The Catcher in the Rye
Catcher in the Rye, The,novel by J.D. Salinger, published in 1951.
Holden Caulfield, a lonely, compassionate, and quixotic 16-year-old boy, plagued by the “phoniness” of his moral environment, leaves Pencey, the Pennsylvania preparatory school from which he has been expelled, for New York City. Having said goodbye to his conceited athletic roommate Stradlater and the “pimply, boring” Ackley, and fearful of confronting his parents, he checks into a depressing, cheap hotel. Unable to see or telephone his innocent, affectionate sister Phoebe, of whom he is very fond, he goes in desperation to nightclubs. Returning to the hotel, he accepts the elevator operator's offer of a prostitute, but depressed by and sorry for the girl, he retains his virginity, only to be confronted soon by the girl and her pimp, Maurice, who demands more money and fights with Holden. The next morning he meets Sally Hayes, an old girl friend, takes her ice skating,...
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