Characters

Maurice and Sunny

Maurice is a pimp who arranges a prostitute, Sunny, to visit Holden. When Sunny arrives, Holden is surprised that she is so young. Her visit demonstrates that Holden is sexually naive and also that he is quite sensitive towards other people. Sunny and Maurice later return and take an extra five dollars from Holden. Maurice notes that Holden is a 'high-class kid' (p92) and this third-person comment gives the reader a picture of what Holden might really be like.

Maurice and Sunny represent the dangers of the adult world that Holden is unprepared for. He cannot have intercourse with Sunny, nor can he stand up for his rights when Maurice demands, and then takes, his money.

The two nuns

Holden meets two nuns while he is having breakfast. They are in stark contrast to Maurice and Sunny. Again, Salinger has chosen two extremes of character. The goodness of the nuns is in contrast to Maurice and Sunny, and this deepens Holden's obsession with purity. Notice that Holden is in control as he gives the nuns ten dollars but that he has no control over giving Maurice ten dollars.

Sally Hayes

Sally is an ex-girlfriend of Holden's. Despite her request for Holden to help her with her Christmas tree, she brags about the other boys who are interested in her. There are at least three things that you should take from Sally that illuminate Holden's character.

Although Holden professes to have little love for Sally, upon meeting her he feels like marrying her and throughout their meeting tells her that he loves her. It is possible to view this as Holden's need for intimacy.

Sally represents the path that Holden typically would have taken. His knowledge of literature and their initial bond over plays demonstrates not only that they have grown apart but that Holden has grown apart from his own self image.

Sally tells Holden to be quiet, however Holden does not think that he is talking loudly. This is a good example of how Salinger uses the perspectives of other characters to demonstrate things that the narrator is either lying about or unclear about.

Carl Luce

Carl Luce went to Whooton with Holden. Carl is older and is now a college student. It is Carl's image as an intellectual and, potentially, the fact that his father is a psychoanalyst that prompt Holden to meet with him. Where Sally can be seen as Holden's attempt to reach out intimately, Carl is Holden's attempt to reach out as an adult.

Holden merely manages to come across as extremely immature. Carl has grown up but Holden is still 'the same old Caulfield.' (p130). Carl demonstrates a huge gap between the immature child that Holden is and the mature man that he wants to be.

Whereas many of the characters that Holden has previously known reveal that Holden was at least at one stage capable of forming relationships, Carl's exposure of the fact that he had at one stage told Holden to see his father, a psychoanalyst (p133), demonstrates that Holden's problems are not necessarily new.

Phoebe

Throughout the novel Holden expresses the wish to visit Phoebe, his little sister. He finally does at his lowest point. For Holden, Phoebe represents innocence and purity. Meeting Phoebe is like an oasis of peace for Holden. While in Holden's eyes Phoebe is more of a symbol, for the reader there are some important things to note.

Firstly, Phoebe is the only family member the responder meets in person.

Secondly, although she is only nine years-old, Phoebe very easily sums up Holden's problems when she says to Holden 'You don't like anything that's happening' (p152).

Thirdly, Phoebe's innocence is not only threatened by the graffiti that Holden tries to erase off the walls, but by Holden himself, as she demands to go out west with him.

Finally, there are some indications that Phoebe has grown up since Holden has seen her last. In particular, on page 148 she has begun having fights with other children. This foreshadows the final scene where Phoebe rides the carousel and Holden realises that he cannot protect her from growing up.

Mr Antolini

Mr Antolini is an ex-teacher of Holden's. Unlike Mr Spencer, Holden has a lot of respect for Mr Antolini as 'the best teacher' (p157) that he had ever had, as well as having extensive ties with Holden's family. Holden has played tennis with him and his wife, and Mr Antolini had spoken to D.B. when he left for Hollywood. He knows of Holden's girlfriends and has spoken to Holden's parents about his attitude towards school. The cordiality and hospitality with which both Mr Antolini and Mrs Antolini greet Holden at a late hour of the night further demonstrates their closeness.

Holden sees Mr Antolini as a very intellectual person and the actions of Mr Antolini do not call this description into dispute. His advice to Holden is a lot more personal than either Carl Luce's or Mr Spencer's and far more astute than Phoebe and Sally. His advice seems particularly insightful and meaningful as it touches on the themes and motifs that Holden has been considering. These include discussing the merit of sticking to the point and not digressing (p166-167), as Holden has been doing throughout the narrative. On page 168 Mr Antolini explains the dangers of hating people which is something that Holden is already doing. On page 169, Mr Antolini discusses the problems of environments that cannot support a person. This ties in with Holden's preoccupation with the ducks and Central Park. Mr Antolini also discusses the concept of death. It is interesting to note that Wilhelm Stekel is well known as an antagonistic man who drove away his colleagues, friends and eventually his wife.

The possible sexual advance made by Mr Antolini is the subject of debate. Some sides will argue that Mr Antolini is a homosexual, citing the age of his wife and their seeming lack of passion. Others argue that it is simply a misunderstanding on Holden's part, and certainly Mr Antolini is portrayed as a father figure for whom patting Holden's head might be a natural reaction. This would certainly follow the past few chapters where the reader finds more reliable information from other characters than from the narrator. Can you find any reason not to trust Mr Antolini in this instance? This scene would demonstrate the level of Holden's paranoia and his fear of intimacy.