The Catcher in the Rye
by J.D. Salinger
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Cast of Characters
- Plot Summary
- An Analysis of Major Characters
- Chapter 1 to Chapter 5
- Chapter 6 to Chapter 10
- Chapter 11 to Chapter 15
- Chapter 16 to Chapter 20
- Chapter 21 to Chapter 26
- Symbols and Themes
- Key Facts
- Key Quotes
- Points to Ponder
- Discussion Questions
- Take the Quiz
- Further Reading
- Flashcards
- Biography of J.D. Salinger
Chapter 11 to Chapter 15
Chapter 11
Holden departs from the Lavender room after the ladies have left. He sits in the lobby of the hotel and thinks again about Jane. He recollects how they met. His mother was angry that their dog kept relieving himself in their yard so complained to Jane’s mother. Then Holden saw Jane at the swimming pool and said hello, but she ignored him and he got her attention by exclaiming that he did not care where the dog relieved itself, that it could do it in the living room for all he cared. That is how they became friends.
They would go to movies together and play checkers and hold hands. One time she cried in front of him because of something concerning her alcoholic step-father, so Holden consoled her by hugging her and kissing her all over her face. The more he reveals of Jane to the reader, the more apparent it becomes that he actually loved her.
Now he is depressed and wants to leave. He decides to get another cab and go to Ernie’s, which is a club his brother D. B. introduced him to. Holden recalls that there is a piano player at Ernie’s who is very good—and also a snob.
Chapter 12
As he is going to Ernie’s, Holden decides to ask his cab driver if he knows what happens to the Central Park ducks every winter. The question seems to bother the driver. He says, “How the hell should I know?” but proceeds to contemplate the mystery. Then he says to Holden that the fish stay in the lake during the winter. Holden says he wants to know what happens to the ducks, and that he does not want to know what happens to the fish - but the driver keeps talking about the happenings of the fish.
A tremendous crowd of college students is at Ernie’s. Holden takes a table by himself, orders an alcoholic drink, and is served it without question. He finds the conversation on both sides of him to be disagreeable. He tells the waiter to ask Ernie to join him for a drink, but figures the waiter will not tell...
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