Although J.D. Salinger has written many short stories, The Catcher in the Rye is Salinger's only novel and also his most notable work. The novel is the culmination of themes that appeared throughout a number of Salinger's short stories, however, some of which form the basis of individual chapters in The Catcher in the Rye. The Caulfield family is the subject of two of Salinger's major stories, "This Sandwich Has No Mayonnaise" and "I'm Crazy" as well as a number of unpublished works. The first of these stories, "This Sandwich Has No Mayonnaise," is narrated by Vincent Caulfield, who learns that his brother is missing from Pentey Preparatory School (changed to Pencey in the novel). Vincent serves as the basis for D.B. Caulfield, Holden's older brother in the novel, and is the protagonist in a number of stories by Salinger. In "An Ocean Full of Bowling Balls," Vincent recalls his relationship with Kenneth, his deceased younger brother (the obvious basis for Allie). This unpublished story also details how Kenneth became angry when an adult calls Holden crazy and how Holden complains about hypocritical adults at his summer camp. Additional stories fill in detail left out of The Catcher in the Rye. "The Last and Best of the Peter Pans," narrated by Vincent Caulfield, focuses on a conversation between Vincent and his actress mother, Mary Moriarty, concerning a questionnaire from the draft board that she had hidden from Vincent. This conversation ends with a reference to her wanting to keep a child from going over a cliff, an idea that Holden references in The Catcher in the Rye when he discusses his ideal situation with Phoebe. In another story, "Last Day of the Last Furlough," Vincent and ŒBabe' Gladwaller prepare to go off to war. However, in these series of short stories Salinger has Vincent Caulfield die during World War II; "The Stranger" concerns ŒBabe' Gladwaller's attempt to tell Vincent's girlfriend how he died. The other major short story concerning the Caulfield family is "I'm Crazy," the story which forms the basis for the first two chapters of The Catcher in the Rye as well as the chapter in which Holden goes home to see Phoebe. In this story, however, Holden expresses greater regret for his expulsion from ŒPentey,' even lamenting that he will never again play games of football on Saturday evenings with his friends from Pentey. The chapter in which Holden tries to convince Sally to run away with him to New England is the basis for yet another short story, "Slight Rebellion Off Madison." The basis of The Catcher in the Rye as a series of unrelated short stories as well as Salinger's affection for that form explains the pacing and relative lack of narrative continuity in the novel. No setting nor character recurs for more than one or two consecutive chapters. The first chapters of the novel, which are all set at Pencey, are the only ones that sustain the same characters and setting for an extended period. Holden, as narrator, is the only character who recurs throughout the entire story, as characters such as Sally Hayes and Mr. Antolini appear only in one chapter and then basically disappear. Furthermore, since Salinger reiterates thematic elements throughout the novel (in practically every chapter Holden complains about Œphonies'), many of the chapters can essentially stand as short stories in themselves.

Holden Caulfield, the narrator of The Catcher in the Rye, begins with the novel with an authoritative statement that he does not intent for the novel to serve as his life story. Currently in psychiatric care, this teenager recalls what happened to him last Christmas, the story which forms the narrative basis for the novel. At the beginning of his story, Holden is a student at Pencey Prep School, irresponsible and immature. Having been expelled for failing four out of his five classes, Holden goes to see Mr. Spencer, his History teacher, before he leaves Pencey. Mr. Spencer advises him that he must realize that "life is a game" and one should "play it according to the rules," but the sixteen year old, who has already left four private schools, dismisses much of what Spencer says. Holden returns to his dormitory where he finds Robert Ackley, an obnoxious student with a terrible complexion who will not leave Holden alone, and Ward Stradlater, Holden's roommate. Stradlater is conceited and arrogant, a Œsecret slob' who asks Holden to write an English composition for him. Stradlater prepares for a date with Jane Gallagher, a friend of Holden from several summers before, while Holden goes with Ackley and Mal Brossard into New York City to see a movie. When he returns, Holden does write the composition for Stradlater about his brother's baseball mitt. Holden tells about how Allie died of leukemia several years before and how he broke all of the windows in his garage out of anger the night that he died. When Stradlater returns, he becomes upset at Holden for writing what he thinks is a poor essay, so Holden responds by tearing up the composition. Holden asks about his date with Jane, and when Stradlater indicates that he might have had sex with her, Holden becomes enraged and tries to punch Stradlater, who quickly overpowers him and knocks him out. Soon after, Holden decides to leave Pencey that night and not to wait until Wednesday. He leaves Pencey to return to New York City, where he will stay in a hotel before actually going home. On the train to New York City, Holden sits next to the mother of a Pencey student, Ernest Morrow. Claiming that his name is actually Rudolf Schmidt (the name of the Pencey janitor), Holden lies to Mrs. Morrow about how popular and well-respected her son is at Pencey, when he is actually loathed by the other boys, and even invites her to have a drink with him at the club car. When Holden reaches New York, he does not know whom he should call, considering his younger sister, Phoebe, as well as Jane Gallagher and another friend, Sally Hayes. He finally decides to stay at the Edmond Hotel. From his window he can see other guests at the hotel, including a transvestite and a couple who spit drinks back at each other, which makes him think about sex. He decides to call Faith Cavendish, a former burlesque stripper and reputed prostituted, but she rejects his advances. Instead, he goes down to the Lavender Room, a nightclub in the Hotel, where he dances with Bernice Krebs, a blonde woman from Seattle who is vacationing in New York with several friends. Holden thinks that these tourists seem pathetic because of their excitement over the various sights of the city. After leaving the Lavender Room, Holden decides to go to Ernie's, a nightclub in Greenwich Village that his brother, D.B., would often frequent before he moved to Hollywood. However, he leaves almost immediately after he arrives, because he sees Lillian Simmons, one of D.B.'s former girlfriends, and wishes to avoid her because she is a Œphony.' He walks back to the hotel, where Maurice, the elevator man, offers him a prostitute for the night. When this prostitute arrives, Holden becomes too nervous and refuses her. She demands ten dollars, but Holden believes that he only owes five. Sunny (the prostitute) and Maurice soon return, however, and demand an extra five dollars. Holden argues with them, but Maurice threatens him while Sunny steals the money from him. Maurice punches him in the stomach before he goes. Holden then imagines shooting Maurice in the stomach and even jumping out of the window to commit suicide. Holden calls Sally Hayes to meet her for a matinee and leaves his bags at a locker at Grand Central Station so that he will not have to go back to the hotel where he might face Maurice. At Grand Central he talks with two nuns about Romeo and Juliet and insists on giving them a donation. Before meeting Sally, Holden shops for a record for Phoebe and feels depressed when he hears children singing the song "If a body catch a body coming through the rye." He and Sally go to see a show starring the Lunts, which he knows Sally will enjoy because it seems sophisticated. When Holden sees Sally, he immediately wants to marry her, even though he does not particularly like Sally. After the show, Sally keeps mentioning that she sees a boy from Andover whom she knows, and Holden responds by telling her to go over and give the boy "a big soul kiss." When she talks to the boy, who goes to Andover, Holden becomes disgusted at how phony the conversation is. Holden and Sally go ice skating and then have lunch together. During lunch, Holden complains that he is fed up with everything around him and suggests that they run away together to New England, where they can live in a cabin in the woods. When she dismisses the idea, Holden calls her a "royal pain in the ass," causing her to cry. After the date, Holden calls Carl Luce, a friend from the Whooton School who goes to Columbia and meets him at the Wicker Bar. Carl soon becomes annoyed at Holden for having a "typical Caulfield conversation" that is preoccupied with sex, and suggests that Holden see a psychiatrist. Holden remains at the Wicker Bar, where he gets drunk, then leaves to wander around Central Park. He nearly breaks down when he breaks Phoebe's record, and thinks he may die of pneumonia. Thinking that he may die soon, Holden returns home to see Phoebe, attempting to avoid his parents. He awakens her, but she soon becomes distressed when she hears that Holden has failed out of Pencey, and tells him that their father will kill him. He tells her that he might go out to a ranch in Colorado, but she dismisses his idea as foolish. When he complains about the phoniness of Pencey, Phoebe asks him if he actually likes anything. He claims that he likes Allie, and he thinks about how he likes the nuns at Grand Central and a boy at the Elkton Hills school who committed suicide. He tells Phoebe that he would like to be "a catcher in the rye," and he imagines himself standing at the edge of a cliff as children play around him. He would catch them before they ran too close to the cliff. When his parents come home, Holden sneaks out to stay with Mr. Antolini, his former English teacher at Elkton Hills. Mr. Antolini tells Holden that he is headed for a serious fall and that he is the type who may die nobly for a highly unworthy cause. He quotes Wilhelm Stekel: "The mark of an immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one." Holden falls asleep on the couch, and when he awakens he finds Mr. Antolini with his hand on Holden's head. Holden immediately interprets this as a homosexual advance, and decides to leave. He tells Mr. Antolini that he has to get his bags from Grand Central Station and that he will return soon. Holden spends the night at Grand Central Station, then sends a note to Phoebe at school, telling her to meet him for lunch. He becomes increasingly distraught and delusional, believing that he will die every time he crosses the street and falling unconscious after suffering from diarrhea. When he meets Phoebe, she tells him that she wants to go with him and becomes angry when he refuses. He buys Phoebe a ticket for the carousel at the nearby zoo, and as he watches her, he begins to cry. Holden ends his story here. He refuses to tell what happened next and how he got sick, and tells how people are concerned about whether or not he will apply himself next year. He ends the story by telling that he misses Stradlater and Ackley and even Maurice.

Holden Caulfield: The narrator of The Catcher in the Rye and its protagonist, Holden is the son of a wealthy New York family who moves from boarding school to boarding school as he is either expelled for failing classes or chooses to leave. Although he displays a number of typical teenage characteristics, but his adolescent foibles take a turn for the more disturbing throughout the novel, as he reveals himself to be self-destructive and dangerously cynical.

Phoebe Caulfield: Holden's nine year old younger sister, she is more mature and intelligent than her age implies and thus realizes how misguided her brother is behaving. Holden appreciates every minute detail of Phoebe's existence, such as her series of stories about "Hazle Weatherfield, Girl Detective" and treats Phoebe with more respect and kindness than he treats any other character in the story.

Mr. Antolini: Holden's former English teacher at Elkton Hills who now teaches at NYU, Mr. Antolini allows Holden to stay with him and his wife after Holden leaves his home. He tells Holden that he is headed for a fall and that he envisions Holden dying nobly for an unworthy cause. However, Holden awakes to find Mr. Antolini touching his head, which Holden interprets as a homosexual advance, and quickly leaves him.

Ward Stradlater: Vain, self-centered and arrogant but nevertheless a "secret slob," Stradlater is Holden's roommate at Caulfield. He asks Holden to write an English essay for him, but then rejects the essay when it is not to his satisfaction. Holden gets into a fight with Stradlater after he suspects that Stradlater seduced Jane Gallagher.

Carl Luce: One of the most intelligent people that Holden knows, he was a student at Whooton when Holden attended, and then went to Columbia. He meets Holden at the Wicker Bar, where he chastises him for his immature behavior and recommends that he get psychiatric help.

Robert Ackley: A boorish, obnoxious student at Pencey, Ackley lives in a dorm room connected to the one where Holden lives. He is socially inept and physically disgusting; his complexion is horrible and Holden suspects that he never brushes his teeth.

Sally Hayes: Holden goes out on a date with this girl, whose pretentious mannerisms and affections Holden dislikes. Despite his contempt for her, Holden asks her to run away with him to New England, where they can live in a cabin in the wilderness together.

Mr. Spencer: Holden's history teacher at Pencey, he discusses Holden's expulsion with him before he leaves the school, and advises him to get some direction in his life.

Maurice: The elevator man at the Edmond Hotel who is also a pimp, Maurice assaults Holden after he refuses to pay a ten dollar fee to the prostitute he arranges for him.

Sunny: A prostitute whom Holden hires for the evening but then rejects, she demands a ten dollar payment when Holden believed that he was only required to pay five.

Bernice Krebs: A blonde woman from Seattle whom Holden meets at the Lavender Room, Holden dances with her but grows to dislike her because she displays too much enjoyment for being a tourist in New York City.

Faith Cavendish: A former burlesque stripper and supposed prostitute, Holden calls her late at night to set up a date, but she refuses him.

Lillian Simmons: One of D.B.'s old girlfriends, Holden meets her at Ernie's and promptly leaves to avoid her.

Lillian Antolini: The wife of Mr. Antolini, she is an older woman who married Mr. Antolini because they shared similar intellectual interests.

Horwitz: Holden argues with this cab driver on his way to Ernie's.

Allie Caulfield: Holden's younger brother, he died from leukemia. Holden often reminisces about Allie, particularly his baseball mitt, which Holden uses as the subject for Stradlater's essay.

Jane Gallagher: Stradlater's date for the evening, she was a close friend of Holden several summers before. Holden consistently reminisces about spending time with her. Jane is one of the few people whom Holden speaks about in entirely positive terms.

D.B. Caulfield: Holden's older brother, he is a war veteran who is currently a screenwriter in Hollywood.

Selma Thurmer: The daughter of the Pencey headmaster, she is a nice but unattractive girl, according to Holden, because she does not treat her father as a person to be admired.

Dr. Thurmer: The headmaster of Pencey, Dr. Thurmer gives Holden advice that "life is a game" when he expels Holden from the school.

Mr. Haas: Headmaster of Elkton Hills who, according to Holden, ignores "funny-looking" parents of Elkton students in favor of more elite parents.

Ossenburger: Wealthy undertaker and Pencey graduate who gives a speech to the Pencey student body in which he exalts his relationship with Jesus.

Edgar Marsalla: Holden tells how this Pencey student farted during the speech by Ossenburger.

Mr. Hartzell: Holden's English teacher at Pencey, he is the only teacher who did not fail Holden during the previous semester.

Mal Brossard: He accompanies Holden and Ackley into the city to see a movie the night before Holden leaves Pencey.

Ernest Morrow: According to Holden, Ernest is "the biggest bastard that ever went to Pencey." Holden meets his mother on the train to New York and lies about how popular and respected Ernest is at Pencey.

Rudolf Schmidt: The janitor at Pencey, Holden uses his name as a pseudonym when he talks to Mrs. Morrow on the train to New York.

Raymond Goldfarb: Holden remembers how he and this student at Elkton Hills got drunk together.

Dick Slagle: One of Holden's former roommates at Elkton Hills, Holden remembers him primarily because he had bad suitcases.

Harris Macklin: Elkton Hills; intelligent bore who whispers.

Al Pike: A former boyfriend of Jane Gallagher, Holden tells that he is an arrogant student at Choate who presumably suffers from an Œinferiority complex.'

James Castle: Holden tells a story about how this student at Elkton Hills committed suicide by jumping out of his window after an argument.

Phil Stabile: According to Holden, James Castle committed suicide after an argument with this student.