Chapter 25

In Chapter 25 of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield starts off by going to the waiting room at the subway station and reading a magazine that makes him believe he might have cancer. This is the first sign that he is heading toward a nervous breakdown. The second sign is when he is walking down the street and becoming scared that he will not make it to the other side. He prays to Allie to help him make it. Holden is beginning to realize that he only has two choices: adulthood or death, and he can't bring himself to face either. He comes up with a plan to runaway so that he will never have to interact with people again (therefore avoiding both options). He decides that he will visit Phoebe first to give her back her money and to say good bye. However, Phoebe wants to come with him and he won't let her. This marks the first time in the novel that Holden shows maturity. He puts Phoebe ahead of himself because he knows that he cannot take proper care of her. Phoebe gets mad at him and he goes to the zoo with her where he watches her and the other kids ride the carousel. When Phoebe asks him if he is going to stay, he tells her yes. Holden realizes that wherever he goes he will always find phoniness but facing adulthood won't be as bad if he is around the people he cares about.