
He misses his brother and is still mourning his loss. While he is staying there, he tells the reader more about his brother, Allie, who died several years ago of leukemia. He thinks that Stradlater would fit in just fine there. The Edmont hotel is filled with perverts, according to Holden. Holden decides to stay in a hotel in New York for a few days, so he will not need to explain to his parents why he has left school early. Holden goes through some more unpleasant situations, such as getting punched in the face by his roommate Stradlater, before deciding to leave school a few days before the Christmas break. He likes the red hunting cap with fold-down flaps because it is unique and odd. Holden has a red hunting cap that is a constant symbol throughout the novel. He leaves his teacher's house and is sorry that he went to say goodbye to him. Holden is adept at detaching from unpleasant situations by daydreaming. He begins to detach from the present situation by wondering what happens to the ducks in Central Park in the winter time. Having to read his exam out loud humiliates Holden. The exam is terrible, and Holden put in little to no effort on the exam. Spencer begins to give Holden a lecture about his poor academic record and makes him read the final exam he turned in out loud. Spencer he does not blame him for failing him since he never did any work. He fears that Stradlater will take advantage of sweet Jane, and this causes him much distress.Īs the story unfolds, Holden goes to his favorite teacher's house to say goodbye to him. Stradlater goes out on a date with Jane Gallagher, a girl that Holden likes. Holden describes Stradlater as a handsome moron, and poor Ackley, as a pimply faced, loser. We are introduced to Holden's roommate, Ward Stradlater, and their next door friend, James Ackley. Holden cannot stand people who show off and present themselves to be something they are not.
#The catcher in the rye chapter summaries full#
The truth, he tells us, is that Pencey is full of phonies. Holden tells us that it is not the first school he has flunked out of, and we can imagine how bad he feels about this fact. It is his last day because he has flunked out of school, failing all his subjects, except English. Holden takes us back to the year before on his last day of Pencey Preparatory School. Holden is disillusioned with just about everyone and everything. The reader feels intimate with Holden because he is very frank and includes phrases such as "you would have loved it" and "You should have seen it." This makes the reader feel as if they are being told the story by a friend. The experiences he tells us about cover a period of only three days from the year before. This facility is where the reader first meets Holden. He talks directly to the reader as he relates the course of events that caused him to wind up in a mental health facility in California. Holden is sixteen years old and is a unique character. This classic novel centers on the life of Holden Caufield.
