The Catcher in the Rye

Holden Caulfield, a 16-year-old student at Pencey Preparatory Academy, narrates his story from a rest home in California. Expelled for failing four out of five subjects, Holden leaves school early and travels to New York City alone. Seeking genuine connection but encountering phoniness at every turn, he first visits his history teacher, Mr. Spencer, whose well-intentioned lecture only deepens Holden’s alienation. He then checks into the dilapidated Edmont Hotel, where he obsessively observes fellow guests through hidden windows. Lonely and conflicted, he invites a former girlfriend, Sally Hayes, on a date that ends in frustration. Holden briefly connects with his old friend Carl Luce, but the conversation only highlights his sense of isolation. Financially and emotionally drained, he contemplates his younger sister Phoebe as the only person who understands him. Sneaking into his parents’ apartment, he watches Phoebe on an amusement park carousel and is momentarily filled with hope. He reveals his fantasy of being “the catcher in the rye,” saving children from falling off a cliff—a metaphor for preserving innocence. Fearing judgment, Holden rejects Phoebe’s wish to join him out West. He turns to his former teacher, Mr. Antolini, whose seemingly caring gesture alarms Holden, leading him to flee in panic. Exhausted and disillusioned, Holden ends his narrative in a mental institution, anticipating a new school in the fall. Though he admits he misses his peers, he remains uncertain about his future and the adult world he both criticizes and fears.