Word Watcher/Effective Language - Moving Towards the Ending

Chapter 24

• While reading Chapter 24, at first, Mr. Antolini seems to offer Holden his only chance of making a sympathetic connection with an adult. Holden respects his teacher’s intelligence and seems truly interested in Mr. Antolini’s lecture about finding “what size mind you have.” It is significant that Holden consistently refers to his former teacher as “Mr. Antolini,” whereas he refers to Mr. Spencer as “old Spencer” or “Spencer.” Through my eyes, the fact that Mr. Antolini is trying to prevent Holden from “a fall” obviously matches up with Holden’s image of the “catcher in the rye.” Yet, Mr. Antolini is a very different kind of catcher from the one Holden envisioned, and the type of fall he describes is different from the one Holden truly imagines.

“I have a feeling that you’re riding for some kind of terrible, terrible fall....The whole arrangement’s designed for men who, at some time or other in their lives, were looking for something their own environment couldn’t supply them with....So they gave up looking.”


Holden has just left his parents’ apartment, following his conversation with Phoebe, and he is reaching a point of critical instability, as he soon bursts into tears. He goes to Mr. Antolini’s because he feels he can trust and confide in him; it seems to be his final chance to save himself. However, Holden’s interaction with Mr. Antolini is the event that begins his full-blown breakdown. It completely unsettles him, and leaves him feeling confused and unsure. Through effective choice of tone, Holden envisions himself as the protector rather than the one to be protected; he is the one who really needs to be caught. Mr. Antolini tone allows me, as the reader, to guess that Holden feels disconnected from his environment. Holden has isolated himself in an attempt to be his own savior.

Jenna S.