- Holden isolates himself from the rest of the school during the football game:

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1 READ THIS CAREFULLY This is the complete list of quotations and their context that the class collated for chapters 1-7. Many of them obviously start with the word Holden and when in the context of an essay you will be able to vary this by using he, later in the novel, the protagonist or our narrator etc There are clearly many, many more that you will find useful as you progress through the novel and think about the points and claims you want to make. Chapter 1 Characterisation - Holden - Holden isolates himself from the rest of the school during the football game: You couldn t see the grandstand too hot, but you could hear them all yelling, deep and terrific on the Pencey side, because practically the whole school except [him] was there. - Holden ends up leaving the fencing equipment on the subway and because of this The whole team ostracized [him] the whole way back on the train. - Holden starts to contradict himself when he discuses his health: I m quite a heavy smoker, for one thing- that is, I used to be. They made me cut it out. Another thing, I grew six and a half inches last year. That s also how I practically got t.b. and came out here for all these goddam check ups and stuff. I m pretty healthy, though. - Holden visits his teacher, Mr. Spencer, and politely asks his wife, Mrs. Spencer How ve you been? When she doesn t hear him he repeats it louder, so she d hear *him+. - The reader gets the idea that when Holden is describing the Headmaster s daughter, that he is a very negative character and focuses on the imperfections of people: I liked her. She had a big nose and her nails were all bitten down and bleedy- looking and she had on those damn falsies that point all over the place, but you felt sort of sorry for her. - Holden believes that Selma Thurmer knew what a phony slob her father, Pencey s Headmaster, was. Setting Pencey Prep

2 - Holden argues that Pencey no different from any other school and reflects his feelings towards it: Since 1888 [they] have molding boys into splendid, clearthinking young men. They don t do any damn more molding at Pencey than they do at any other school. And I didn t know anybody there that was splendid and clear-thinking and all. Maybe two guys. If that many. - At Pencey They give guys the ax quite frequently and by doing so it maintains a very good academic rating. Chapter 2 Setting Old Spencer s Bedroom - In Mr. Spencer s room there were pills and medicine all over the place, and everything smelled like Vicks Nose Drops. - Overall, Mr Spencer s room was pretty depressing. - Holden regrets visiting his teacher as The minute *he+ went in, *he+ was sort of sorry *he d+ come. He wasn t too crazy about sick people. Characterisation Holden & Spencer - Holden listens to his teacher reading out his essay and his attitude towards him starts to change as *He+ *doesn t+ think *he ll+ ever forgive him for reading that crap out loud. - Holden asks how Spencer is doing and Spencer replies and then start*s+ chuckling like a madman. Then all of a sudden he started getting serious as hell. - Holden feels that his teacher, Mr. Spencer, was a nice old guy that didn t know his ass from his elbow. Holden comes across as immature and childish because *he+ still act*s+ sometimes like *he+ was only about twelve. - The protagonist sometimes act*s+ a lot older than *he+ *is+ but people never notice it. - Holden is confused about Spencer s attitude toward him as he didn t expect such an old guy [to] be so sarcastic and all Key Incidents - Spencer is being cynical about Holden s essay. Holden didn t want him sit there and listen to that crap.

3 - When Mr. Spencer reads out Holden s essay he feels it was a dirty trick. - In Spencer s room, Holden feels the need to tidy up after his teacher: He tried chucking my exam paper on the bed when he was through with it. Only, he missed again, naturally. [he] had to get up again and pick it up and put it on the top of the Atlantic Monthly. It s boring to do that every two minutes. - Spencer read out Holden s essay in this very sarcastic voice and Holden began to sort of hate him. - Holden s attitude toward his sickly teacher changes again, and makes excuses to leave: I felt sorry as hell for him, all of a sudden. But I just couldn t hang around there any longer, the way we were on opposite sides of the pole, and the way he kept missing the bed whenever he checked something at it, and his sad old bathrobe with his chest showing, and that grippy smell of Vicks Nose Drops all over the place. Symbolism - Holden *wonders+ where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over. He considers if some guy came in a truck and took the ducks in Central Park away to a zoo or something. Or if they just flew away. Chapter 3 Characterisation - Holden could be seen as having homosexual feelings towards Stradlater. He feels he has to admit he has a pretty good build. - Ackley could be perceived as a bit of a loner due to the fact Holden notices that he hardly ever went anywhere - Stradlater is conveyed to be a ladies man as Holden says Ackley was always keeping tabs on who he was dating - Holden could be perceived as an untrustworthy character: I m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. - Holden could be seen as a disorganised character as he is prone to misplacing things: I left the goddam foils and stuff on the subway.

4 - Stradlater could be seen to be respected more than Ackley as Holden calls him by his last name, whereas he calls Ackley Ackley, kid because he knows it annoys him. Sense of setting - The Ossenburger memorial wing was named after this guy Ossenburger that went to Pencey who made a pot of dough in the undertaking business after he got out of Pencey. - A big deal is made out of people who have donated to the school: He came up to the school in this big goddamn Cadillac and we all had to stand up in the grandstand and give him a locomotive- that s a cheer Symbolism - Whenever the red hunting hat is mentioned, Holden begins reminiscing about New York and his family, it can be seen as a symbol of isolation as it is something that no one else in his school has, it is unique to him. It can also resemble his attachment to his childhood as it is not something a mature adult would wear. Themes - Holden is reluctant to let go of his childhood and still acts in an immature manner. At times he starts horsing around with his roommates. - Holden displays very immature behaviour when Ossenburger, a rich former student at Pencey, is giving a speech: The only good part of his speech was right In the middle of it. He was telling us about what a swell guy he was, what a hotshot and all and then all of a sudden this guy sitting in the row in front of me, Edgar Marsalla, laid this terrific fart. - Holden defends Stradlater: He was at least a pretty friendly guy, Stadlater. It was partly a phony kind of friendly but at least he always said hello to Ackley and all. - Holden and Ackley can both be considered isolated: He was probably the only guy in the whole dorm, besides me, that wasn t down at the game.

5 Chapter 4 Themes Relationships - Stradlater asks Holden to *write+ a composition for *him+, for English? - Holden think that he has to admit that Stradlater was pretty handsome. - When Holden and Stradlater play fight in the toilets, Holden *lands+ on him like a goddam panther. - Stradlater is a very strong guy whereas Holden s a very weak guy. - Stradlater s controlling manner and Holden s kindness and idolisation of him is portrayed by the fact that Holden lets *Stradlater+ put on *his+ hounds-tooth jacket for a date. - Holden and Stradlater closeness is further conveyed by the fact that *Holden+ sat down on *the sink+ right next to him. Characterisation - Holden displays some compulsive behaviour when he started turning the cold water on and off - Holden s very judgemental as he thinks *Stradlater s+ a guy that thinks he s a real hotshot. - Holden s very spontaneous. In the bathroom he started doing this tap dance. - Holden s a good friend but he is also selfish as he says about doing Stradlater s composition If *he+ get*s+ the time *he+ will. If *he doesn t he+ wont. - When Holden is waiting on Stradlater getting home from his date with Jane It made *him+ so nervous *he+ nearly went crazy. - Stradlater abuses his and Holden s friendship by asking him if he *wants to+ do *Stradlater+ a big favour? - Stradlater s very unhygienic due to *his razor+ always *being+ rusty as hell and full of lather and hairs and crap - Holden describes Stradlater as a sexy bastard Key Incidents

6 - Stradlater asks Holden to write his English composition for him, as he s too busy doing other things: How bout writing a composition for me, for English? - In the bathroom, Holden decides to randomly horse around with Stradlater even although he knows he s not as strong as him: All of a sudden for no good reason, really, except that I was sort of in the mood for horsing around I felt like jumping off the washbowl. - When Holden finds out that Stradlater is going on a date with Jane *he+ nearly dropped dead when Stradlater told him. - Holden keeps reminiscing about old times he and Jane spent together: She s a dancer, *he+ said Ballet and all. She used to practice about two hours every day. - Holden and Stradlater are in the bathroom together: So I went down to the can and chewed the rag with him while he was shaving It was hot as hell and the windows were all steamy Sense of setting Stradlater and Holden are in the bathroom together. The whole part of them being in the bathroom has homosexual undertones. Holden describes Stradlater as being a very sexy bastard Chapter 5 Key Incidents - We learn about Holden s younger brother which gives us a better understanding about his attitude and emotions after going through a traumatic time at a young age: I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the windows in the garage. - We get the impression that when Holden s little brother died it had a huge impact on him: I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it. I even tried

7 to break all the windows on the station wagon we had that summer, but my hand was already broken and everything by that time, and I couldn't do it. - The reader learns of Holden s younger brother, Allie, who died when he was younger: He s dead now. He got leukemia and died when we were up in Maine, on July 18, You d have liked him. He was two years younger than I was Symbolisation - Holden then goes on to remark that years later his hand still hurts which symbolises that he really misses his little brother: My hand still hurts me once in a while when it rains and all, and I can t make a real fist anymore- -not a tight one, I mean- - but outside of that I don t care much. I mean I m not going to be a goddam surgeon or a violinist or anything anyway. - Holden put on *his+ pyjamas and bathrobe and *his+ old hunting hat before he wrote the composition about Allie s baseball glove. Theme of Innocence and Childhood - Even although Holden is seventeen, sometimes it comes across as though he still hasn t grown up and matured as he still often acts very childish: There were about three inches of snow on the ground, and it was still coming down like a madman. It looked pretty as hell, and we all started throwing snowballs and horsing around all over the place. On the evening it is snowing and everyone starts throwing snowballs and having a laugh there is a sense of childhood innocence to the boys, Holden even comments It was very childish, but everybody was really enjoying themselves. Setting - Holden wanted Ackley to clear the hell out so that he could be left alone. - The setting is focused on the snow and how nice and peaceful the snow looked. Holden looked outside at a car that was parked across the street [which] looked too nice and white.

8 Characterisation - When Holden talks about his little brother Allie he says that he was the nicest, in lots of ways. - Holden can become very impatient and he tends to over-exaggerate a lot, like when Ackley took over 5 hours to get ready. - The protagonist dropped about a thousand hints, but [he] couldn t get rid of *Ackley+ - He describes his little brother as terrifically intelligent [,] the most intelligent in the family *and+ also the nicest, in lots of ways. - Holden has had trouble with his hand ever since he punched through all the windows in his garage the night his brother died: My hand still hurts me once in a while, when it rains and all, and I can t make a real fist any more not a tight one, I mean but outside of that I don t care much. - The reader gets a sense that there have been times in Holden s past when he has tried to tell the truth but someone has not believed him as he gets angry at the bus driver for making him throw his snowball away. He exclaims I told him I wasn t going to chuck it at anybody, but he wouldn t believe me. People never believe you. Relationships - When speaking of Allie, Holden mentions He was terrifically intelligent and exclaims God, he was a nice kid. - Holden invites Ackley on a trip to the cinema with him and a friend even though he didn t like Ackley much. Holden appears to feel sorry for Ackley sometimes, explaining the reason *he+ asked was because Ackley never did anything on a Saturday night, later saying you had to feel a little sorry for the crazy sonuvabitch. Chapter 6 Setting - The setting of this chapter is the dorm room where Holden and Stradlater live. Holden is smoking in the room when he knows it is against the rules: I lay down on the bed and lit a cigarette, you weren t allowed to smoke in the dorm

9 - Pencey Prep is not as lavish as people think because the corridor was all linoleum and all. - Pencey Prep is not as lavish as it is made out to be. We learn this when Holden mentions: I had a feeling old Ackley d probably heard all the racket and was awake. So I went through the shower curtain and into his room, just to see what the hell he was doing. I hardly ever went into his room. It always had a funny stink in it, because he was so crumby in his personal habits. The mention of the shower curtain which separates the two rooms and the smell shows that the dorms at Pency Prep aren t so desirable. - Pathetic fallacy reflects Holden s newly brewed attitude towards Stradlater because He came in gripping about how cold it was out - There is no room for privacy in Pencey Prep: What a school. You were always watching somebody cut their damn toenails or squeeze their damn pimples or something - The location of Stradlater s date suggests that he doesn t care about the women he goes on dates with. Stradlater remarks that on the date *They+ just sat in the goddam car. Characterisation - The fact that Stradlater is called by his second name and Ackley is called Ackley, kid shows the dominance that Stradlater has over the rest of the boys in the dorm room. This idea is continued when Stradlater got all undressed, down to his shorts. - Stradlater also shows his male dominance in the dorm when he and Holden are fighting: The next thing *Holden+ knew, *he+ was on the goddam floor and *Stradlater+ was sitting on *his+ chest - Holden s behaviour throughout the fight can be viewed as being extremely immature. This is clear when Holden announces to Stradlater that he should go wash his own moron face. - Holden is slightly intimidated by Stradlater throughout the novel. This is suggested by Stradlater cutting his goddam toenails and Holden having nothing to say about it, however we can see from chapter three when Holden says: Ackley! For Chrissake. Willya please cut your crumby nails over the table? I ve asked you fifty times

10 - Holden is sitting up waiting for Stradlater to come home as he was worried about Jane. Holden thinks that if the reader knew Stradlater [they would] have been worried too. Main Themes Relationships - Holden feels Jane may be vulnerable to Stradlater s womanising ways. When Stradlater comes home Holden notices that *They re+ back pretty goddam late if she only signed out for nine-thirty and he asks Stradlater whether he *made+ her be late signing in? Violence - Violence is prevalent throughout chapter six. The main incident occurs when *Stradlater+ really let one go at *Holden+. Key Incident - The key incident in chapter six is the fight between Holden and Stradlater. The fight breaks out over Jane (Holden s Childhood friend). When Stradlater seems to show no respect towards Jane, Holden becomes angry: The next part I don t remember so hot. All I knew was I got up from the bed, like I was going down to the can or something, and then I tried to sock him, with all my might, right smack in the toothbrush, so it would split his goddam throat open. Chapter 7 Characterisation -Throughout chapter 7, Ackley is portrayed as a nosy person: What the hell was the fight about, anyhow? -Holden is put across as quite a morbid person and seems very depressed throughout the book: That killed me I almost wished I was dead felt like jumping out the window -Ackley reveals himself to be religious when he asks Holden to turn off the light because he has to get up for mass in the morning. -When Stradlater and Holden take two girls on a double date, Stradlater doesn t seem to take no for an answer:

11 His date kept saying, No-please. Please, don t. Please. But old Stradlater kept snowing her. -Holden can be an independent person and make his own decisions: So what I decide to do, I decided I d take a room in a hotel in New York -Holden is also shown to be a selfish person in chapter seven as he cares more about the money he s getting than his grandmother: I have this grandmother that s quite lavish with her dough anyway, I was pretty loaded -Holden vocabulary isn t very varied as he frequently uses the words damn, goddamn, and boy. - This is shown when he sells his typewriter just to get a few extra bucks. Theme -The theme of loneliness or being alone is suggested as Holden repeatedly uses the word lonesome. -The theme of loneliness is further suggested in chapter seven when Holden tells us that the school is very quiet and depressing Setting -Holden is uncomfortable in Ackley s room as They never had any chairs. He wonders what the hell they did with their chairs. -The idea of Holden being uncomfortable in Ackley s room is conveyed by Holden telling us that *Ackley s+ room stinks.