Shaheen Chapter 17

Holden is at the Biltmore waiting for Sally Hayes, his date, to arrive but whilst he's doing that he's judging all the girls' legs standing outside the BiltmoreHolden then starts rambling on about this boy, Harris Macklin, at his old school Elkton HillsSally then arrives and Holden thinks she looked fantastic and "all of sudden I felt like I was in love with her and wanted to marry her."Holden and Sally travel in a cab to go and watch the Lunts perform a play. In the cab Holden tells Sally he "loved her and all. Holden and Sally go outside at the end of the first. Sally then says she has seen someone who she used to knowThis person, according to Holden, is "George". Whilst George is talking, Holden is criticising everything that George says and doesHolden and Sally then proceed to Radio City to ice-skatingHolden and Sally dont really know how to ice-skate so Holden suggests "to get a table inside and have a drink or something?"Holden asks Sally if she likes school but then starts talking about his own life with random and verbose topics until Sally finds it incomprehensible to follow Holden's conversationHolden then suggests going to Vermont and Massachusetts and then settling down with Sally but Sally has a bit more common sense and tries to talk Holden out of itHolden gives up and tells Sally she gives him a "royal pain in the ass"Sally gets angry at Holden, cries and tells him to leave her alone so Holden leaves without herHolden then doesnt know why he asked Sally about going with him to Massachusetts and Vermont.
TECHNIQUES:
italics: It was a lie, of course, but the thing is, I meant it when i said it." The effect of this is that it shows Holden's immature nature even though he tries imitate an adult but his lack of control and impetuosity over his words and his inability to weigh up the outcome mark his failed attempt to try and be like the "adult" which society portrays around himhyphens: "he'd be making his bed, or hanging stuff up in the closet-he was always hanging up stuff in the closet-it drove me crazy-". The excess use of hyphens highlights his impetuosity and verbose speech giving extra information then required, similar to a child.dialogue: "take cars...a horse is at least human, for god's sake". Through his speech and others similar to it, we can see even his speech to others in his personal life is impetuous and verbose, yet again highlighting his childlike manner.

Chapter 10 Summary - Devishna

In this chapter, a few examples are shown where Holden finds himself in situations where he doesn't fit in, a link to the theme of alienation from society. Throughout the book, Holden is by himself after he leaves Pencey and this signifies the beginning of his withdrawal from his surroundings. In Chapter 10, Holden has already checked into a hotel and is getting ready to visit the night club called The Lavender Room downstairs. He begins to reflect on his younger sister, Phoebe, where he shows a great deal of admiration for her, and in comparison with the majority of the chapter, Holden sounds optimistic and affectionate which indicates that Phoebe is someone who holds a significant role in Holden's life and possibly the fact that she may be one of the very few poeple that Holden is capable of trusting and willing to understand. Comparatively, Holden rarely speaks about his parents, which suggests the very little influence that hold in his life, perhaps owing to the reason that he cannot connect with, or understand them. This theory is supported by the quote, "But I was too afraid my parents would answer, and then they'd find out I was in New York and kicked out of Pencey and all." This signifies his detachment from not only society, but from his own family as well. Further emphasis of Holden's reclusiveness lies in this quote , comparing himself with his sister and his family, "She's really smart. I mean she's had all A's ever since she started school. As a matter of fact, I'm the only dumb one in the family." This comparison identifies Holden's clear admiration for his sister's academic talent and he puts this inversely with his lack of any such talent. This could be taken as Holden's way of listing another difference between himself and society, another reason behind the barrier created between him and society.

Adversely, in the rest of the chapter when Holden is not talking about Phoebe, the tone changes to one majorly of cynicism. "I'm the only really dumb one." This example portrays a particular emotion in Holden to be identified as one of helplessness, yet his filure to do anything about it and the fact that he doesn't particularly care. Such a portrayal displays Holden's difficulty in finding any possible connection with the world around him. Another example is during the dance he shares with Bernice at the night club. "What a lady, boy. A queen for Chrissake." His cynical tone is further emphasised by the use of italics, and this drives the reader to ask, why Holden is so frequently bitter towards everyone. This could also lead to suggest a connection with past childhood events such as his brother's death which have lead him to shut himself away.
His lack of will to conform to society has highlighted his independant nature, which withdraws him from discovering any similarities or common ground with anyone.

Josh

Chapter Summary: Ch 23
Basically Holden has just finished arguing with his sister about flunking school and getting expelled and he seeks shelter from his parents until school ends so he calls Mr. Antolini. Upset that Holden has been expelled from another school, Mr. Antolini invites Holden to come stay at to his house. Holden describes Mr. Antolini as the best teacher he ever had. After hanging up Holden convinces Phoebe to dance with him, but their parents come home. Holden hides in the closet until his mother tucks Phoebe in. After his mother leaves, he emerges and tells Phoebe of his plan to head out. She gives him all her Christmas money but he refuses to take it at first, and then insists that she take his red hunting hat in exchange.
3 techniques used in this chapter are:
the italics used (eg. “because she can dance”, “You can even tango”. These create more effect in these words and show us that this is what impresses him about his sister)
how he says he shouldn’t have done something (eg. “I shouldn’t have even been smoking” which tells us that he doesn’t have second thoughts about what would happen to him if he got caught by his parents and what would happen to his sister’s health)
the darkness when his mother tucks Phoebe in bed ( this could be a foresight into the future, that his mother will never be able to find him even when he is meant to get back home after school was over)
The italics represent how serious Holden usually is while he’s talking to show that this is a serious part of the story. When he says that he shouldn’t have done something it tells us that he still might’ve been a bit drunk.
In this chapter Holden is still hiding from his parents and the only community, society or group he belongs to is with his sister.

Chapter 9 Summary + Analysis

This chapter deals with Holden’s inability to call anyone, his fascination with the ducks near Central Park South, and his teenage hormone-driven desire to have sex. Salinger has used a variety of literary techniques to convey how there is a distinct separation between Holden and society.

At the beginning of the chapter, after getting off at Penn Station, Holden feels “…like giving somebody a buzz”. This first person narration emphasises Holden’s careful planning and somewhat desperation which leads him to discover that he has no one to call. This early revelation shows Holden’s detached place in society.

Also, the descriptive language used by Salinger as Holden looks inquisitively out the window of his hotel room “I saw one guy, a gray-haired, very distinguished-looking guy with only his shorts on...” which is later somewhat juxtaposed with Holden’s comment “…that hotel was lousy with perverts”, conveys Holden’s hypocritical nature, which is possibly why he feels alienated from society.

In addition to this, Salinger uses the “…ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South” as a motif to represent the curiosity Holden possesses as being youthful. Later in the book, the reader understands that just like the pond is in transition between two states, Holden is in transition between childhood and adulthood, which is a major contributor to his separation from society.

Kanashya

Chapter 13
Holden walks from the nightclub back to the hotel and along the way he acknowledges that he is a coward. This confession results from Holden thinking about his gloves and wondering who stole them at Pencey. Taking the elevator up to his room the elevator operator talks him into hiring a prostitute. When she is there and takes her dress off Holden begins to feel like a coward and backs out. He makes an excuse about an operation on his ‘clavichord’ which is why he can’t have sex. He pays her the five dollars he owes her and asks her to leave. She however, claimed the price was ten but since Holden refuses to pay more she leaves.
The chapter starts with Holden walking back from the nightclub and decides to put on his red hunting hat to protect himself from the wind. Although he says ‘I didn’t give a damn how I looked’, obviously he does care about what other people think of him or he wouldn’t keep trying to convince the reader otherwise. In earlier chapters it was also obvious that others’ opinions of him were important though he continually denied it. We find out that although he is self-conscious it’s clear that the hat provides comfort. Mainly due to the colour of the hat being red and Phoebe and Allie’s hair colour also being red and so the hat in a way personifies his siblings.
Holden calls himself a ‘yellow’ guy, which he describes as those people who do not willingly get into fights. He says this when he wants to pick up a fight with whoever stole his gloves although he would lose. He admits that he wouldn’t mind getting injured but he ‘can’t stand looking at the other guy’s face’. This represents a metaphor for Holden unable to look at the evil in the world. Yet he contradicts himself yet again to say that he may get into a fight to get his gloves back and that maybe he isn’t a yellow guy. But he soon changes his mind once again and confirms his ‘yellowness’. This colour comparison tells us that Holden sees things in a childish way and although considers him above adults, he still has habits of a child.
Sunny, the prostitute, resembles to Holden something he wants and doesn’t simultaneously. He ends up critisising her by thinking to himself how immature she seemed. She ends up with the same thoughts and asks him how old he is. Sunny brings upon Holden the notion of attending for his sexual needs but he refuses. This brings on him once again how he is a yellow guy.
Individual versus society is thoroughly explored in this chapter. This is evident when Holden wants to fight whoever stole his gloves. As explained earlier it shows he cannot look at evil in the world and has his own little sanctuary which is only of innocence. These thoughts normally occur to him when he has the red hunting cap on which distinguishes him from society. Also when Holden calls upon the prostitute and doesn’t do anything, it shows that he is scared to sleep with Sunny and takes the path of refuge only resulting in isolation.

Robert- Chapter 22 Holden tries to explain to Phoebe why he was expelled from Pencey. He tries to explain to her that all the students were 'phony' and mean but ends up admitting that he 'can't explain'. Phoebe challenges him to name one thing that he likes. Holden struggles and becomes distracted. All he can think about is the two nuns, a boy from Elkton Hills, James Castle, who killed himself, and Allie. He finally tells Phoebe that he likes Allie and also that he likes talking to Phoebe but Phoebe thinks that neither of those two things count. In response to Phoebe's suggestion that he should become a lawyer, Holden outlines quite honestly his problems. Phoebe does not understand. Holden then tells her that he would like to be 'the catcher in the rye'. Holden imagines that there are children playing in a field of rye but they are in danger of falling off a cliff. Holden wants to be the person who stops them from falling. "I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all".Holden his fantasy of idealistic childhood and of his role as the protector of innocence. His fantasy world is based on the idea that children are simple and innocent while adults are superficial, hypocritical and phony. His catcher in the rye fantasy reflects his innocence, his belief in pure, uncorrupted youth. It also represents his extreme disconnection from reality and his view of the world.
"It was one of the worst schools I ever went to. It was full of phonies". When Phoebe asks Holden why he got the ax from his school he replied by saying it was full of phonies. People being phonies is one of the main reasons why Holden doesn't like the outside world. This is shown in this quote. He dislikes phonies alot. "You don't like anything that's happening. Name one thing".Phoebe asks Holden to name one thing he likes and he struggles to come up with an answer. He thinks about the nuns and James Castle, who killed himself. He finally tells Phoebe that he likes Allie and also that he likes talking to Phoebe but Phoebe thinks that neither of those two things count. The things he thought about and said are weird as he hardly knows the nuns or James Castle and Allie is dead. This shows that the more he knows about people the more faults he recognises in them. The nuns are an obvious symbol of purity. Allie, having never reached adulthood, will always be pure and innocent in Holden's mind. This chapter shows Holden excluded from society when he struggled to come up with something he liked and the reasons why. When he says that he hated school because it was full of phonies and that he wanted to cath the children before falling from the cliff into adulthood, shows what he thinks of adulthood and the society.

The Catcher in the Rye Chapter 26 Sanjeevi Visagamoorthy
The chapter begins at the end of Holden story, with him summing up his thoughts about what’s going to happen to him at his new school next September. He is still criticising the way people and the society act even in his closing statements. He recounts how when D.B came to visit him in the rest home from Hollywood, he didn’t feel like telling D.B about all the events that had occurred throughout the book. His closing statement ends with him saying, “Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.”
The tone conveyed throughout this chapter is Holden’s continuing feeling of loneliness and solitude. Even when D.B, his own brother visits him from Hollywood, Holden continues to isolate himself by not bothering to talk to D.B about the events that happened since Pencey Prep. In this sense the reader feels a certain connection to Holden, as it seems that Holden would rather converse with a stranger (the reader), than with his family, as he has no connection to them. He alienates himself throughout the entire book, and his solitary nature is conveyed clearly in the closing statements of the book. He still seems scared and alone, and he continues to dread communication, however the use of the words “…missing everybody”, shows that perhaps Holden has started to lose the cynical nature that had surrounded him throughout the book. Although he is still afraid of reaching out to people, it shows that he is not as bitter and repressed as he was earlier in the book.