The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye
Timeline: Three Days around Christmas
"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably
want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood
was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had
me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like
going into it, if you want to know the truth."
Thus begins the frantic account of Holden Caulfield and readers'
initiation into the complex and contemplative algorithm that is
Salinger's classic novel, the voice against which all coming-of-age
tales have since been measured.
Provided here is a cursory timeline of the novel's main events, a
sprinting journey along with Holden as he travels the halls of Pency Prep, the streets, bars and seedy
hotels of New York City and - most intriguingly - the inner workings of his own mind: the sorrows of his
memories, the whimsies of his imaginings, the raging conflict between his longing to embrace something
of purity in the world and his wearied fear that life demands the suffocation of simple goodness in
payment for success and longevity.
Holden begins his narration from his boarding school in Agerstown, Pennsylvania, having returned from
a fencing match in New York City. It is Christmastime. Holden Caulfield is alone. The future is a fear-filled
thing.
Saturday
New York City
Morning: Holden travels to New York City with the fencing team for a match.
While riding the subway, he loses the team's fencing equipment.
Annoyed and sulking, he buys himself a red hunting hat while still in the city.
Pency Prep. Agerstown, Pennsylvania
At about 2:30 in the afternoon, Holden returns to Pency Prep.
Standing on Thompson Hill during a football game, Holden reveals he's being dismissed from
school.
He visits his history teacher, Mr. Spencer to say goodbye. Spencer lectures him.
Returning to his dorm, Holden introduces us to his roommate Stradlater and to his neighbor,
Ackley.
Holden goes into town with Brossard and Ackley.
He returns to the dorm and writes a composition for Stradlater.
Stradlater returns from a date with Jane Gallagher, Holden's childhood friend.
He has a fist-fight with Stradlater over Jane Gallagher. Holden is bloodied.
At about 11:30 pm, he wakes up Ackley.
Holden decides to leave Pency for New York City.

He sells his typewriter for twenty dollars.
About midnight, Holden Caulfield leaves school, "sleep tight, ya morons!"
Overnight Saturday — Sunday
Agerstown to New York City
Holden boards a train to New York City.
While riding the train, he meets Ernest Morrow's mother and assumes the identity of Rudolf
Schmidt.
New York City
Arriving at Penn Station, Holden calls his old girlfriend, Sally Hayes.
Grabbing a taxi, he asks the cabbie where the Central Park ducks go in winter.
He checks into the Edmont Hotel and finds it full of perverts.
Holden calls Faith Cavendish, hoping for a date.
Alone, he goes to the Lavendar Room and meets Marty, Laverne, and Bernice Kregs, who stick
him with the check,
Leaving the Lavendar Room, Holden wants to call Jane Gallagher. But he doesn't.
He takes a taxi to Ernie's in Greenwich Village instead, asking the cabbie where the Central Park
ducks go in winter.
Holden finds Ernie's full of jerks. There, he meets Lillian Simmons (an old girlfriend of D.B.) and
Captain Blop.
From Ernie's, Holden walks two miles back to the Edmont hotel.
Back at the hotel, he meets an elevator operator named Maurice, who offers to set him up with a
five dollar prostitute.
Sunny, the prostitute arrives at Holden's room. Holden pays the five dollars just to talk.
Sunny leaves. Holden sits in a chair and talks to his dead brother Allie.
Holden goes to bed and tries to pray.
Maurice and Sunny arrive at Holden's door. They want five more dollars.
Holden refuses and has a fist-fight with Maurice. They take the money and leave.
Holden pretends he has bullets in his gut. Eventually, he finds sleep.
Sunday
New York City
At around 10:00 am, Holden wakes up after a very short sleep.
He calls Sally Hayes and makes a date with her for that afternoon.
He then checks out of the Edmont Hotel.
Taking a taxi to Grand Central Station, he stores his luggage in a locker there.
Holden walks to a nearby "sandwich bar" for breakfast. There, he meets two nuns. After a
conversation Holden donates ten dollars to the nuns and offers to pay their check.
After leaving the sandwich bar, Holden walks down Broadway, where he notices a father,

mother, and little boy walking down the street. The little boy is singing "If a body catch a body
coming through the rye". It is around noontime.
He then s tops into a record store and buys a jazz recording of "Little Shirley Beans" for his
younger sister Phoebe.
He walks to the theater and buys two tickets for the play "I Know My Love" for his date with
Sally Hayes.
With time to spare, Holden goes to Central Park looking for Phoebe.
He walks across the park to the Museum of Natural History but decides not to go in.
He instead takes a taxi to the Biltmore and meets Sally Hayes.
Around 2:00 Holden and Sally arrive at the theater for the play which stars "the Lunts". During
intermission Sally meets an old friend, George "something".
After the play, Sally and Holden go ice skating at Radio City, where Holden goes into a tirade
against conformity, which invites an argument with Sally.
After the date, which is a disaster, Holden stops at a drug store to eat a Swiss cheese sandwich
and a malted. He telephones Jane Gallagher but there is no answer.
Holden then calls his old friend Carl Luce. They make plans for drinks that night.
Alone, Holden goes to Radio City where he takes in the Christmas pageant and a movie. In the
theater he notices a woman crying
over the movie, but ignoring her little son.
Around 10:00 pm, Holden meets Carl Luce at The Wicker Bar on 54th Street. They have an
argument and Luce storms out.
Holden gets very drunk at The Wicker Bar. He calls Sally Hayes and pretends his gut is full of
bullets. In the men's room, some flitty guy cautions him to go" home".
In a drunken stupor, Holden finally leaves the bar. It is about 1:00 am.
He wanders into Central Park and finds himself at the lagoon. There, he drops the "Little Shirly
Beans" record, breaking it.
Holden decides to sneak home to see his sister, Phoebe.
Overnight Sunday — Monday
New York City
Holden walks home and sneaks into his family's apartment. He wakes up Phoebe.
He gives Phoebe the pieces of the broken record and Phoebe guesses that Holden has been
kicked out of school.
Holden tells Phoebe his dream of being the catcher in the rye.
He gives Phoebe his hunting hat; then calls Mr. Antolini from the apartment.
Returning to Phoebe's room, Holden tells her his plans of going out west and she gives him her
Christmas money.
Holden's parents come home. He avoids them and leaves the apartment.
Holden goes to Mr. Antolini's. They have a long conversation.
He goes to sleep on the Antolini's couch but is woken up by Mr. Antolini petting him.
Holden leaves Mr. Antolini's confused and shaken. It is about 5:00 am.

Monday
New York City
Holden walks to Grand Central Station.
He sleeps on a bench in the Grand Central Station waiting room.
About 9:00, Holden wakes up and walks up Fifth Avenue. He feels himself disappearing.
He buys paper and pen at a stationary store and writes Phoebe to meet him at the museum at
12:15.
He walks to Phoebe's school and delivers the letter to the office who will give it to Phoebe.
Holden notices obscene graffiti on the school walls and tries to scratch it away.
He goes to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and meets two young boys there. Together, they
visit the mummy exhibition.
Holden encounters more obscene graffiti in the museum.
At 12:10 Holden is waiting for Phoebe at the museum entrance.
At 12:35 Phoebe arrives wearing Holden's red hunting hat and carrying a suitcase.
She tells Holden that she is going with him out west. They argue.
Holden follows Phoebe as they enter Central Park. Holden gives in. He will not leave home.
Phoebe then follows Holden to the Central Park Zoo.
Phoebe rides the Central Park Carousel as Holden watches.
It begins to pour but Holden will not move out of the rain.
Overwhelmed by happiness, Holden cries.