Holden Caufield, 17, is the main character in J.D. Salinger's classic coming-of-age tale, The Catcher in the Rye. The setting is New York City in 1950, as Holden returns home for Christmas after he is expelled from the exclusive boys' school, Pencey Prep. Since Holden has been expelled and does not want his parents to know, he spends a few days in the city on his own, trying to lose his virginity, among other things.

His cynical commentary on life includes a look on his educational experience among the jocks of his prep school and his unsuccessful attempt to lose his virginity to a hooker in a sleazy NYC hotel. Among his philosophical ponderings is a conversation with a cab driver about where the ducks in Central Park go when the pond freezes over. He is a boy caught in that strange time in adolescence when one minute he is hiring a hooker and the next he is having tender feelings for ducks in the cold.

In this poem, Holden speaks for himself in the language he uses in the book - his favorite expressions of disdain are all included here. There is much more in the book that is less negative: his love for his dead older brother, his protectiveness for his younger sister, his admiration for good writing - they did not fit into this poem, but they are also part of him. I assume most of you have read this masterpiece, but if you haven't, I certainly recommend it. A fellow writer on FS asked me to write an A-Z poem on this book - I hope I've done it justice.

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