The Catcher in the Rye

When Holden says he wants to move west, he is not actually meaning that he will move west. Metaphorically speaking, he wants to move west were he can be mute and deaf, but it actually means that he wants to commit suicide. He doesnt commit suicide because when he sees that his little sister wants to go with him west, he is afraid that since he is depressed of Allie's death, that his little sister will kill herself after Holden kills himself.

The story doesn't say but when Holden asked her she replied that she is old enough to know everything she does

through context clues, it can be inferred that Sunny may, in fact be around the same age as Holden, so she might be a 16 or 17 year old prostitute. Holden mentions that she talks like a teen would say

This has much to do with the general value that Holden has for innocence. Jane keeping her kings in the back was a safe way of playing, to the degree of not even playing really. Holden is therefore asking if she is still the innocent girl he once knew.

Yes, it is one of the
landmarks of that literary movement

Spencer wiped boggers on his shirt

Allie (died from leukemia)

D.B. (older brother, Hollywood movie writer)

Holden is the manager of the fencing team; on the way down to the match he forgot all of the equipment on the train.

Holden's biggest heroes are his deceased brother Allie, and his sister Phoebe who is 7 years younger. His older brother D. B. is also a hero to him, thoug he is disgusted with D. B. because he has moved to Hollywood to write for films, which Holden hates with a passion. Mr. Antolini is also a hero to him, though he leaves Antolini's apartment with a different - possibly erroneous - view of him. Between his two girlfriends, it is easy to tell that Jane Gallagher is also somewhat of a hero to him.

Ward Stradlater

They have both been Holden's teachers and potential role models. They have both tried to help him. The fact that they are referred to differently indicates that Holden doesn't see them as equals, but as teachers and potential role models, they probably had an equal chance to influence Holden.

I think only possible role model for Holden is Mr.Antollini his English teacher he is not afraid to go to his house and to talk with him.

Holden had been in - and failed out of - several prep schools, that he called "The Whooton School", and "Elkton Hills", and at the start of the book, he is in the process of failing out of "Pency Prep". The school names are fictitious, though "Pency Prep" is a thinly disguised version of Valley Forge Military.

Two songs are referenced as being played by the carousel. The first is "Oh Marie" and Holden says "that it was the same song played 50 years ago when I was a kid". The second in "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" and it is being played very jazzy and funny.

The opening chapters of the book take place at "Pency Prep", a fictionalization of Valley Forge Military, right outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Most of one chapter is devoted to a train trip from Pency to New York City. The rest of the book is set in New York City, except for the last chapter, which is set in a sanitarium out west somewhere (in a way, the whole book was).

Because he couldnt keep up with his grades... He failed 4 out of the 5 subjects. Including history, because in the essay to Mr. Spencer, he wrote Im sorry your lectures were good, but I cant focus on the Egyptians.

It is coming on slowly from the time he leaves Pencey, but comes on with a rush about the time he is crossing the streets and is afraid he is not going to make it to the other side at each corner he crosses. Then, when watching Phoebe on the merry-go-round later, he begins to cry. He is not better, but the "fever has broken", at that point.

a serial killers taste for literature is an area I think authorities should dig a bit more into when doing their research since I believe this is a not well covered area of knowledge.

The Secret Goldfish (I think this is a made up book) and Out of Africa (a real book), a memoir, by Isak Dinesen <-- pen name for Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke.

In addition, he also read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Sally - not unusual for a 16-year-old girl - flits from one thing to another on a moments notice, and is obviously (to the reader) fairly shallow. She does, however, show more common sense than Holden does in some things. But her shallowness alone earns her Holden's ultimate put-down: "Phony".

I would say he makes statement about how our society is vain and narcissistic There are also many comments about the personal life of upper class families and how they isolate each other and keep the masks of their public life on.

A similie is when Holden said "That boy was as sensitive as a toilet seat."

Yes, Holden is actually a very good person. But he is an idealist. Idealists, especially young idealists, are people who set themselves up for frustration and heartbreak. That is neither good nor bad. It is merely part of maturing.

In many ways for some people,

(it depends on the individual person/personality/personal experience)

The common ways persons relate to Holden are through his characteristics and events that the persons can relate to feeling and experiencing. F. Ex:

1. Feeling alone.

2. Being constantly ignored.

3. Being made less by others.

4. Feeling others are fake. (Or as he puts it 'phony')

5. Fear/dislike of change.

6. Missing a dead person of positive significance (Holdens Brother.)

7. Wanting to feel 'innocent' like.. the way you used to look at the world as a child.

8. Wanting to talk to someone but NO one cares!!

9. You're a sociopath. (Not necessarily...)

Sorry. But the book has this reputation.

10. Again you're pretty darn alone.

If you still cannot relate/understand Holden and his actions/thoughts. Well then you probably won't ever be able to. And I even think that's a good thing.

Unfortunately I find myself indentifying with Holden all the time. I had it crappy like him.. But anyway yeah hope this helped.

To begin with, Holden thinks the school is full of phonies. The principal is a phony because he only treats the wealthy-looking parents with respect. [That sentence is incorrect. In page 13-14, when Holden talks about his principal who only treats the wealthy parents with respect, he is referring to Mr. Haas of Elkton Hills, not Dr. Thurmer of Pencey Prep.] Lots of the students are phonies. Holden's also annoyed that the school has no girls, and he "like[d] to be somewhere at least where you can see a few girls around." [That quote is when Holden is on the hill looking at the football stadium in the beginning of the story. Pencey Prep is an all boys school.] He also complains that the school advertises its ability to take young boys and mold them into "splendid, clear-thinking young men", but Holden believes the school can't take credit for molding any of the boys, because the ones who graduate as good people were good people before they even enrolled. He is entirely disinterested in all his classes; he never applies himself; he hates his roommate (and his neighbor) [Holden doesn't necessarily hate Stradlater, his roommate, or Ackley, his neighbor. However, he both thinks they're phonies.]; and he's only passing one class -- English.