Activities
The next morning, Holden arranged a date with an old friend, Sally Hayes. Before meeting her, he had breakfast with two nuns and discussed Romeo and Juliet with them. He then wandered around the city, thinking about his younger sister Phoebe and buying her a record that he later broke.
On his date with Sally, they went ice skating at Rockefeller Center. During their time together, Holden suddenly proposed they run away together to Massachusetts or Vermont. When Sally refused, calling his idea absurd, Holden insulted her, causing her to leave in tears.
Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone. I know that's impossible, but it's too bad anyway.
That evening, Holden met with Carl Luce, a former schoolmate, at the Wicker Bar. Their conversation focused on sex and Eastern philosophy, but Luce quickly grew tired of Holden's immature questions and left. Holden continued drinking alone, growing increasingly depressed.
Visiting Home and Phoebe
In his increasingly unstable state, Holden decided to sneak into his family's apartment to see Phoebe. He found her asleep in D.B.'s room and woke her up. Phoebe quickly realized that Holden had been expelled and became upset with him.
During their conversation, Holden revealed his fantasy about being 'the catcher in the rye,' protecting children from falling off a cliff while playing in a field of rye. This image represented his desire to protect innocence from the adult world he saw as corrupt and 'phony.'
The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.
When their parents returned home early, Holden hid while Phoebe convinced them she was just getting a drink of water. Before leaving, Holden borrowed money from Phoebe and gave her his treasured red hunting hat. He then called his former teacher, Mr. Antolini, asking if he could stay at his apartment.
Final Events and Breakdown
At Mr. Antolini's apartment, Holden received advice about his life and future. However, he woke up to find Mr. Antolini patting his head while he slept, which disturbed him greatly. Interpreting this as a sexual advance, Holden made an excuse and left in a panic.
The next day, Holden experienced signs of a nervous breakdown, feeling dizzy and nauseous while walking through the city. He decided to leave New York and hitchhike west, where he planned to live as a deaf-mute. First, however, he wanted to say goodbye to Phoebe.
He left a note at Phoebe's school asking her to meet him at the Museum of Natural History. When she arrived, she was carrying a suitcase, having decided to run away with him. Holden refused to take her, which caused her to become angry and throw away the red hunting hat he had given her.
The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them.
To make amends, Holden took Phoebe to the zoo and then to the carousel in Central Park. As he watched her ride the carousel in the rain, reaching for the gold ring, he felt overwhelmed with happiness and began to cry. This moment marked a turning point in his emotional crisis.
The story concluded with Holden revealing that he became sick afterward and was currently in a medical facility in California. He expressed uncertainty about his future return to school, and admitted that he missed many of the people he had encountered, even those he had criticized.
Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody... I sort of miss everybody I told about. Even old Stradlater and Ackley, for instance. I think I even miss that goddam Maurice.