The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 25 Summary & Analysis

Salinger never clarifies what, exactly, Mr. Antolini’s intentions were when he stroked Holden’s head. However, it hardly matters whether or not this contact was of a sexual nature, since the end result still rattled Holden to his core and forced him to question whether or not he could trust Antolini, who was up until that point one of the few people he could turn to in times of hardship. Alone and confused, Holden now tortures himself by second-guessing his very reasonable reaction, blaming himself for running away from one of the only people who seems to truly care about him.

Although Holden’s fear about never reaching the other side of the street seems quite strange and even a bit unhinged, it actually makes sense when one considers the fact that he has just spent the night thinking about the future. Indeed, the rest of his life is uncertain and difficult to predict, and he has no sense of whether or not he’ll make it through the various hardships that adulthood has already begun to throw at him. In keeping with this, whether or not he’ll make it to the other side of the street becomes a metaphor for his overall uncertainty regarding the future.

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.

Despite Mr. Antolini’s advice to stop seeing the world so cynically, Holden finds himself depressed by humanity, believing that it’s pointless to have any faith in the goodness of other people. This, of course, is most likely because Mr. Antolini effectively nullified his own words by muddying his relationship with Holden, acting inappropriately and ultimately unsettling any sense of connection between him and Holden. As a result, Holden can’t quite accept his advice, which is why he finds himself so dispirited when he sees another “Fuck you.”

That Holden teaches the young boys about how the Ancient Egyptians preserved their dead is rather ironic, since he showed no interest in talking or learning about the Ancient Egyptians when he was in Mr. Spencer’s class. Despite his apathy regarding this subject, though, he apparently absorbed some of the information. And though what he tells the boys is a very simplified version of how the Ancient Egyptians mummified their dead, it demonstrates once again that his failure in school had nothing to do with his learning capabilities. It also confirms that Mr. Antolini was right to encourage him to embrace his own intelligence. Furthermore, it makes sense that Holden would have retained information about how to embalm dead people, since this act of preservation no doubt appeals to his desire to keep change at bay. Before he can dwell on this thought, though, he once again plunges into cynicism when he sees “Fuck you” written beneath one of the displays.

Holden’s physical state is in rapid decline, ultimately mirroring his mental health. At this point in the novel, it’s helpful to remember that Holden is only 16 and has been on his own in the city for several days. He has been eating very little, drinking a lot, and hardly sleeping—all signs that he’s not ready to launch himself into the adult world, though this is exactly what he has done.

Holden resents Phoebe in this moment because he suddenly realizes that she’s willing to do whatever he says, even if it’s against her best interest. This troubles him because it forces him to realize that he’s the one who should be responsible. Until this conversation, Phoebe has been the voice of reason in their relationship. Now, though, Holden has to assume responsibility because he can plainly see that coming with him out West will be bad for Phoebe. Consequently, he dislikes her for forcing him into the kind of adult role he’s been trying to avoid for so long.

Finally, Holden begins to act responsibly. By reasoning with his sister because he doesn’t want her to do anything rash, he’s forced to behave maturely. 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.

Holden’s sense that it’s better to let kids fall than to interfere stands in direct opposition to his former desire to be the “catcher in the rye” who protects children and preserves their innocence, suggesting that he has come to realize his own naïveté in thinking that he could stave off adulthood. It also suggests that he has developed a cynical attitude toward advice, which several adult characters have tried to give him throughout the novel. Although Holden badly needs guidance, he largely resents the people who tell him what he’s doing wrong in life. The only person whose advice resonates with him is Mr. Antolini, who frames his ideas not in terms of everything Holden has done badly, but in terms of how he might rethink some of the hard-headed convictions that are holding him back from happiness. Unfortunately, though, Mr. Antolini’s advice has also soured as a result of his odd behavior toward Holden. Accordingly, Holden thinks that all advice is nothing but an annoyance, and that people should learn by making their own mistakes. Interestingly enough, this is a fairly reasonable mentality to adopt, especially since it’s one of the only thoughts that Holden has about how to move through life while acknowledging that he won’t be able to avoid the occasional downfall. 

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. However, this doesn’t mean that he doesn’t still face a fair amount of emotional turmoil, as evidenced by the intense joy he feels while watching the pure and innocent image of Phoebe on the carousel. As he watches her and feels so happy that he could cry, he uses his newfound contentment to shield himself from his depression and the looming hardships of adulthood, both of which he will need to address at some point.