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The Catcher In The Rye: Isu Questions

The Catcher in the Rye: ISU Questions
Graham Eby
Thursday, July 10, 2008

Chapters 1-8:
1. Holden’s attitude towards his parents seems negative because judging by the way he describes them, they sound touchy and overbearing with very high expectations. Pencey is a private school and his parents wanted him there, which gives us the impression that they expect a lot from him, and he can’t, or chooses not to give it to them.

2. Holden is isolated at Pencey by; Pencey is an all boys school, and being a teenage boy, girls are something that make up a teenage boys life and he can’t be a part of that life, by messing up as fencing team manager and leaving all of the equipment in New York, forcing the whole team to ostracize him, and because he was flunking four subjects in a private school, a school filled with scholars and top students.

3. Holden feels that Ackley is “peculiar”, by always barging in on him and basically being a very awkward guy. His description of Ackley shows us that he is a pimply nerd that no one really knows. He is untidy and unhygienic. As for Stradlater, Holden feels that he is a big bumbling guy who can be annoying, and a phony like everyone else, but he can’t help but be loved. Holden also calls Stradlater a “secret slob” because he seems to be well groomed but his razor and other toiletries are unclean.

4. Allie is Holden’s brother who came down with leukemia and passed away. Holden feels very strongly about his younger brother Allie, shown by sentences like, “You’d have liked him,” and “He was also the nicest, in lots of ways.” Later in the book, his little sister asks him if he likes anything. Holden replies by saying, “I like Allie.” This shows that after having him gone for so long, he still really misses having him around and proves that Holden really liked him.

5. Holden went to see Mr. Spencer to say good-bye to him because he wouldn’t see him again until Christmas. Mr. Spencer also wrote Holden a note saying he wanted to...