The Catcher in the Rye is set around the 1950s and is narrated by a young man named Holden Caulfield. It is the story of Holden trying to connect with other people and failing to do so, which causes him to dread maturity and cling to his idealized view of childhood. Holden is quick to dismiss both individuals and the adult world in general as "phony". But the main reason why those connections fall apart is that he behaves immaturely, things like indulging in outlandish or obnoxious behaviour until other people become bemused or angry with him.
After a brief present-tense introduction, Holden switches to past-tense flashback, beginning with his final days at Pencey Prep. The initial incident that incites the novel's major events occurs when Stradlater goes out with Jane Gallagher and refuses to answer Holden's question about whether he had sex with her. Holden has felt affection for Jane for a long time, and this date that Stradlater and Jane Gallagher has sparks envy and jealousy. Because Holden can't do anything about the situation, he decides to leave the school that night and take the train to New York City.
Most of the events and episodes after Holden's departure from Pencey involve him attempting to make sexual connections with others or find someone to explain sex to him. For example, he invites his classmate's mother to get a drink, calls a woman he believes is a stripper, dances with older female tourists who stayed at his hotel and goes out on a date with Sally Hayes, which didn't end up good.
The story's climax comes when Holden visits Phoebe, who is extremely angry that Holden has been expelled from another school and confronts him about why he doesn't like anything. This led to Holden recalling another episode from an earlier prep school where a boy named James Castle leapt out of a window to his death because he was being bullied. This climax doesn't represent a turning point for Holden but rather illuminates for the reader just how deep Holden's need is to protect the "castle" of his childhood from the depredations of the adult world. He also explains to Phoebe how he wants to be "the catcher in the rye," a figure who catches children who are about to fall off an imaginary cliff to their deaths or adulthood. However, Phoebe corrects his misunderstanding of the poem's words, calling his entire belief system into question and implying that Holden is wrong about both childhood and adulthood.
The story's falling action depicts holden continuing his attempt to delay adulthood until he can't run any further. He goes to see Mr. Antolini, an adult who showed bravery and compassion after James Castle's death. He describes the misanthropic and maladjusted future Holden seems to be headed toward and how Holden is now stuck between his unrealistically idealized childhood and the unpleasant reality of adulthood. Once again, Holden decides to run away from his life and his family for good, but this plan is interrupted when Phoebe insists on coming with him.
At the end of the story, Holden watches Phoebe riding a carousel, secure for the moment in her childhood innocence and not menaced by adulthood or the future. The novel ends in the present tense, with Holden offering the hope that his experience was transformational, and he may apple himself at his next school. However, his voice is similar to the rest of the novel, leading the readers to question whether he has matured and gained insight into himself and others.
Written by The Busy Penguin
The Anonymous Helpers (TAH)