The Catcher in the Rye Essay Questions

What does Holden mean when he calls people around him “phonies”?

Answer: By “phony,” Holden means someone who is inauthentic and living on the surface as opposed to actually seeing the world clearly and living authentically, not selling out to artifice. Holden is deeply disappointed in those who cannot see beyond life's mundane duties and trivialities.

What is the significance of the novel’s title?

Answer: Holden holds onto a song about a catcher in the rye who catches all the children in his path just before they run off a cliff, rescuing them from doom. Holden himself either wants to be such a catcher, who rescues children, since he believes they are the only people who are genuine in the world, or he wants to be rescued by the catcher.

Why does Holden slug Stradlater at Pencey?

Answer: Holden is in love with Jane Gallagher, one of the few girls he has allowed himself to get close to. When he finds out that Stradlater had a date with her and treats the whole affair so casually, he cannot hold in his rage.

What is the significance of the red hunter's hat that Holden wears?

Answer: Both Phoebe and Allie had red hair, so Holden's red hunter's cap, with its childish echoes, is his way of bonding with both of them and retaining his innocence.

Why does Holden ultimately leave Pencey?

Answer: Holden is kicked out for failing too many classes, but he ultimately chooses to leave early to get away from all the phonies who are making him miserable. Specifically, he is fleeing Stradlater, who has co-opted the one and only girl he truly loves, Jane Gallagher.

What are some of the things that “kill” Holden, in his words?

Answer: In general, the things that make Holden feel emotional (“killing” him) involve children. When he reads Phoebe's notebook, or when he remembers Allie's foibles, he can't block the surging emotions that overflow his defenses.

Why does Holden cling to the innocence of children so deeply?

Answer: Holden has yet to recover from the stark cruelties of adulthood that so quickly stripped him of childhood innocence. Allie was taken from him cruelly, and then Holden immediately had to venture to school, where he was taunted by classmates. Holden can't see a way to regain his childhood innocence.

Why can't Holden force himself to sleep with the prostitute who comes to his motel room?

Answer: Holden simply wants the comfort of someone he can talk to. He cannot bring himself to numb the loneliness and pain long enough to sleep with someone. On top of this, he is a virgin, so it is quite evident he wants his first time to be special.

Why does Holden finally lash out at Sally Hawkins?

Answer: Though Sally is quite pretty and Holden enjoys having her on his arm, ultimately he cannot put up with her “phoniness.” Sally cares about appearances and the superficial trappings of status, but Holden cares only about having someone he can relate to. He would rather be lonely than have to engage with a phony.

Why does Holden ultimately capitulate and come back home with Phoebe at the end?

Answer: Holden wants to distance himself from people as far as possible so that he never has to experience the pain of loving someone and then losing them again. After Allie, he cannot take another heartbreak. He wants to spare himself the pain of possibly losing Phoebe or seeing her grow up by getting as far away from her as possible. But when she insists on accompanying him, Holden cannot bear to ruin her life, either by letting her come with him or by leaving without her.