B.A. their usual response, like Sallys, is to criticize him. (137) 2. Holden decides that girls always say that as an excuse to date arrogant boys. She feels threatened and angry. The play's storyline takes the couple through various trials of life, and Holden concedes that it is not the worst he has seen. Why is Holden obsessed with the ducks at the Central Park Lagoon? Holden asks Sally if she ever gets fed up with New York phoniness and proceeds to vent about everything he hates. He was obviously shaken by the trips to the cemetery, but all he says in his narration is that he used to go with his parents, but he stopped accompanying them because he certainly didnt enjoy seeing him in that crazy cemetery.. Sally is a practical girl, ambitious in conventional ways, greedy, a bit of a social climber, who will get what she wants when she wants it, because she always has. What kinds of life partners "dopey guys," as he calls them will they find? To kill time, Holden goes to see a movie at Radio City Music Hall. from Oxford University Ph.D. from St. Andrews University. Indicate whether the statements below are TRUE or FALSE according to the passage. The quarrel builds until Holden calls Sally a royal pain in the ass, and she begins to cry. When they take a break and sit down indoors, Holden begins to unravel. As Holden proposes impossible schemes only to lash out when their Holden would rather go in front of a firing squad. Luce is three years older than Holden and now a student at Columbia University. Holden starts to apologize, but Sally is upset and angry with him, and, finally, he leaves without her. Like many teens, Holden is uncomfortable with sexuality and especially uncomfortable with the idea of homosexuality. He begins to wonder what will "happen to all of them." Despite this invitation, though, Holden doesn't truly respect Sally, though he finds . 2023 Course Hero, Inc. All rights reserved. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. The pond itself becomes a minor metaphor for the world as Holden sees it. Subscribe now. But he only confuses and frightens her. The last thing that Holden does that upsets Sally is when he calls her " A royal pain in the ass". His acceptance of Phoebe's need to "grab for the gold ring" indicates that he sees her as a maturing individual who must be allowed to live her own life and take her own chances, even though she may fail or fall. so long as he observes social norms. Except the museum had stayed exactly the same. Is Sally interested? He leaves the park and begins the long walk home. cliques small, exclusive circles of people; snobbish or narrow circles of friends who share a common interest or background. J. D. Salinger and The Catcher in the Rye Background. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. Major Symbols. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. Along the way, he becomes quite upset when he drops and breaks the record he had bought for Phoebe. She asks him not to shout and says she has no idea what he is talking about. In many ways, Holdens disillusionment is typical for a teenager trying to figure out his place in the world. Does Mr. Antolini really make a pass at Holden? The piano was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori in Italy around the year 1709. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. After they kiss for a while, Holden suddenly decides that he wants to marry her, and he blurts out that he loves her. When they take a break and sit down indoors, Holden begins to unravel. Sally is ten minutes late but looks terrific in her black coat and matching beret. Holden also does not like how George and Sally will not stop talking to each other. Critical Essays What is a catcher in the rye and why does Holden want to be one? To make matters worse, he also resents this young man for encroaching upon his time with Sally, since he has been desperate for human interactionso desperate, in fact, that he agrees to go ice-skating with Sally even though he has decided that he hates her. Holden thought they did not act like people or like actors. When she points out that his dreams are Holden couldn't stand going to war because you would have to stay in the army too long and he would go crazy if he had to be with a bunch of guys like Ackley. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. He stumbles to the phone booth and makes an incoherent late-night call to Sally Hayes, angering both her and her grandmother. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Sally want to go ice-skating at Radio City. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Salinger does not spoon-feed the reader a "happy" ending. Sally arrives ten minutes late, but since she is looking extremely nice, Holden decides not to be upset with her. Combine given pair of sentences below, turning the underlined words into a gerund phrase. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. "Now, he's OK, he tweeted photos with the message he's glad to be alive. As he walks next to the curb, the six-year-old boy sings, "If a body catch a body coming through the rye.". However serious Holden may or may not be, or whether he would be serious ten minutes later, Sally is not the right girl for this fantasy. Removing #book# Holden got a bang out of that and worried about actors going to do something phony every minute. He dislikes the way she talks with an Andover student named George. Traditionally, they have relied on their own eyes, their knowledge of an artist's work, and simple devices like magnifying glasses. Holden likes Jane and doesn't like Sally, but he has a date with Sally. Holden buys tickets to see " I know my Love" because he knew Sally would like it due to the Lunt's being in it and she likes shows that are supposed to be sophisticated. Where is Holden as he narrates the story? (6) Duplicitous art dealers sometimes sell pieces that they know are fake to unsuspecting customers at inflated prices. those norms does anyone notice his disturbed state, and even then, This desperate need for love is counterbalanced by his inability to deal with the complexities of the real world. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. She is extremely phony. The movie is worse, because it manipulates the audience into a sentimental glorification of war and the military, which Holden despises. What do Holden and Sally think of the show they see starring the Lunts? (133) Chapter 18 1. He remembers the time he saw her at a dance with a boy Holden thought was a show-off, but Jane argued that the boy had an inferiority complex. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% Asked by sophia b #407967 on 12/7/2014 5:33 AM Last updated by Aslan on 12/7/2014 5:37 AM Answers 1 Add Yours. Holden thinks the whole world is phony including himself. What is Holdens relationship with Phoebe like? You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? Holden's theories of girls opinions on boys are that if a girl likes a boy no matter how big a bastard he is, they will say he has an inferiority complex and if they don't like him, no matter how nice a guy he is or how big an inferiority complex he has, they say he is conceited. Chapter 17. Finally, he calls Jane, but no one answers. Sally said: "Dan Walker, our Dan, was injured after his collision with a car while he was cycling yesterday. We can be sure that, throughout life, Sally will never be caught leaving her kings in the back row. how ill-equipped he is to deal with actual people. He is girl watching in his own way. He hits on Valencia and the hat-check girl and then senselessly breaks into tears before walking through the freezing cold to the duck pond. His attempt to convince a shallow socialite like Sally to run away with him to a cabin in the wilderness also shows his increasing distance from realityor, at least, his inability to deal with the reality in which he finds himself. Oscillating between shouting and hushed tones, he rants about all the "phonies" at his prep schools and in New York society, and talks about how alienated he feels. He remarks that every time he went to the museum, he felt that he had changed, while the museum had stayed exactly the same. She seems to want to have a fairly normal teenage relationship with him, one which does not involve indulging every extreme whim he expresses. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. When Holden told Sally that he loved her, he actually meant it for just a moment. quarrel builds until Holden calls Sally a royal pain in the ass, from your Reading List will also remove any What is the setting for The Catcher in the Rye? Holden almost hated her for this. After the show, Holden is afraid the guy is going to accompany them back in the cab, but as it turns out, he has to go to a party. Already a member? 4 of 5 (Salinger 133). SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. As always, Holden is critical of the actors performances and is disgusted when Sally befriends an acquaintance during intermission. He heads down Broadway to buy a record called reality in which he finds himself. fantastic here, existing in the imagination; imaginary; unreal. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Holden was willing to forgive Sally because she looked so terrific that for a minute he thought about marrying her. Who does he compare them to? Harold Levine, Norman Levine, Robert T. Levine, SpringBoard English Language Arts: Grade 10, myPerspectives: English Language Arts, Grade 7, Vocabulary for Achievement: Fourth Course, SOCIOLOGY -EB/US-Chapt. He tells her that he loves her and asks her to come away with him to Massachusetts or Vermont. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. Finally, he calls Jane, but no one answers. Holden clearly wants Luce to give him some kind of guidance and insight into adult sexuality, but his attempts to raise the subject are clumsy and immature, and Luce refuses to interact with Holden on the same footing that they had at Whooton. Holden experiences mixed feelings for Sally, who does not truly understand him. The disagreement turns angry, and Holden tells Sally that she gives him "a royal pain in the ass." could wear a short skirt and show off her cute ass, but he admits Let us know your assignment type and we'll make sure to get you exactly the kind of answer you need. Maybe they could get married and live there forever. (subject). Why does Maurice repeatedly refer to holden as "Chief?" What subtle gestures does Maurice make to intimidate Holden? Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? Purchasing Holden is a virgin, but he is very interested in sex, and, in fact, he spends much of the novel trying to lose his virginity. He then calls a boy named Carl Luce, whom he used to know at the Whooton School, and Luce agrees to meet him for drinks later that night. The conjunction of Allies memory with the image of the duck pond helps to explain Holdens preoccupation with the pond and establishes it as one of The Catcher in the Ryes key symbols. At the duck pond, he worries about catching pneumonia and imagines his funeral. Holden was thinking that Sir Lawrence Olivier who played in Hamlet was not as good as D.B. At the end of the first act, Holden and Sally go out for smokes with all the "phonies" and "jerks" who stand around and talk about the play. Watching the . He then tries to make a date with the lounge singer, an attractive woman named Valencia. Although hes adamant about never becoming a phony, he obviously thinks that he will inevitably lead a boring and uninspired life someday. What does Holden say is the reason Sally wants to go ice-skating? Holden leaves her at the skating rink bar. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% What does Holden mean when he says "all you have to do is say something nobody understands and they'll do practically anything you want them to" (157 - 158)?