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D.B. Caulfield
Mr. Spencer is Holden’s elderly history teacher a Pencey Prep. When he hears that Holden has flunked out of school, Spencer invites him to his house and tries to motivate him to “play by the rules”—a piece of advice that Dr. Thurmer, the headmaster, has already imparted to Holden. During this visit, Holden is horrified by Mr. Spencer’s physical state, since Spencer is sick when he arrives. Because of this, Holden has to sit on the Dr. Thurmer’s bed and look at him while the old man pontificates in his bathrobe. This unsettles Holden because he hates the idea of growing up, associating aging with negative kinds of change. Worse, Mr. Spencer makes Holden feel ashamed for failing history, though only because he feels bad that Spencer—whom he likes—had to fail him, since Holden can tell that the old man didn’t want to do this.
Mr. Spencer Quotes in The Catcher in the Rye
The The Catcher in the Rye quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Spencer or refer to Mr. Spencer. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
"Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules."
"Yes, sir. I know it is. I know it."
Game, my ass. Some game. If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then it’s a game, all right—I’ll admit that. But if you get on the other side, where there aren’t any hot-shots, then what’s a game about it? Nothing. No game.
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Mr. Spencer Quotes in The Catcher in the Rye
The The Catcher in the Rye quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Spencer or refer to Mr. Spencer. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
"Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules."
"Yes, sir. I know it is. I know it."
Game, my ass. Some game. If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then it’s a game, all right—I’ll admit that. But if you get on the other side, where there aren’t any hot-shots, then what’s a game about it? Nothing. No game.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
