The Catcher in the Rye

1. The Catcher in the Rye Chapters 13-15

2. Red Hunting Hat • “But it was freezing cold, and I took my red hunting hat out of my pocket and put it on—I didn’t give a damn how I looked. I even put the earlaps down.” (88) • Offers protection to Holden

3. Maurice • Elevator operator • Pimp • Offers Holden a prostitute • “It was against my principles and all, but I was feeling so depressed I didn’t even think. That’s the whole trouble. When you’re feeling very depressed, you can’t even think.” (91)

4. Holden’s Loneliness and Breakdown • Leads to him feeling isolated and depressed • “I wasn’t sleepy or anything, but I was feeling sort of lousy. Depressed and all. I almost wished I was dead” (90) • “It was against my principles and all, but I was feeling so depressed I didn’t even think. That’s the whole trouble. When you’re feeling very depressed, you can’t even think” (91).

5. Holden’s Experience with Sex • Desires company not sexual relations • Indicates his lack of understanding about sex • “I was already sort of sorry I’d let the thing start rolling, but it was too late” (91) • “I kept hoping she’d be good-looking. I didn’t care too much, though” (93) • Skewed Perspective • Immaturity • Sees it from different perspective • “I was getting more and more nonchalant as it went along” (94) • “It was a funny thing to say. It sounded like a real kid. You’d think a prostitute and all would say ‘ Like hell you are’ or ‘Cut the crap’ instead of ‘Like fun you are” (94)

6. Holden’s Experiences with Sex • Regret • Not what Holden had intended • “I certainly felt peculiar when she did that. I mean she did it so sudden and all. I know you’re supposed to feel pretty sexy when someone gets up and pulls their dress over their head, but I didn’t. Sexy was about the last thing I was feeling. I felt much more depressed than sexy” (95). • Doesn’t want to see her as a prostitute • Doesn’t want to see sex as casual without intimacy • “It made me feel sort of sad when I hung it up. I thought of her going in a store and buying it, and nobody in the store knowing she was a prostitute and all… It made me feel sad as hell- I don’t know why exactly” (96).

7. Holden’s Reaction to Sunny • “I felt much more depressed than sexy.” (95) • “‘Don’t you feel like talking for a while?’ I asked her. It was a childish thing to say, but I was feeling so damn peculiar.” (95) • “She looked at me like I was a madman.” (95)

8. Holden’s Reaction to Sunny • “The trouble was, I just didn’t want to do it. I felt more depressed than sexy, if you want to know the truth. She was depressing. Her green dress hanging in the closet and all.” (96)

9. Holden’s Reaction to Sunny • “She was a pretty spooky kid. Even with that little bitty voice she had, she could sort of scare you a little bit. If she’d been a big old prostitute, with a lot of makeup on her face and all, she wouldn’t have been half as spooky.” (98)

10. Why Does Holden Have This Reaction? • Conflicting reality of Sunny’s age with her profession • By definition, a prostitute is experienced • Holden can not come to terms with a kid (who, in his opinion, should be innocent) who exists in a profession of experience. • This reality depresses him.

11. Holden’s Loneliness and Breakdown • Allie • “I felt miserable. I felt so depressed, you can’t imagine. What I did, I started talking, sort of out loud, to Allie. I do that sometimes when I get very depressed” (98) • Begins to think he’s dying • “Only, this time I thought I was dying. I really did. I thought I was drowning or something” (101) • “What I really felt like, though, was committing suicide” (104)

12. Holden and Allie • Holden tells Allie to go home and get his bike. • What does this say about Holden? • Regret • Guilt

13. Holden and God • “Finally, though, I got undressed and got in bed. I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn’t do it. I can’t always pray when I feel like it. In the first place, I’m sort of an atheist.” (99) • Again, how can Holden be sort of an atheist? • If he sees himself as an atheist, why does he feel like praying?

14. Holden and God • What does this tell us about Holden? • Desires the existence of a higher power? • Reaching out for help? • Sense of hopelessness.

15. Holden and the Disciples • Does not like them • Likes “that lunatic and all, that lived in the tombs and kept cutting himself with stones.” (99) • Holden can better relate to the lunatic than the disciples

16. Holden and the Disciples • Why doesn’t Holden like the Disciples? • They let Jesus down. • “People are always ruining things for you.” (87) • What does this say about Holden? • People have hurt him • People have let him down

17. Holden and Maurice • “The … movies. They can ruin you. I’m not kidding.” (104) • Phony • Hates the movies but allows his current situation to become a movie-like fantasy.

18. Suicide • “What I really felt like, though, was committing suicide. I felt like jumping out the window. I probably would’ve done it, too, if I’d been sure somebody’d cover me up as soon as I landed. I didn’t want a bunch of stupid rubbernecks looking at me when I was all gory.” (104)

19. Suicide • Progression of the death imagery • More and more, suicide is being referenced by Holden • What stops him from killing himself? • Other people staring at him. • Does this make sense? • Therefore, is the suicide threat just talk or is Holden seriously contemplating it?

20. Jane • “I thought of giving old Jane a buzz, to see if she was home yet and all, but I wasn’t in the mood.” (105) • “I figured maybe I’d give old Jane a buzz and see if she was home for vacation yet…But I didn’t feel like it. You really have to be in the mood for that stuff.” (116)

21. Sally Hayes • “What I did do, I gave old Sally Hayes a buzz. She went to Mary A. Woodruff, and I knew she was home because I’d had this letter from her a couple of weeks ago. I wasn’t too crazy about her, but I’d known her for years.” (105)

22. Sally Hayes • Why does Holden call Sally and not Jane? • He doesn’t like Sally as much. • Therefore, the risk is removed.

23. Holden’s Dad • “My father’s quite wealthy, though. I don’t know how much he makes—he’s never discussed that stuff with me—but I imagine quite a lot. He’s a corporation lawyer. Those boys really haul it in.” (107)

24. Holden’s Mom • “She hasn’t felt too healthy since my brother Allie died. She’s very nervous. That’s another reason why I hated like hell for her to know I got the ax again.” (107)

25. Suitcases • Tone • Depressing • Holden tries to do something nice for someone and his roommate is completely blind to it. • In fact, the roommate’s actions are tremendously sad • Once again, Holden is disappointed by people.

26. The Nuns • Depressing • “All the two of them were eating for breakfast was toast and coffee. That depressed me. I hate it if I’m eating bacon and eggs or something and somebody else is only eating toast and coffee.” (110)

27. The Nuns • What does this say about Holden? • Feels depressed when he has something better than someone else. • Similar to the suitcases • Does he feel he is not worthy?

28. Romeo and Juliet • “The thing is, it drives me crazy if somebody else gets killed—especially somebody very smart and entertaining and all—and it’s somebody else’s fault. Romeo and Juliet, at least it was their own fault.” (111)

29. The Nuns • Logic? • What he likes about the nuns is that they never eat at a fancy restaurant. • The nuns not eating at fancy restaurants make Holden sad. • Therefore, what he likes about them makes him sad.

30. Holden’s Interaction • Talks to nuns- happy • “I said I’d enjoyed talking to then a lot, too. I meant it, too” (112) • First time we see Holden happy • Having positive interaction • Turns the situation to a negative aspect- increasing breakdown • “After they left, I started getting sorry that I’d only given them ten bucks for their collection…” (113)