Study Questions
1. After Valencia sings, what does Holden ask the headwaiter to do?

2. When Holden leaves the Wicker Bar, why is he holding his stomach?

3. After Holden talks to Sally Hayes on the telephone, how does he picture her at home that evening?

4. While in the restroom, what advice does Holden give the piano player at the Wicker Bar?

5. What excuse does the lady in the hat-check room give Holden for not going on a date with him?

6. Because it is dark and spooky, what does Holden say he would do if he happened to see someone in Central Park?

7. What does Holden say he wants done with his body when he dies?

8. Why was Holden not able to attend his brother, Allie’s, funeral?

9. While at the lagoon in Central Park, Holden counts his money. What does he do with the coins?

10. What is it that Holden worries about after he decides to go home and see Phoebe?

Answers
1. Holden asks the headwaiter to ask Valencia to join him for a drink.

2. Holden is holding his stomach because he is fantasizing that he is bleeding from a gunshot wound.

3. Holden pictures Sally at home with her date from Andover and the Lunts, all having tea, and having a sophisticated and phony conversation.

4. Holden advises the piano player that he needs a manager.

5. The lady in the hat-check room tells Holden that she is old enough to be his mother.

6. Holden says he probably would jump about a mile.

7. Holden says that he wants to be dumped in the river—anything rather than being buried in a cemetery.

8. Holden did not attend his brother’s funeral because he was in the hospital as a result of injuries sustained when he learned of his brother’s death.

9. Holden skips the quarters and the nickel across the pond.

10. Holden is concerned that he will waken his parents and they will catch him sneaking into the house.