Catcher in the Rye

Catcher in the Rye

J.D Salinger’s novel “Catcher in the Rye,” focuses mainly on Holden Caulfield because he is the narrator and the novel is about his memory of characters and events throughout the story. These characters are more than just remembrances but actually help the reader to better understand Holden. Mr. Antolini, Phoebe, and Jane Gallagher are all characters that help fully characterize Holden.

Mr. Antolini helps the reader better understand Holden’s hasty judgments about characters in the novel. He is one of the few people in the novel who Holden respects and does not consider a “phony.” Holden respects Mr. Antolini because he understands him and does not treat him like an inferior student like the rest of his teachers do. Mr. Antolini is very open with Holden and this is shown when he lets him stay the night in his apartment. Holden’s quick judgments of people are shown and better understood when Mr. Antolini touches his forehead while he sleeps in chapter 24. “I know more damn perverts, at schools and all, than anybody you ever met, and they’re always being perverty when I’m around.”(192) Holden jumps to conclusions right away when he wakes up to Mr. Antolini touching his forehead. Instead of thinking that his teacher was just showing affection and care for a student he is very quick to think that he is a pervert and homosexual. In the quote Holden says, “they’re always being perverty when I’m around,” this is more evidence that Holden jumps to conclusions and is quick with assumptions rather than to think about what it is to be a pervert. He thinks that he is just in the wrong place at the wrong time but it is more likely that he just assumes they are being “perverty” when they are truly not. Another example of Holden being quick with judgment is directly after the incident happens. Without letting the incident sink in, Holden changes into his clothes and runs out of the apartment. Mr. Antolini and the events that take place in his apartment help the reader fully understand Holden. Mr. Antolini is a compassionate person and his actions are out of care for his friend and student, Holden’s quick and hasty judgment is shown when he overlooks Mr. Antolini’s concern and affection for a homosexual advance.

Phoebe is another character that helps the reader better understand Holden‘s rejection to mature and enter the adult world. In the novel Phoebe is Holden’s idea of childhood innocence but Phoebe challenges his view by acting older and more mature than she is. Phoebe knows that Holden is stubborn about maturing and growing up and she views him as a troubled person and that is why she tries to help him towards the end of the novel. An example of when Phoebe helps the reader understand that Holden is stubborn about growing up is when she says, “Stop swearing. All right, name something else. Name something that you’d like to be.”(172) In this passage Phoebe is acting more like an adult and trying to get Holden to realize that he needs to think about his future. Throughout the book Holden has shown evidence that he is immature by not caring about school and his future, after Phoebe asks, “Name something you’d like to be,” and Holden responds by ultimately saying, “I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all.” This shows that he is truly has no real concern about growing up and having a future. Another example of how Phoebe gives evidence through her character of Holden’s rejection to growing up and maturing is at the end when she wants to run away with Holden. She does not want to run away with Holden so he can take care of her but so she can take care of him. She does this because she understands Holden is a distressed young man. Phoebe’s character