Chapter 21

1. Who does Holden see sleeping?

Holden watches Phoebe sleep when it was morning, he just walked in and stared at her without
waking her up.

2. What is Phoebe's intention with her middle name?

Her middle name doesn't suit her at all and she keeps changing her middle name every time
Holden sees her.

3. What is Phoebe's reaction to seeing Holden?

Phoebe's reaction when she sees Holden is happy to see him and affectionate with Holden when
she sees that they are sitting on his bed and for being there with her.

4. Create a list of topics that Phoebe talks about with Holden.

Topics:

Arithmetic is fun.
Christmas picture for Americans.
The Doctor

5. What is Phoebe's reaction to learning that Holden has been kicked out again? Does Holden
share this reaction?

The reaction of Phoebe and Holden is not very good since Phoebe was subjecting them to
Holden to tell the truth of whether he has been expelled again or not but Phoebe does not let
them and insists many times to Holden to the point of knowing and that please do not tell
anyone because he was going to have another job that was a ranch so that he would not have
nothing to do.

CHAPTER 22
1. What are Holden's excuses for failing his classes and being expelled from school?

Holden claims that Pencey is full of hypocrites. He tells him how they excluded Robert Ackley as
a sign of how phony the students are.

2. How does Phoebe respond to these excuses?

Phoebe tells Holden that Holden doesn't like anything that happens.
3. What is the one thing Holden admits to liking?

She asks Holden to tell her one thing he really likes. Holden thinks of two things. The first is the
nuns at Grand Central Station. The second is a kid in Elkton Hills named James Castle, who had a
fight with a snooty guy named Phil Stabile.

4. Summarize Holden's flashback to James Castle at Elkton Hills. What happens? Why?

James Castle, who got into a fight with a cocky guy named Phil Stabile. Phil threatened James,
who responded by jumping out the window, killing himself.

5. What job title does Holden want when he grows up?

The job title Holden wants to be when he grows up is "Catcher in the Rye".

What would the job description be?

he imagines many children playing in a large field of rye around the edge of a cliff.

How does this symbolize Holden's character?

Cheerful and very enthusiastic.

CHAPTER 23
1. Who does Holden call?

He went to call Antolini.

2. Why is this person so important to the memory of Elkton Hills in Chapter 22?

Because he wanted to call my former literature teacher at Elkton Hills, Mr. Antolini.

What role did he play?

He was a professor of Language and Literature.

Why does Holden appreciate him?

Because he was his teacher

3. What kind of interaction does Holden have with his parents in this scene?

Not so good.

4. Where does Holden plan to go after this?

He's going to Colorado because he has a ranch there and he's going to apply for a job.

5. What happens to Holden's red hunting hat?

He gave it to Mr. Antilini

CHAPTER 24
1. What does Holden think of digressions?
That he likes it but gets bored when they don't digress at all.
2. What worries Mr. Antolini about Holden's future?
That he wouldn't have the foreknowledge of being accepted into a job that could keep
him afloat and not have economic downfall.
3. Why is Holden leaving Mr. Antolini's house?
Because Antilini would have taken a suitcase that contained Holden's outside money.

Chapter 25
1. Where does Holden go after Mr. Antolini?
He didn't know where to go, he wanted to go to a hotel but he couldn't because
otherwise he would spend all the money and have to sleep in a waiting room.
2. Describe Holden's physical health in this chapter.
Well, his physical state is fine, but his metal and emotional state is not so good.
3. Why does Holden go to his old school?
Holden goes to Phoebe's school to meet and say goodbye to her.
4. What is Holden doing with the walls of his old school?
At school he sees "fuck" written on the wall, and gets so angry that he tries to erase it.
What does this say about his character?
It's good for him because he's respecting his old school and trying to get rid of the word
that ruins the school's reputation.
5. Why does Phoebe get angry with Holden and what does she allow him to do to make
it up to her?
Phoebe gets mad because he doesn't want to take her with him but he buys Phoebe a
ticket to the carousel to make up for it so she doesn't get mad at him.
Why is Holden worried about Phoebe reaching the gold ring on the carousel?
Because he was afraid she would fall off the horse.
CHAPTER 26
1. Where is Holden? Where has he been telling this story all along?
He was at the amusement park with Phoebe.
2. Why should he never tell anyone anything?
Because I might find out and I might be embarrassed.
3. Predict: Do you think Holden will struggle at his new school in the fall? Why or why
not?
I think yes because he will spend a whole year if you study and I think he will reason and
possibly go back to school so he won't just get the basics.
4. What are some of the main themes of this novel (A theme is a message, not a general
subject).
x The concerns of the adolescent, the passage to maturity, the inner conflict in a difficult
personality. difficult personality.
x Criticism of the hypocrisy of people and society is probably the main theme of the
novel. main theme of the novel.
x The denouncement of the adult world, marked in all occasions by the miserable, the
dirty, the false, the false and the the dirty, the false, the brutal and the degenerate.
x The nostalgia for childhood as the time of life in which only purity, innocence and
purity, innocence and sincerity is possible.
5. What do you think the following symbols refer to?
a. The red hunting hat
b. Ducks
c. Natural History Museum
d. Carousel