The Catcher in the Rye: 1-87

Truth about Pencey Prep

2

Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye, talks about his (now former) school Pencey Prep, and about how phony it is. He mentions how the school does not mold students into clear thinkers and advertises falsely.

Holden Meets with Mr. Spencer

6

Holden visits his (now former) history teacher, Mr. Spencer, and his wife. They talk about how Holden flunked out of Pencey and how Holden needs to get his life in order. This conversation introduces us to the type of student Holden is and allows the reader to see Holden's cynicism firsthand.

Holden's View on Life as a Game

8

Holden thinks to himself,
"Some game. If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then [life's] a game, all right-- I'll admit that. But if you get on the other side, where there aren't any hot-shots, then what's a game about it? Nothing. No game," (Salinger 8). This quote captures Holden's rejection of needing to follow societal norms. Mr. Spencer was just talking to him about how he needs to play by the rules of life, and Holden doesn't believe in that.

Ackley Says Hello

19

Right after Holden arrives back at his dorm at Pencey, Robert Ackley, a student who lives in the adjoining room, drops in to talk. Holden describes Ackley negatively, mentioning his poor hygiene and how he gets on people's nerves. Ackley pesters Holden with multiple questions until Holden's roommate Stradlater arrives, which is when Ackley leaves.

Stradlater's Two Requests

28

Stradlater tells Holden that he is going out on a date that night and that he wants to borrow Holden's hound's-tooth jacket. He also wants Holden to write him a composition for English class, which is ironic because Holden is the one who is flunking out of Pencey.

Left-handed Baseball Mitt

38

Holden decides to write the composition for Stradlater and he chooses to write it on his dead brother Allie's baseball mitt. Allie was his younger brother who was extremely intelligent and a pleasure to be around, but unfortunately passed away from leukemia. Holden cared a lot about Allie and was very sad when he died, and by writing this composition, the reader can understand who Allie was and how different he is from Holden.

Holden fights Stradlater

43

After Stradlater returns from his date, he tells Holden about it and suggests that he had given his date "the time" in a car. This upsets Holden because Holden personally knows the girl, Jane Gallagher, and he used to be friends with her. Holden tries to punch Stradlater in the face but barely misses, and Stradlater pins him down and tries to calm him. Holden yells at Stradlater and curses at him, calling him names, and Stradlater eventually punches him in the nose.

Holden Leaves Pencey

52

Holden decides that he wants to leave Pencey immediately instead of waiting around. He packs up all of his stuff and decides to book a hotel room in New York. On his way out he yells, "Sleep tight, ya morons!" (Salinger 52).

The Train Ride

54

Holden catches a train from the train station near Pencey to New York. While on the train, he meets the mother of one of the other students at Pencey. Holden doesn't want to give away too much about himself, so he gives her a fake name and lies about how her son acts. It's really interesting to see how Holden is able to spin up a story out of nowhere while still being completely confident. It's like he says, "I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life," (Salinger 16).

Taxi Ride

60

Holden arrives at Penn Station and tries to brainstorm who to phone call, but he doesn't know. So, he decides to just call a cab and head to a hotel. On the way, he asks the cab driver about the ducks in Central Park and where they go during the winter, showing his curiosity about the world around him that is often buried beneath his cynical outlook on life.

Edmont Hotel

66

Holden checks into the Edmont Hotel and goes to his room. He notices that the hotel is full of strange people and "perverts." He doesn't know what to do and decides to call a girl who lives in New York to see if she wants to have a drink with him. She tells him that she can't and Holden goes to the hotel night club instead.

Dancing

72

Holden sees three girls at the nightclub and he dances with all three of them. He tries to have a meaningful conversation with them but they all are too boring to him. Holden is surprised at how good the blonde girl is at dancing.

Jane Gallagher

78

The reader learns more about Jane Gallagher and about her and Holden's relationship. Holden reminisces about how they met and remembers the connection they had with each other, how he was happy around her.

Second Taxi Ride

82

Holden decides to go to another club called Ernie's. It's a club that his older brother D.B. used to go to a lot. In the cab on the way there, he strikes up a conversation with the driver and they talk about where the ducks in Central Park go during the winter. The cab driver gets really worked up about it.

Ernie's Club

85

At Ernie's club, Holden sees a lot of prep school and college school students. He says that he "was surrounded by jerks," stating how boring everyone else was and how "all those Ivy League bastards look alike," (Salinger 85). This reveals more of Holden's personality and how he finds others to be phony, shallow, and insincere.