The Catcher in the Rye - Post Ending

I was pretty satisfied with the way The Catcher in the Rye ended. Holden goes kind of goes insane after he spends the night with Mr. Antolini. He writes a letter to Phoebe telling her to meet him at the museum so he can return the Christmas money he borrowed from her (Salinger 200). After Phoebe refuses to let Holden leave, they pretty much walk on opposite sides of the street until they meet up with one another and Holden tells Phoebe to take a ride on the carousel (Salinger 212). In the final chapter, Holden refuses to tell readers what happened after that, which I think is an awesome technique Salinger uses. He does give us some insight about attending another school in the fall, which he may or may not be successful with. In this blog, I want to throw out some ideas as to what I think will happen to Holden after the novel ends.

First off, I think he changes his whole mindset on life. His little episode of an almost mental breakdown probably hit him hard, so hopefully he learned from that. I also believe he decides to forget about attending school and stay with his family in New York, possibly attending a school in the city and getting a job. Holden’s relationship with Phoebe will more than likely grow stronger, seeing as how he had such a imminent bond with her in previous chapters. To back track a little ways, I think Holden’s parents completely destroy his life when they find out he was kicked out of Pencey Prep. More than likely they would yell at him about how he needs to apply himself more and how all the money they spent sending him to a nice school has washed down the drain. Furthermore, Holden’s life will be full of even more adventures like throughout the novel itself. I think the fact that I was completely satisfied with the ending of the book plays a vital role in the successful life I give Holden in predicting what happens to him after the initial ending. I think it would be cool to read a follow up about Holden Caulfield, but that is just me.

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and, 1991. Print.