MINI CHEATS The Catcher in the Rye ----------------------------------Conceived and Edited by
Cabell Harris
Copyright © 2007 Cabell Harris. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.
ISBN: 978-1-4243-4238-9 Manufactured in the United States of America Creative Direction:
Cabell Harris Synopsis by:
Steve Covert Illustrations by:
“Lumpy” Sean McClaning Printing by:
Worth Higgins & Associates, Inc. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 WORK LABS 2019 Monument Avenue Richmond, Virginia 23220 www.WORKLABS.com
The Catcher in the Rye By: J.D. Salinger Published: 1951 -----------------------------------Setting: A long weekend in Pennsylvania and New York, sometime in the late 40s or early 50s.
-----------------------------------Characters: Protagonist (Good Guy): Holden Caulfield Antagonists (Bad Guys): Teachers, Classmates, Bullies,
Pimps, Phonies, and just about everything else.
-----------------------------------Relevant Fact: Title comes from a song with the lyric: “When a body catch a body comin’ thro’ the rye.” Holden wants to be the catcher.
-----------------------------------Irrelevant Fact: John Hinckley (the guy who shot Reagan) had a copy of the novel in his hotel room.
Chapter 1 Holden Caulfield tells his tale from a mental hospital.
Chapters 2-4 Holden hates his boarding school classmates.
Chapters 5-6 Holden picks a fight with his roommate and loses.
Chapters 7-9 Holden runs away from boarding school, returns home to New York City, and checks into a hotel. Holden is flunking out anyway.
Chapters 10-12 Holden wonders where the ducks go when the Central Park lagoon freezes. Educated guess—South.
Chapters 13-15 Holden hires a prostitute, changes his mind, disputes her bill, and then is punched in the stomach by Maurice, her pimp.
Holden now has lost two fights in one day.
Chapters 16-17 Holden takes his date, Sally, to a play. It ends badly. Sally is a phony.
Chapters 18-20 Holden checks on the ducks in the Central Park Lagoon.
Chapters 21-23 Holden sneaks home to visit his sister, Phoebe.
Chapters 24 Things get awkward when Holden spends the night at a former teacher’s apartment.
Chapters 25 Holden treats Phoebe to a ride on the merry-go-round, and tells her he’s running away. Phoebe and the merry-go-round are symbols of innocence.
Chapters 26 Holden tells us he’s had a breakdown, is recovering in a home, and misses everyone.
Conclusion Not really an uplifting ending.