Chapter 4

1. Who is Stradlater? Holden’s roommate; attractive; not a moral guy; dates a lot; physically fit; confident/arrogant

2. Why does Holden refer to him as a "secret slob"? His outward appearance is clean and proper, but his personal belongings and privately he is slobbish…shows his true nature in private (phoniness)

3. What does he look like? “Yearbook handsome”…looks good in the yearbook, so outward appearance of being clean cut and proper; buff

4. What point does Holden try to make about people when he talks about Stradlater and the "commas" and Ackley's description of the basketball player? Holden is saying that both Stradlater and Ackley are only looking at the superficial or phony side of both of those activities. In other words, they do not recognize that it takes skill to write well or to play basketball. Just because the physical appearance may

5. How did Holden know Stradlater’s date, Jane Gallagher? They had a summer home next to one another when they were growing up.

6. What does Holden remember about Jane? He remembers that she was a ballet dancer who practiced 2 hours a day even when it was hot; hard-worker and dedicated. She likes playing checkers with Holden and she always kept her kings in the back row. Shows she is a very cautious person; always has a back-up plan. She’s protective and intelligent.

7. What does he ask Stadlater to ask Jane about? Does she still keep her kings all in the back row….in other words, keep your guard up around Stradlater. He’s trying to warn Jane to be smart around Stradlater and have a back-up plan.

8. Why did it make Holden nervous that Stradlater was going out with Jane Gallagher? He is nervous that Jane doesn’t know about how Stradlater treats girls….he has little respect for them. He’s nervous that Stradlater will take advantage of Jane.

9. What does Stradlater ask Holden to do for him? Stradlater asks Holden to write an essay for him since Holden doesn’t have a date for that night and the essay is due on Monday.

Chapter 5

1. What did Holden write Stradlater’s composition about? He writes about his younger brother, Allie’s, baseball mitt.

2. Who is Allie, and why is his baseball mitt so special to Holden? Allie is Holden’s younger brother who died of leukemia when he was 11 years old. According to Holden, Allie was super intelligent and kind to everyone. He had red hair and looked up to Holden who was two years old than him. The baseball mitt is special because Allie wrote poetry all over the glove to keep himself occupied while he was in the outfield.

3. Why did Holden's parents want to have him psychoanalyzed? On the night that Allie died, 13 year old Holden broke every window in the garage with his fist and tried to break the windows of the station wagon. Due to this expression of his anger and despair over the loss of Allie, his parents were going to have him psychoanalyzed, but never did.

Chapter 6

1. What did Holden do with the composition? He rips it up and throws it in the garbage after Stradlater makes negative comments about it.

2. Why? He had revealed a personal detail and Stradlater had disrespected it.

3. What do Holden and Stradlater fight over? Jane; Holden likes her and Stradlater teases him that he might have “a bigger relationship” with her…hinting that they had been intimate. This makes Holden jealous and nervous.

4. Why does Stradlater punch Holden? Holden continues to call Stradlater a ‘moron’ which angers Stradlater because he might be insecure in his academic abilities.

5. Holden says that he is a "pacifist". What is that, and is he? Pacifist is someone who doesn’t believe in fighting/violence. Holden isn’t one because he picks the fight with Stradlater and is violent.

6. Where does go Holden after the fight? Holden goes over to Ackley’s room so he doesn’t have to see Stradlater again.

Chapter 7

1. Why does Holden suddenly decide to visit Ackley's room? Holden visits Ackley’s room to avoid seeing Stradlater and to have someone to talk with since he’s lonely.

2. What does Holden ask Ackley about? Holden asks “what’s the routine for joining a monastery.”

3. After he talks to Ackley where does Holden then decide to go? Holden decides he’s going to leave Pencey Prep that night instead of waiting until Wednesday. He decides he’s going to go to NYC and hang around until Wednesday before going back home.

4. What is his final good-bye to Pencey Prep? As Holden leaves his dormitory, he shouts at the top of his voice, “Sleep tight, ya morons!”

5. Why do you think Holden was crying as he left? Once again, Holden has no place to really go. He doesn’t fit in any place, he fails out of every school, he has no true friends, and he knows he’s disappointed his family again.