The Catcher and the Rye

1. Aha Moment

1.1. “All of a sudden, I decided what I’d really do, I’d get the hell out of Pency.” This is when Holden decided he was going to leave Pency.

1.2. “What’d you do? Give her the time in Ed Banky’s car?, My voice was shaking something awful.” Holden realized what Jane and Stradlater did, it damaged their relationship.

1.3. “Go**** money. It always ands up making you blue as h***. This is after Holden gives the nuns a $10 donation, after that he realizes money is not the answer to problems. This situation gave Holden and the nuns a special connection.

2. Again and Again

2.1. Throughout the book Holden reminisces about his siblings D.B, and Allie. Allie is deceased so as any other family member would Holden misses him.

2.2. Troughout the book Holden keeps deciding to call Jane but each time he changes his mind at the last second. This shows how important Jane is to Holden and how she plays a big role in his life.

2.3. In the book Holden asks multiple people the same question. Where does the duck go in the winter that lives in the pond?

3. Tough Questions

3.1. “...but as soon as I was inside I couldn’t think of anybody to call up” When Holden first arrives he does not know who to call.

3.2. “I asked her if Mr. Cudahy had ever tried to get wise with her.” Holden asks Jane if she was ever being abused by her stepfather. This tells me how much Holden cares about Jane.

3.3. "What I thought I'd do, I thought I might go down and see what old Mal Brossard was doing. But all of a sudden, I changed my mind” Holden is asking himself whether or not he should leave Pency, he decides to leave.

4. Words of the wiser

4.1. In the novel Holden is going to be kicked out of his school because of his poor grades. Before he leaves he visits his favorite teacher old Mr. Spencer. His teacher said to him “Do you feel absolutely no concern for your future?”

4.2. Mr. Spencer goes on to tell Holden that when he cares about his future it will be too late. “You will, You will boy, You will when it’s too late.” Even though these words were powerful Holden did not pay them any attention.

4.3. When talking to another one of his old teachers Mr. Antolini, he tells Holden a quote by a psychoanalyst named Wilhelm Stekel. “Here’s what he said: The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly, for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.” This quote helps Holden realize that he needs to wake up, and grow up.

5. Memory Moment

5.1. “The Christmas before last I took her downtown shopping with me, we had a helluva time.” Holden is talking about memories he has with his younger sister Phoebe.

5.2. “I remember once, the summer I was around twelve, teeing off and all, and having a hunch that if I turned around all of a sudden, I’d see Allie. So I did, and sure enough he was sitting on his bike outside the fence watching me tee off.” Holden is remembering moments he had with his deceased brother Allie.

5.3. "I suddenly remembered this time, in around October, that I and Robert Tichener and Paul Campbell were chucking a football around, in front of the academic building.” This moment helps Holden realize that he is leaving pency.