Chapter summaries 14-26

Chapter 14

Holden feels depressed and smokes, thinking about how he and a neighbor, Bobby, left out Holden’s brother, Allie, from a BB gun game. He starts talking out loud to Allie, which he often does when he is very depressed. Holden tries to pray before going to sleep but is unable to because he dislikes religion and stops. 

He hears a knock on the door and lets in Maurice, the elevator operator, and Sunny. Maurice demands the extra five dollars, but Holden refuses to pay, and says he was told the price was five. Maurice attacks Holden, who keeps insulting him, while Sunny takes five dollars from Holden’s wallet, then they leave. Holden imagines that he is a vengeful movie character who kills Maurice with an automatic gun. He feels like jumping out of the window and committing suicide but dislikes the idea that people would see his bloodied body. Eventually, he falls asleep. 

Chapter 15

The next morning, Holden calls his ex-girlfriend, Sally Hayes, and sets a date with her for the afternoon. He checks out of the hotel and goes to Grand Central Station, where he leaves his bags in a safety box. He starts counting his money and thinks about his father, who is always angry when Holden loses things or forgets to pick up the change when he pays for something. He also thinks about his mother, who has not been very healthy since Allie’s death and whom he does not want to upset with the news of being expelled. 

Holden goes to a sandwich bar to eat breakfast, where he meets two nuns who are moving in from Chicago to become school teachers. They strike up a conversation about Romeo and Juliet and Holden gives them ten dollars as a contribution to charity. He realizes that he may not have enough money left for his date with Sally, but still regrets not giving the nuns more money. He thinks that money always makes people sad. 

Chapter 16

Holden feels sad when thinking about the nuns and concludes that he does not know anyone that selfless and modest. He goes to Broadway to look for a record for his sister, Phoebe. Holden notices a family coming out of a church and is fascinated by a little boy singing and humming a song about a body catching another body coming through the rye. The scene makes him feel better and he is happy when he finds the record for Phoebe. Holden calls Jane Gallagher but hangs up when her mother picks up the phone. He buys two tickets for a theater performance and thinks that Sally will enjoy it. 

Holden then goes to the par...