The Catcher in the Rye: Characters

There are many characters in The Catcher in the Rye. These characters include, the main character, Holden Caulfield, Phoebe Caulfield, Ackley, Stradlater, Jane Gallhager, Allie Caulfield, D.B. Caulfield, Sally Hayes, Mr. Spencer, Carl Luce, Maurice, Sunny, and Mr. Antolini.

Holden Caulfield is the main character of the novel. He has been kicked out of many schools, and he just got kicked out of his newest school. Holden is a troubled teenager. He is afraid to grow up, and throughout the novel he tries to find a way to grow up.

Phoebe Caulfield is Holden Caulfield's little sister. Holden loves her very much. Phoebe loves Holden very much too. Phoebe thinks that growing up is a grand adventure, and she looks forward to it. Phoebe helps Holden find his way.

Ackley is one of Holden's "friends" at Pencey Prep. He lives in the dorm room right next to Holden. Ackley has a lot of pimples, and he has terrible hygiene. Holden makes fun of Ackley a lot, but sometimes Ackley does not understand his jokes. He is pretty dumb. Ackley comes into Holden's room a lot and just looks around and moves his stuff around. Although Holden clearly shows that he does not want Ackley in his room, Ackley does not seem to see it.

Jane Gallagher is Holden Caulfield's old next door neighbor. Holden and Jane became very good friends one summer. Jane is one of the few girls that Holden actually respects and thinks is pretty. Jane and Holden used to play checkers a lot, and Holden always wondered why she always kept her kings in the very back row. At one point in the novel, Stradlater takes Jane out on a date and Holden becomes very angry. He is afraid that Stradlater will make the moves on Jane. He is also afraid that Jane will like Stradlater. Once Stradlater and Jane's date is over, Holden tries to get Stradlater to tell him what happened.