Catcher In The Rye—Discussion Questions

Chapter 3
1. What does Holden admit he is very good at and does all the time in the opening
sentence of Chapter 3?

2. What happens in the chapel during Ossenburger’s speech that cracks Holden up?

3. What did Holden buy in New York that he mentions repeatedly?

4. How does he wear it? What do you think the red hunting hat symbolizes?

5. When Holden returns to his dorm room, who is the only person around?

6. What are the defining characteristics of this person?

7. Who is Holden’s roommate?

Chapter 4
1. What are some of the characteristics that Holden discusses about Stradlater?

2. What does Stradlater ask Holden to do for him?

3. What does Holden start doing while he is talking to Stradlater in the bathroom?

4. Who is Stradlater’s date? Why is this interesting to Holden? What does Holden
remember about her?
5. Why is Holden nervous about Stradlater’s date?

Chapter 5
1. What is hypocritical about what Pencey serves for dinner on Fridays?

2. Why doesn’t Holden throw his snowball at anything?

3. What does Ackley brag to Holden about in Chapter 5?

4. What does Holden end up writing Stradlater’s essay about?

5. What happened to his brother? How did Holden react?

Chapter 6
1. What do Holden and Stradlater argue and fight about?

2. What does Holden keep calling Stradlater? How does Stradlater react?

3. What does Holden admit about himself concerning fighting at the end of Chapter 6?

Chapter 7
1. What does Holden do after his fight with Stradlater?

2. What won’t Ackley let Holden do?

3. How does Holden react to this?

4. What does Holden impulsively decide to do?

5. What is Holden’s plan?

6. What makes Holden feel bad when he thinks about his parents?

7. What does Holden start to do right before he leaves?

Chapter 8
1. Who does Holden meet on the train?

2. What does Holden tell Mrs. Morrow his name is?

3. What does Holden tell Mrs. Morrow the reason he is going home early is?

4. What does Holden do to Mrs. Morrow throughout this chapter?

Chapter 9
1. Name some of the people who Holden considers calling when he arrives in New
York?

2. What does Holden invite the cab driver to do? What does this reinforce about
Holden?
3. What depresses Holden about the bellboy?

4. Name some of the strange things Holden sees through his window.

5. What does Holden admit about himself and sex?

6. Who does Holden end up calling? What did she used to do?

7. How does Holden “blow it” with Faith?

Chapter 10
1. Who does Holden talk about at the beginning of chapter 10? What does he admire
about her?

2. What does Holden say is the only thing wrong with Phoebe?

3. Name some things that annoy Holden about the three girls at the club.

4. What really bothers Holden when they leave?

Chapter 11
1. Why does Holden care so much for Jane?

2. What shows how much Holden cares for her?

3. What can we infer has happened to Jane?

Chapter 12
1. What does Holden want to talk about with the cab driver?

2. Where does Holden end up?

3. What does Holdne respect/dislike about Ernie?

4. Holden feels sorry for ugly girls because he feels they have to put up with what?

5. Who does Holden run into at the club and how does he know her?

Chapter 13
1. What does Holden admit about himself in this chapter, and what example does he use
to illustrate his point?

2. What would he rather do than punch someone?

3. What bothers him most about a fist fight?

4. What reason does Holden give for being a virgin?

5. What is the prostitute’s name? What is a defining characteristic about her?

6. What excuse does Holden make up in order to avoid sex?

7. Why does Holden bail out?

Chapter 14
1. What does Holden do when he gets depressed?

2. What are Holden’s spiritual beliefs?

3. Who comes to his door? What do they want?

4. Who takes the money from Holden? How does he react?

5. What does Maurice do to Holden? How did Holden provoke him?

6. How does Holden deal with this event?

7. What is Holden contemplating at the end of the chapter?

Chapter 15
1. Who does Holden call in Ch. 15? How is she described?

2. Holden finally talks about his parents a bit, what do we find out about his father? his
mother?
3. Who does Holden talk to at the train station and about what?

4. Why does he apologize to the nuns?

Chapter 16
1. What present does Holden buy for Phoebe?

2. What happens when Holden hears the little boy singing “If a body catch a body”?

3. What place does Holden reminisce about that he visited often in his childhood?

4. What does he like so much about the museum?

5. What happens when he gets there?

Chapter 17
1. While girl watching, what does Holden worry about?

2. What does Holden tell Sally when he first sees her?

3. What proposition does he make to her?

4. What does he say to her that makes her angry?

Chapter 18
1. Holden talks about another guy that Jane dated, what is he like?

2. Who does Holden end up calling in this chapter and what does he think of him?

3. Where does Holden go to kill time before he has to meet Carl Luce?

Chapter 19
1. What does Holden want to talk about with Luce?

2. What does Luce keep asking/telling Holden?

3. What type of guy is Carl Luce?

4. Why does Holden attempt to get Carl Luce to stay at the bar?

Chapter 20
1. When Holden first gets drunk, what game does he start playing in his head again?

2. Who does he call, what does he say?

3. What happens to Phoebe’s present?

4. What does Holden think about on his walk through the park?
Chapter 21
1. Where does Holden arrive in this chapter? How does he get in undetected?

2. What does Holden say is the difference between kids and adults when they sleep?

3. What does Phoebe guess about Holden?

Chapter 22
1. What does Holden explain to Phoebe about Pencey Prep?

2. What does Holden think about while he is attempting to answer Phoebe’s question?

3. What does Holden say he would be if he had his choice?

Chapter 23
1. Who does Holden call at the beginning of the chapter?

2. What do Holden and Phoebe do when Holden returns to the room?

3. Where does Holden hide when his parents come into the room?

4. What does Holden give Phoebe before he leaves?

Chapter 24
1. What do Holden and Mr. Antolini agree on concerning D.B.?
2. What did Holden dislike about his Oral Expression class?

3. What negative physical symptoms does Holden begin to display in this chapter?

4. Why does Holden get freaked out and leave the apartment?

Chapter 25
1. Holden reads a magazine article that upsets him, what is it about?

2. What does Holden start to think and do as he is crossing the streets?

3. What does Holden make up his mind to do?

4. What does Holden see on the wall in Phoebe’s school that upsets him? What does he
imagine doing to the person who wrote it? What does he end up doing?

5. What does Holden do in the museum?

6. Where does Holden take Phoebe? What is he worried about happening to her?

Chapter 26
1. What does Holden say happens if you talk about memories or people?