1. The CATCHER in the RYE Chapters 14-17
By Chris Lopez

2. About J.D. Salinger
Born: January 1, 1919 in Manhattan, New York City, New York
Died: January 27, 2010
Born to Sol and Miriam Salinger (Miriam’s non jewish background was hidden from him due to mixed marriages not being widely accepted)
After flunking out of McBurney School he was shipped off to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania
In 1942 he was drafted into the US Military during WWII. During his service he fought Utah beach during the Normandy Invasion, and in the Battle of the Bulge. His service ended in 1944
In 1951 The Catcher in the Rye was published by Little, Brown and Company, and has sold over 65 million copies
Died of Natural causes
When the war ended he was hospitalized after suffering a nervous breakdown

3. Chapter 14
After Sunny has left Holden sits in his chair smoking cigarette and reminiscing about his brother, then goes to lay in bed. While in bed he is interrupted by a loud knocking at the door. At the door is Sunny and Maurice “the pimpy elevator guy” looking for the five dollars they believe Holden owes them. Holden refuses to pay them, but Sunny finds his wallet and takes the five dollars. Maurice shoves Holden after he calls them “crooks”, and despite Sunny’s pleas for Maurice to leave him alone, he then slaps Holden after he continues to insult Maurice.
After Sunny and Maurice have left, Holden takes a bath and fantasizes about walking down to the elevator with an automatic in his hand, and a gunshot wound in his gut, to shoot-up Maurice in the elevator before going back to his room, calling Jane over, and having her bandage him up while he’s smoking a cigarette.

4. Chapter 15
Holden decides to call a Sally Hayes, who use to go to Mary A. Woodruff with him, and plans a matinee date with her. He then checks out of his hotel and takes a cab to Grand Central Station. After storing his things in a locker at Grand Central Station, he goes to a sandwich bar where he meets two nuns. Holden notices that one of the nuns has a salvation army collection basket and offers to give a donation. After giving a $10 donation, Holden learns that the nuns are from Chicago and have just moved here. During a conversation with one of the nuns that teaches English Holden goes on a small rant about how he disliked when Mercutio died, because his death wasn’t his fault.
$10 when adjusted for inflation is $94.87
Holden felt Mercutio was smart and entertaining.

5. Chapter 16
After leaving the two nuns Holden goes on a long aimless walk around New York. On his walk he observes a young boy walking beside his parents “making out like he was walking a vary straight line” on the street while singing and humming “Comin Thro the Rye.” Watching this boy sing “If a body catch a body coming through the rye” is one of the few things that seems to make Holden “feel not so depressed.”
Holden goes to the theater to purchase the orchestra seat tickets for “I Know My Love” because he knows its something Sally, “the queen of phonies,” would love
Holden then decides to go to Central Park in hopes of running into his sister, but instead meets a young girl who tells him she might be at the Museum of Natural History.
On his walk across the park Holden reminisces when he was younger and went to the Museum of Natural History every Saturday.

6. Chapter 17
While Holden is waiting for Sally to arrive for their date, he is watching the girls who are waiting for their dates to arrive. He then begins to ramble about how most of them will marry guys that are dopey, mean, dumb, and boring.
Holden remembers one of his old roommates who was exceptionally boring, but was the best whistler he has ever heard.
During their date Holden gets annoyed at how phony Sally is being with someone she recognized during an intermission.
After the play Sally has the idea to go ice skating, but after realizing that they’re terrible at skating they decide to go get diner.
While at diner Holden goes on a rant about how he hates school, living in New York, the play they watched, and just about everything.
During his rant he asks Sally to run away with him so they could get away from everything that’s phony, but when she refuses he tells her she’s “a pain in the ass” which makes her cry and want to go back home. Although he apologizes he inevitably makes the situation worse by laughing.

7. Analysis Theme: Preserving Innocence
Holden shows empathy for those that are less fortunate.
When thinking about the Museum Holden emphasized how it stayed the same, while each time you visit something would be different.
Holden misheard a line from Comin Thro the Rye, the actual line is “If a body meet a body coming through the rye.”
When listing things that would be different, he says “Or you’d heard your mother and father having a terrific fight in the bathroom”