The Catcher in the Rye Characters
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Holden Caulfield
Oh, Holden. We can’t make up our mind between feeling sorry for him and telling him to just...
Phoebe Caulfield
Phoebe—according to Holden—is not only the smartest kid ever, but also best dancer...
Allie Caulfield
Key fact: Allie is dead. Second (and related) key fact: we never meet him, but we sure do hear a...
D.B. Caulfield
Only Holden could make becoming a successful Hollywood screenwriter into some sort of failure....
Jane Gallagher
Sex is complicated. But for Holden, and specifically for Holden's relationship with Jane, it's...
Sally Hayes
Sally Hayes is a pretty, friendly, loud girl who likes to eat ice cream, see matinees, and show...
Mr. Antolini
Let's just cut right to the chase. Does Mr. Antolini come on to Holden? The answer is …...
Mr. Spencer
Mr. Spencer is old. And gross. (Well, apparently those two are basically the same thing to...
Stradlater
Stradlater is super dreamy: he's an athlete, he's handsome, he's got a nice body, he's always...
Ackley
The Two Nuns
The nuns are yet another example of a minor character (or in this case, a set of minor...
Carl Luce
In Chapter Nineteen, Holden admits that the main reason he called his childhood friend Carl Luce,...
Maurice
Maurice is an angry pimp who prostitutes out a young girl, steals five dollars, and punches...
Sunny
First things first: we're almost positive that "Sunny" isn't this girl's real name. She's the...
Dr. Thurmer
The headmaster of Pencey Prep. Need we say more? Clearly a phony.
Selma Thurmer
The headmaster's daughter. Knows her father is a phony jerk. Wears "falsies." Clearly a phony.
Ossenburger
The rich alumnus who made all his money from inexpensive funeral parlors. Gives boring speeches...
Herb Gale, a.k.a. Ely
Robert Ackley's roommate, who never makes an appearance.
Edgar Marsalla
The Pencey boy that "laid [a] terrific fart" during Ossenburger's big speech, making the event...
Ed Banky
The basketball coach. He lends Stradlater his car for dates.
Mal Brossard
A "friend" of Holden's at Pencey. On the wrestling team. He goes to the movies with Holden and...
Mrs. Schmidt
The janitor's wife.
Ernest Morrow
A guy at Pencey. Holden meets his mother on the train.
Mrs. Morrow
An attractive woman and a classmate's mother who Holden meets on the train. He spins some...
Rudolf Schmidt
The janitor at Ossenburger Hall who lends his name to Holden's fictional persona on the train...
Mrs. Hayes
Sally Hayes's mother. She thinks Holden is "wild" and is not a big fan of him going out with her...
Faith Cavendish
A "friend" of Eddie Birdsell. She likes to have a good time, if you know what we mean.
Eddie Birdsell
A Princeton guy Holden met at party.
Bernice
The hot blonde who Holden dances with in the Lavender Room. She's a lousy conversationalist, but...
Mrs. Spencer
Mr. Spencer's wife.
Marty
One of Bernice's unattractive friends.
Laverne
Bernice's unattractive friend.
Mr. Cudahy
Jane's alcoholic stepfather. He may or may not have "tried something" with Jane, but regardless,...
Horwitz
Cab driver #2 for Holden. He's not as concerned with the ducks as he is with the fishes, which he...
Ernie
The amazing piano player at Ernie's. He takes himself really seriously and bows after he plays,...
Joe Yale-Looking Guy
Guy that Holden sees at Ernie's. This guy gives his date a feel under the table while telling her...
The Navy Guy
Lillian's date. This guy doesn't really like Lillian, but is probably with her for her "big...
Raymond Goldfarb
A guy at the Whooton School that Holden got drunk with in the chapel.
Bobby Fallon
A childhood friend of Holden's and participant in the famous "Allie, go get your bike and meet me...
Arthur Childs
Dick Slagle
Holden's very short-term roommate at Elkton Hills. Dick was the owner of some very inexpensive...
Miss Aigletinger
One of Holden's elementary school teachers. She "never got sore," which is a nice quality for...
Gertrude Levine
Holden's side-by-side partner for the walk through the museum. Gertrude always wanted to hold...
Harris Macklin
A big bore from Elkton Hills, but the greatest whistler ever.
George Something
The phony guy who Sally talks to at the matinee. George is a big social climber who went to Andover.
Al Pike
A guy that Jane Gallagher dated once. She said he had an inferiority complex.
Bob Robinson
Bob Robinson has an inferiority complex, according to Holden, but girls think he's simply arrogant.
Roberta Walsh's Roommate
The girl who thinks Bob Robinson is arrogant.
Tina and Janine
Two French entertainers at the Wicker Bar at the swanky Seton Hotel.
Valencia
The sexy woman who performs after Tina and Janine at the Wicker Bar.
Pete
The regular elevator boy. Thankfully AWOL when Holden goes home.
The Dicksteins
Holden's neighbors.
James Castle
A boy at Elkton Hills that killed himself while wearing Holden's turtleneck sweater. See...
Alice Holmborg
A friend of Phoebe's at school who showed her how to belch. Imagine that being your Shmoopable...
Mrs. Antolini, a.k.a. Lillian
Mr. Antolini's wife. Mrs. Antolini is old, not too attractive, and wealthy. (For more on why this...
Richard Kinsella
One of Holden's classmates in Oral Expression class. He's a spinner of fantastic digressions that...
Mr. Vinson
Mr. Vinson is Holden's Oral Expression teacher. According to Holden, he's "very intelligent and...
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