[quote"Wikipedia.ORG"]
The novel covers three days in the life of Holden Caulfield. He is a tall, skinny, anxious and depressed teenager who academically flunked out of Pencey Prep, a boarding school. Although Holden has the potential to pass school, he chose not to apply himself. Holden is 17 when he tells the story; he was 16 when the events occurred.

Holden's story begins on the last day of the first semester. He is standing on the crest of a hill that overlooks the football field where the final game of the season is being played. Instead of joining the crowd, he runs across the street to the residence of Mr. Spencer, his history teacher. As Holden has been expelled, Mr. Spencer lectures him about the importance of hard work and education. Annoyed, Holden lies to get out of the discussion.

He talks with old acquaintances at school and gets into a fight with his roommate, Stradlater, and gets very bloodied up, before leaving for New York City, electing to stay there so he doesn't have to face his parents before school actually is supposed to get out. He gets a hotel room and goes out to two clubs, never going to sleep. He runs into his brother's ex-girlfriend and has difficulty getting waiters to give him alcohol. As he is riding the elevator to his room, the elevator man Maurice offers him a prostitute for five dollars. Holden, a virgin, accepts. The prostitute, Sunny, comes up to his room, but Holden lies, says that he's just had surgery and can't have sex, and just wants to talk. He pays her the five dollars anyway, but she says the price is ten. Maurice,taking advantage of Holden's adolescence, comes up and punches him in the stomach for the other five dollars. Holden lies on the floor, in pain. After the pain reduces, Holden goes back to sleep and waits for the next day to start.

In the morning, he makes a date with an old girlfriend, even though he claims she's phony. Before they go to see the show, he goes to get some breakfast at Grand Central Station and runs into two nuns. They talk and he really likes them, donating ten dollars. He considers hitchhiking out west and building a cabin away from everyone he knows. At one point, he proposes to an ex-girlfriend to join him on the trip even though he does not particularly like her. She declines his offer and he gets angry, making the girl cry.

That night he decides to return to his family's home to secretly meet with his beloved younger sister, Phoebe. After escaping detection by his parents he visits another ex-teacher of his, Mr. Antolini, who imparts some advice before bidding him stay the night. However, Holden is awakened by Mr. Antolini patting his head, which Holden perceives as a homosexual pass at him, so he leaves and stays the night on a bench at Grand Central. The next day he decides to leave New York and journey west, only pausing to see his sister one last time.

Phoebe brings a packed suitcase to their meeting place, insisting that she is going to leave with him. He angrily refuses, at which point she cries and refuses to speak to him. Knowing that she will follow him, Holden walks to the zoo, letting her anger dissipate. Phoebe starts talking to Holden again, and Holden promises to forget about his plan to run away and return home when they leave the zoo. He buys her a ticket for the carousel in the park and watches her ride an old horse on it. As Holden watches her ride the carousel, his own mood lifts. Soon he is nearly moved to tears with remorse, longing, and bittersweet happiness.

At the end of his narration, Holden explains that he will be going to another school in the fall again but does not know for sure if he will start applying himself.


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