catcher in the rye synopsis

CATCHER IN THE RYE

Holden Caulfield is a teenager who always shows rebellion and torment. He was kicked out from his school, Pencey Prep and this is not the first time that he experienced expulsion.

Holden always show unstable attitude, and he change his mind easily and very often, he is also resisting the idea of growing older.

Always looking troubled, Holden also calls himself dumb but he shows a great potential in writing just like his brothers D.B. and Allie.

Holden may look like insensitive, but he actually dreamt of being a “catcher in the rye”, he wants to save children that may fall of the cliff while playing; thus saving them from the troubles of maturity, he thinks that he can protect children’s innocence.

HOLDEN wandered in New York City after he was kicked out from Pencey Prep because he failed four subjects. Holden will leave that school full of crook even though it is full of wealthy men and having a high academic ratings, it is still full of unwanted people. One of them is ROBERT ACKLEY, Holden’s neighbor at the dorm, Ackley has very bad teeth hygiene, his teeth were mossy and terrible, his face is full of pimples and he also has an awful personality, Ackley tends to look up at other people’s personal stuff and he is just very bothersome. Another kid in Pencey is STRADLATER. He’s Holden’s roommate and Stradlater happens to date Holden’s ex girlfriend JANE GALLAGHER they had a fight because Stradlater did not appreciate what Holden did for Stradlater’s composition. It is all about the baseball gloves of his departed brother ALLIE. Allie died because of leukemia. He is the most intelligent and nicest person in Holden’s family. He is also a very good writer; he puts his poems in his baseball mitts which Holden copied for Stradlater’s composition. Holden was also pissed off because Stradlater is not telling him what happened between him and Jane. Holden suddenly punched him and they started a fight, Holden kept telling him that his a moron, that made Stradlater really angry. Holden lose the fight like he always do, upon returning to his senses, he cleaned up the blood on his face and went to Ackley’s room. He asked Ackley to let him sleep in one of his roommate’s bed. He somewhat refused and that annoyed Holden. Holden just looked outside the window and felt lonesome and wished he was dead. Holden lay down to the bed anyways and started a conversation with Ackley; he is still thinking that maybe Stradlater had given Jane “the time”. Holden just then decided to leave Pencey.

Supposed to be, Holden will leave Pencey on Wednesday since he wanted to let his parents absorb the bad news, him being expelled in Pencey, but because of his fight with his roommate Stradlater, he immediately left Pencey. With his red hunting hat on, he took a train and went to New York and he planned to stay there until Wednesday. He first stayed in Edmont Hotel, he talked with three tourist women, he thought two of the girls as not good-looking but the other one is just alright so he danced with her and he also danced with the other two but ending up paying the bills. He then went to Ernie’s Nightclub where he’s brother D.B. usually hang out. He rode a taxi going to Ernie’s and he asked the driver about the ducks in the lagoon. He wanted to know where the ducks go if the pond started to freeze. Holden is just crazy about the ducks in the lagoon and the driver is so touchy that he gets sore every time Holden will tell him something. They finally arrived at Ernie’s. The place is jampacked with students. Holden just sat alone and listen to the boring conversation of the guys with their dates beside him. All he ended up doing is smoking and drinking. He felt bored so he walked all the way back to the hotel. In the elevator, the operator asked him if he wants to have a good time with a girl, because of depression, Holden said yes but ended up doing nothing because he thought the prostitute, SUNNY, is just in his age group and felt sorry for her. Sunny left but Holden can’t just go to sleep. After consuming cigarettes, he then heard a knock. It was MAURICE, the elevator operator and Sunny. They are asking for five more bucks. Holden refused but Sunny already have his wallet and Maurice smacked him down. Holden again didn’t win the fight and when his senses come back, he cleaned the blood and then called SALLY HAYES, a girl she used to hang around and asked her if she wants to go to Biltmore to watch a show. She agreed to Holden’s invitations and while he is waiting, he took a long walk. He first went to the Broadway to get a record for her little sister PHOEBE entitled “Little Shirley Beans”, it was a very hard record to find and he thought of giving it to Phoebe in case she is skating in the park. While walking he saw a poor family, and their kid is singing, “If a body catch a body coming through the rye”. The song made Holden feel better and less depressed.

Holden finally arrived where he and Sally will meet. Sally came ten minutes late but in the minute Holden saw her, he felt like marrying her but he really didn’t like her much, he just felt crazy about it. The two went to the show and while on the cab, they started horsing around, Holden being seductive and all. After the show, they decided to go skating and have a drink. Holden suddenly had the idea of running away with Sally but she hated the plan. She said their just children and they can’t do things like that. They started hating each other and Holden called Sally a pain in the ass which made her cry. Holden just left Sally feeling sorry for what he had said and done. 

Holden then decided to go to their house and upon reaching their apartment; he sneaked quietly not to wake up his parents and their maid. He went to D.B.’s room where Phoebe sleeps when their brother is away. After reading Phoebe’s notebook and lighting his last cigarette he woke up Phoebe. Phoebe was so excited seeing her brother and she told Holden that their parents are not around and will be back very late. Holden stopped worrying for a while and the two of them talked. Phoebe just then figured it out that Holden was again kicked out because he is out quite early for the Christmas vacation. She kept on saying that their father will kill him. Holden answered back, he said that he will probably go away and find a job in a ranch in Colorado and he explained to Phoebe why he got expelled in the school again. Phoebe then said that Holden does not like everything that is happening, that made Holden more depressed. He is trying to defend his self and Phoebe demanded Holden to say something he really liked. It took a long time for Holden to answer. He finally said that he liked Allie and talking to Phoebe a lot. Phoebe also asked him to tell what he liked to be. Holden answered he wanted to be a catcher in the rye. He will catch the abandoned children playing in the cliff and save them from the evils of adulthood.

Holden left their apartment and went to his teacher’s house Mr. ANTOLINI. His teacher is nice to him and he also shared his idea of becoming a catcher in the rye. Mr. Antolini offered their house for a place to sleep. Holden just woke up that night and he saw Mr. Antolini making flirty gestures on him. Holden jumped out of the bed and hurriedly left the house.

Holden decided to live in the west as a deaf-mute. He told Phoebe his plans, but Phoebe just gets disappointed by Holden’s decision and the when Holden refused the idea of Phoebe coming with him. Holden then said that he will not leave so that her sister will not be upset. He let Phoebe ride the carousel and he started realizing all the things that he had done when he saw Phoebe going around in the carousel. Holden just felt happy, really happy, Phoebe is just so nice to look at going around and around.

            Holden will go to a new school next September, and he refused telling all the other details and mentioned not to tell anybody anything, because we’ll just start missing everybody.