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what is happening to holden at the end of chapter 25

by Rollin Greenholt Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago

Chapter 25 concludes with Holden feeling happy as he watches Phoebe ride on the Central Park carousel. He confesses, “I was damn near bawling, I felt so damn happy.” But Holden also admits he doesn't know why he feels so happy, or why he's on the brink of tears.

Full Answer

How does Holden feel about Phoebe at the end of Chapter 25?

Chapter 25 concludes with Holden feeling happy as he watches Phoebe ride on the Central Park carousel. He confesses, “I was damn near bawling, I felt so damn happy.”

What happens in Chapter 25 of the catcher in the Rye?

The Catcher in the Rye Chapter 25 Summary & Analysis. Phoebe, a child, accepts Holden's scheme. In doing so, and in giving back his "protective" hat, she forces Holden to protect her. And to protect Phoebe, Holden has to give up his alienation and be realistic.

Where does Holden end up in the end of the novel?

But without more details, we are left in the dark as to why Holden ended up in some unspecified facility in southern California. How you read the ending of The Catcher in the Rye depends on how you interpret the gap between Chapters 25 and 26. One possible reading would take Holden at his word.

What degree does Holden Caulfield have in Chapter 25?

She has a Master of Education degree. In chapter 25 of the J.D. Salinger novel, 'The Catcher in the Rye,' Holden Caulfield's options are limited. In this lesson, we'll look at what Holden does, and how this affects him.

What chapter does Holden sleep in?

Why does Holden act like an adult?

What does Holden do to save Phoebe?

What does Holden do when Phoebe finishes riding the carousel?

Why does Holden have to assume responsibility for Phoebe?

Why does Holden curse?

What happens to Holden after he uses the toilet?

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What realization does Holden have at the end of Chapter 25?

While he is with her, he decides to stop running and return home. In a brief final chapter, Holden concludes the story, telling us that he doesn't know what he thinks about everything that has happened, except that he misses the people he has told us about.

What makes Holden happy chapter 25?

Holden sits around in the pouring rain, watching Phoebe ride while everyone else heads in for cover. He says he's near crying, that's how happy it makes him to watch Phoebe going around and around on the carousel.

Where does Holden go at the end of the chapter?

At the end of the chapter, Holden decides to leave Pencey Prep and hide out for a while in New York.

What is Phoebe riding at the end of Chapter 25?

He assures Phoebe that she can go for a second ride and promises that he would go back home with her after the ride, and not head West. Phoebe is happy to hear this, and as Holden watches her ride the carousel, his heart is full of happiness, a feeling that has eluded him so far.

Why is Holden so happy that he is crying at the end of chapter 25?

As Holden watches her, he feels so happy he could cry. By convincing Phoebe not to go out West, Holden fulfills his desire to protect childhood innocence. In doing so, he decides against going West, thereby saving not just Phoebe, but himself, too.

How is Holden's hunting hat symbolism in chapter 25?

Here, the red hunting hat symbolizes Holden's alienation from society and his intentional isolation from people. In addition, buying the hat is Holden's way of trying to protect himself from society's consequences, such as the ridicule he probably received after losing his team's equipment.

What does Holden realize at the end of the book?

Holden does evolve toward the end of the novel. His acceptance of Phoebe's need to "grab for the gold ring" indicates that he sees her as a maturing individual who must be allowed to live her own life and take her own risks. At this point, he finally sees that children have to do this, and adults must let them.

Does Holden end up in a mental hospital?

He was sent to a rest home, which is more commonly known as a hospital to treat his mental illness. He narrates the final part of the book from this institution, with a hopeful attitude towards the future.

What's the ending of The Catcher in the Rye?

The Catcher In The Rye ends with Holden stopping the story after taking Phoebe to the Central Park Zoo. Holden simply says he's going back to school and misses his classmates (Even those he didn't like much), and that discussion about his story made him miss them.

Why does Holden want to run away at the end?

Seeing no reason to stay on campus and wallow in humiliation, he simply leaves. But Holden's motivation for running away also stems from other frustrations having to do with the culture of Pencey. All of Pencey's pupils come from wealthy families, and Holden finds the atmosphere of his school stifling.

How does Holden change throughout the novel?

Holden goes through a series of unfortunate events as he learns his lessons the hard way. From the beginning to the end, Holden finds motivation, happiness, and realizes that he has to let go of innocence. Holden is certainly a dynamic character based on the way his outlook on life changed throughout the novel.

What happens to Holden's red hunting hat?

Holden is in Phoebe's room and he is about to leave, he wants to give his red hunting hat to her but she didn't want to keep it. In the end, Holden still made Phoebe keep his red hunting hat, and he left.

Does Catcher in the Rye have a happy ending?

Yes, the ending of Catcher in the Rye is optimistic. At the end of the book, Holden points out how happy he felt when watching his sister riding the Central Park carousel.

What would Holden like to be and why?

When asked by Phoebe what he would like to be, Holden rejects standard choices such as a lawyer or a scientist. He says he would like to be "the catcher in the rye," standing by the edge of a cliff and keeping children, playing in an adjacent field of rye, from falling off.

Why does Holden change his mind about leaving?

Something has changed in Holden, for by refusing her into his sanctuary, he acknowledges that children must grow up. It is the rejection of this sanctuary which ultimately makes Holden change his mind and decide to stay.

How does Holden change his viewpoint?

Holden goes through a series of unfortunate events as he learns his lessons the hard way. From the beginning to the end, Holden finds motivation, happiness, and realizes that he has to let go of innocence. Holden is certainly a dynamic character based on the way his outlook on life changed throughout the novel.

The Catcher in the Rye Chapters 25 & 26 Summary & Analysis - SparkNotes

A summary of Chapters 25 & 26 in J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of The Catcher in the Rye and what it means. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans.

Catcher in the Rye Chapters 25 - 26 Summary - Softschools.com

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The Catcher in the Rye Chapters 21–23 Summary & Analysis - SparkNotes

A summary of Chapters 21–23 in J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of The Catcher in the Rye and what it means. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans.

The Catcher in the Rye Chapter 26 Summary & Analysis | LitCharts

The end of The Catcher in the Rye doesn’t provide any insight into what becomes of Holden, except that he seems to have been put in some kind of monitored facility where he can be psychoanalyzed. Preserving this sense of ambiguity, Holden says that he doesn’t know whether or not he’ll apply himself when he returns to school, ultimately implying that he may not have learned much from what ...

The Catcher in the Rye Chapter 23 Summary & Analysis | LitCharts

Holden thinks highly of Mr. Antolini because Mr. Antolini doesn’t conform to the same stereotype as most teachers. Instead of existing as a disciplinarian figure in Holden’s life, Mr. Antolini is at once personable and respectable, a blend of characteristics that appeals to Holden, who badly needs somebody he likes to help guide him through this stage of his life, since he has trouble ...

What chapter does Holden break down?

Holden’s breakdown reaches its climax in Chapter 25. As the chapter begins, Holden feels surrounded on all sides by ugliness and phoniness—the profanity on the walls, the vulgar Christmas-tree delivery men, the empty pomp of Christmas—and his recent interactions with Phoebe and Mr. Antolini have left him feeling completely lonely and alienated. As he wanders the streets of New York, he looks at children and prays to Allie to keep him from disappearing as the ducks disappeared and as Allie himself disappeared. It’s clear that Mr. Antolini was, at least in part, correct: Holden does not feel connected to his environment. He imagines that he is an ephemeral presence that will instantaneously vanish. Not only does he feel that he cannot relate to anybody, but he doesn’t know how to deal with adult encounters, because they don’t fit neatly into the worldview he has constructed for himself. As a result, he makes the only decision that seems logical in such a situation: he decides to run away. Unable to deal with the world around him, and realizing that his cynical view of the world is not grounded in reality, he decides to leave.

What is Holden's final statement?

Holden’s final statement—“Don’t tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody”— suggests that he is still shackled by the same problems he has dealt with throughout the book. He still seems scared and alone, and he continues to dread communication. On the other hand, his final words suggest that he has begun to shed the impenetrable skin of cynicism that he had grown around himself. He has begun to value, rather than dismiss, the people around him. His nostalgia—“missing everybody”—reveals that he is not as bitter and repressed as he was earlier in the book.

What does Holden pray to Allie?

As he wanders the streets of New York, he looks at children and prays to Allie to keep him from disappearing as the ducks disappeared and as Allie himself disappeared. It’s clear that Mr. Antolini was, at least in part, correct: Holden does not feel connected to his environment.

What is the intimacy Holden has been longing for and sorely missing?

It is the kind of intimacy Holden has been longing for and sorely missing. When Holden watches Phoebe go around and around on the carousel , he finds himself deliriously happy as he participates in a scene of childhood joy and innocence . With Phoebe, he seems to have found the human contact he was looking for.

What does Holden convince Phoebe to do?

They come to the carousel, and Holden convinces Phoebe to ride it. He sits on a park bench, watching her go around and around.

What does Holden say to Phoebe?

She gets angry, refuses to look at him, and gruffly returns his hunting hat. Holden tells her he won’t go away and asks her to go back to school. She angrily refuses, and he offers to take her to the zoo. They walk to the zoo, Holden on one side of the street, Phoebe following angrily on the other.

What does Phoebe feel when she arrives at the museum?

Phoebe arrives at the museum with a suitcase and begs Holden to take her with him. He feels dizzy and worries that he will pass out again. He tells her that she cannot possibly go with him and feels even closer to fainting. She gets angry, refuses to look at him, and gruffly returns his hunting hat. Holden tells her he won’t go away and asks her to go back to school. She angrily refuses, and he offers to take her to the zoo.

What happens when Holden walks down the street?

As he's walking down the street, Holden begins having panic attacks. Terrified and sweating, he keeps pretending that he's talking to his deceased little brother, Allie.

What does Holden decide to do in the book?

Sitting down on a bench, Holden decides he's going to say goodbye to Phoebe and then hitchhike out West. He's going to find a place where he doesn't know anyone, get a job, and pretend to be a deaf-mute so that no one will talk to him.

Where Should Holden Go Next?

Antolini, but left immediately when he caught Mr. Antolini rubbing his head in the middle of the night. Having run out of his own money, he is living off of money borrowed from his little sister who is in the fourth grade, Phoebe. Holden needs a plan. In this lesson, we will review what happens next in J.D. Salinger's, The Catcher in the Rye.

What happens when Holden watches Phoebe on the carousel?

While watching Phoebe on the carousel, Holden finally feels happy.

What does Holden think about saying goodbye to his family?

Holden thinks about saying goodbye to his family. He decides that they can come visit him, but D.B. won't be allowed to write any phony movies in his cabin. Nothing phony would ever happen in Holden's cabin.

What does Holden do at Phoebe's school?

While at the school, Holden sees profanity written on the wall, and tries to rub it out.

Why can't Holden eat?

Thinking he needs nutrition, Holden tries to get some coffee and doughnuts. However, the depression is making his throat close up, and he kind of feels like he is about to vomit, so he is unable to eat. Walking down Fifth Avenue during the Christmas season makes him miss his little sister, Phoebe.

What does Holden feel when he falls off the curb?

Holden is demonstrating an urge to live. Holden’s feeling of falling and disappearing off a curb echoes his “catcher in the rye” fantasy of children being caught before falling off a cliff. Once again, Holden seems to be yearning for someone to catch him.

How does Holden finish the book?

Holden finishes the novel by admitting that he misses different characters he has described. This expression of warmth is a sign that Holden’s cynical view of the world is changing. This change is not complete, however. He finishes the novel by warning readers not to make his mistake. Holden still wants to mask his vulnerability, uncomfortable as he is with his feelings of missing others.

What does Holden do when he sees graffiti on the wall of the school?

Holden sees graffiti on the wall of the school and becomes very angry, rubbing it off. Holden gives his note to a secretary, and on his way out of the school becomes depressed to see another “Fuck you” graffiti sign. Holden goes to the museum to wait for Phoebe. He helps two boys find the Egyptian mummies.

What does Holden feel when he walks on Fifth Avenue?

Holden begins to feel ill. He orders coffee and doughnuts at a restaurant but is only able to drink the coffee. Walking on Fifth Avenue, Holden notices the signs of Christmas around the city. He remembers taking Phoebe Christmas shopping downtown.

What does Holden do in the tomb?

Holden goes to the museum to wait for Phoebe. He helps two boys find the Egyptian mummies. The boys become afraid and leave, and Holden is alone in the tomb. The peaceful moment is ruined when he sees another “Fuck you” written on the wall. Holden feels sick and goes to the bathroom. Afterward, he “passes out” briefly.

What does Phoebe tell Holden to do?

Phoebe is furious. She turns her back to Holden and throws his red hunting hat at him. She refuses to go back to school and tells Holden to shut up. Holden tells her that he won’t go out West and that he’ll go home instead, and he begins walking to the zoo.

Why does Holden eat breakfast?

Immediately after this, he decides to eat something for breakfast—not because he is hungry but because he thinks he should “get something with some vitamins in it .”.

What chapter does Holden end the Catcher in the Rye?

The Catcher in the Rye ends ambiguously. The ambiguity is mostly due to the significant time gap between the book’s last two chapters. Chapter 25 concludes with Holden feeling happy as he watches Phoebe ride on the Central Park carousel.

Where did Holden end up?

But without more details, we are left in the dark as to why Holden ended up in some unspecified facility in southern California.

What does Holden's happiness predict?

This would entail believing that his happiness at the end of Chapter 25 is genuine and that this happiness predicts an eventual, full recovery. Such a reading sees Holden shedding his cynicism about the world and developing warmer feelings about other people.

Does Holden grow bitter?

If it is true that Holden has grown less bitter by the end of the book and that he’s learned the value of other people, then he may grow past his current depressive slump and go on to have a more successful career at his new school and in his life beyond.

Is Holden's self evaluation shortsighted?

It seems likely, then, that Holden’s own self-evaluation would suffer from a similar shortsightedness. Take, for example, the scene with Phoebe on the carousel, where Holden’s happiness borders on delirium. After his long and laboring depressive spell, the suddenness of his emotional breakthrough seems suspicious.

What chapter does Holden sleep in?

The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 25. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Catcher in the Rye, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. In Grand Central Station, Holden sleeps on a bench in a waiting area.

Why does Holden act like an adult?

In this capacity, he acts like an adult by leading Phoebe to the park so that she’ll be safe and won’t ruin her life like he thinks he has ruined his own.

What does Holden do to save Phoebe?

By convincing Phoebe not to go out West, Holden fulfills his desire to protect childhood innocence. In doing so, he decides against going West, thereby saving not just Phoebe, but himself, too. In this way, he becomes “the catcher in the rye” who saves children from ruin.

What does Holden do when Phoebe finishes riding the carousel?

Related Quotes with Explanations. When Phoebe finishes riding the carousel, Holden encourages her to take another ride. Before she does, though, she takes the hunting hat (which Holden put in his pocket) and places it on her brother’s head.

Why does Holden have to assume responsibility for Phoebe?

Now, though, Holden has to assume responsibility because he can plainly see that coming with him out West will be bad for Phoebe.

Why does Holden curse?

The scrawled curse words enrage Holden because he can’t stand the idea of somebody purposefully corrupting children. Of course, his rage is most likely also linked to his experience at Mr. Antolini’s the night before, since Mr. Antolini’s inappropriate touch threatened to corrupt his own youthful sense of innocence. At the same time, though, it’s rather ironic that he reacts so negatively to the words written on the wall, since he has been using coarse language throughout the entire novel. Once again, then, readers see that he doesn’t necessarily hold himself to the same standards to which he holds everyone else.

What happens to Holden after he uses the toilet?

Upset, Holden goes to the bathroom in the museum, feeling suddenly ill. After he uses the toilet, he passes out on his way to wash his hands at the sink, though he wakes up shortly thereafter and is thankful that he didn’t hit his head on the floor.

1.The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 25 Summary & Analysis

Url:https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-catcher-in-the-rye/chapter-25

18 hours ago After meandering silently through the zoo, Holden and Phoebe start to walk toward a large carousel where Holden, Allie, and D.B. used to take Phoebe when she was little. Phoebe still …

2.The Catcher in the Rye Chapters 25 & 26 Summary

Url:https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/catcher/section11/

31 hours ago Holden’s breakdown reaches its climax in Chapter 25. As the chapter begins, Holden feels surrounded on all sides by ugliness and phoniness—the profanity on the walls, the vulgar …

3.Chapters 25–26 Summary and Analysis - enotes.com

Url:https://www.enotes.com/topics/catcher-in-the-rye/chapter-summaries/chapters-25-26-summary-analysis

13 hours ago The Catcher in the Rye ends ambiguously. The ambiguity is mostly due to the significant time gap between the book’s last two chapters. Chapter 25 concludes with Holden feeling happy as he …

4.The Catcher in the Rye: What Does the Ending Mean?

Url:https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/catcher/what-does-the-ending-mean/

9 hours ago  · What does Holden realize at the end of Catcher in the Rye? Chapter 25 concludes with Holden feeling happy as he watches Phoebe ride on the Central Park carousel. He …

5.Catcher in the Rye chapter 25 Flashcards | Quizlet

Url:https://quizlet.com/238609332/catcher-in-the-rye-chapter-25-flash-cards/

2 hours ago  · Is Holden in a mental hospital at the end of the book? After a two month jump in time, he explains that he returned home to his family and got sick. He was sent to a rest home, …

6.Ch. 21-26 Flashcards - Questions and Answers | Quizlet

Url:https://quizlet.com/324179273/ch-21-26-flash-cards/

23 hours ago what mr. Antolini will tell Mrs Antolini. what did worry about it. that mr. Antolini had woke him up by padding his head. what could holding never tell one way or another. if he was making a flirty …

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