Catcher in the Rye
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33 Terms
Protagonist and narrator.
Recently expelled from Pencey prep school.
Cynical, jaded, and critical of "phoniness."
Struggles with the transition from childhood to adulthood.
Intelligent and sensitive, but deeply troubled.
Seeks connection but often pushes people away.
Roommate at Pencey.
Handsome and popular, but a "secret slob."
Sexually active and experienced.
"Sexy Bastard"
Ten-year-old sister.
Intelligent, neat, and a good dancer.
A source of happiness and understanding.
Sometimes acts more mature than Holden.
The person Holden wants to protect the innocence of.
History teacher at prep school.
Tries to motivate Holden.
Represents the adult world Holden struggles with.
Sick, old, and living in a house that smells like Vick's Nose Drops.
Older student and former advisor.
Attends Columbia University.
Considered knowledgeable about sex.
Holden seeks him out for conversation but finds it unsatisfying.
Holden suspects to be gay
Suggests that Holden see a psychoanalyst
Former English teacher.
Now a professor at NYU.
Young, clever, and sympathetic.
Holden seeks his guidance and stays the night.
Drinks heavily.
Makes unclear potentially sexual advances
Younger brother who passed away.
Died of leukemia.
Intelligent, friendly, and red-headed.
Wrote poems on a baseball mitt.
A symbol of lost innocence.
Fuels Holden’s trauma and protection of innocence?
Older brother.
A writer.
Works in Hollywood.
Considered a "prostitute" by Holden for his career choices.
Childhood friend.
Spent a summer near Holden’s family.
One of the few girls Holden respects and finds attractive.
Never directly appears in the story.
Keeps "all her kings in the back row."
Potentially abused by her stepdad
Attractive and well-read.
Dated by Holden.
Considered "stupid" by Holden, possibly due to his own insecurities.
Conventional in tastes and manners.
Goes ice skating with Holden.
Holden calls “royal pain in the ass.”
Next-door neighbor at prep school.
Pimply, insecure, and has poor hygiene.
Often intrudes on the Holden’s space.
Possibly makes up stories about sexual experiences.
Elevator operator and pimp.
Procures a prostitute for Holden.
Represents the seedier side of adult life.
Beats up Holden for not paying 5 extra dollars.
A prostitute.
Hired through the elevator operator.
One of several failed attempts at connection for Holden.
Is around the same age as Holden.
Mother of a Pencey classmate.
Meets Holden on a train.
Subject of Holden’s elaborate lies and fantasies.
Represents Holden’s skewed perception of adults.
Former burlesque (suggestive) dancer.
Holden calls her hoping for a date.
Demonstrates awkward attempts at connection.
Got her number from a guy Holden met at a party.
Former girlfriend of D.B., Holden’s older brother.
Shallow.
Only wants to talk about Hollywood.
Plays at a bar Holden visits.
Holden believes that this character's playing has become overly performative.
Two women Holden meets at breakfast.
Holden finds them genuinely kind.
Holden donates to their cause.
They discuss Romeo and Juliet.
Holden asks about the ducks in central park.
Becomes excessively annoyed with Holden for asking too many questions.
Walking down the street, singing a misheard song.
Represents innocence to Holden.
Walking in the street, cars zooming by, parents oblivious.
Student at a former school.
Died by suicide after being bullied (maybe raped).
Mr. Antolini was the first to approach his body.
Wore Holden’s shirt.
Deeply affected Holden.
Ossenburger
Wealthy alumnus of Pencey Prep.
Made a fortune in the undertaking (funeral) business.
Gives a long, boring, and "phony" speech.
A wing of the dorms is named after that person.
Represents superficial success.
Pencey Prep
The most recent boarding school Holden has been expelled from.
Represents the "phoniness" and conformity Holden rejects.
Where the story begins (though it’s narrated in a mental hospital).
Whooton School
A previous school Holden attended.
Where Carl Luce was his student advisor.
Elkton Hills
Another previous school Holden attended.
Where Mr. Antolini was his English teacher.
Where James Castle died.
Edmont Hotel
A hotel at which Holden stays in New York City.
Where Holden encounters Maurice and Sunny.
Strange sexual activity.
Represents the weird and twisted adult world
A setting for several of Holden’s failed attempts at connection.
Central Park
A large park in New York City.
The location of the lagoon with the ducks.
A recurring symbol of change and Holden’s anxieties.
Carousel (key scene with Phoebe)
The Ducks in Central Park
A recurring question Holden asks.
Represent his anxieties about change, disappearance, and vulnerability.
A metaphor for where people go when they are displaced or lost.
Red Hunting Hat
A symbol of Holden’s individuality and desire for isolation.
He often wears it backwards.
A way for him to feel unique and different.
Allie's Baseball Mitt
A treasured possession of Holden.
Covered in poems written by his deceased brother.
Represents his love for Allie and the pain of his loss.
A symbol of innocence and childhood.
The Carousel
Represents the cyclical nature of childhood in contrast to the linear path to adulthood.
The brass ring represents the risks of growing up.
A symbol of joy and acceptance.
Museum Exhibits
Represents the theme of freezing/preserving moments in time.
Holden enjoys their unchanging nature and the peace that provides.
Doesn’t want to grow up