The Catcher in the Rye help with homework Chapter 10

What characteristics make Phoebe so important to Holden?

Holden Caufield is in his hotel room at The Edmont as Chapter ten begins. He is getting ready to go to the Lavender Room, which is a nightclub downstairs in the hotel. He has been thinking about calling his little sister, Phoebe. Holden tells us all about Phoebe, who is ten years old. He loves his sister. He also believes all his siblings are smart. D.B. is a talented writer, Allie, who has passed away, was a math whiz, and Phoebe has gotten all “A’s” since first grade. Holden tells us, “As a matter of fact, I’m the only dumb one in the family.”

Holden describes all the endearing characteristics of Phoebe. We see a side of Holden that is very different from the embittered, cynical misanthrope, disgusted with the phony ways of everybody. His little sister just enchants Holden, and she may even be his best friend. Phoebe has bright red hair that is similar to the color that Allie had. He tells us, “You’d like her. I mean if you tell old Phoebe something, she knows exactly what you are talking about.” Holden can confide in Phoebe, and this fact lessens his sense of isolation. We see that she is a very important figure in his life. He misses her and would call her if he weren’t so sure his parents would answer the phone and also because he knows that Phoebe is now sleeping because she is only ten years old.

What is the impression Holden wants to make on the three girls in the cocktail lounge by saying he’s Jim Steele? What do Rudolph Schmidt and Jim Steele have in common?

Holden “gives the eye” to three women at another table, in particular a blonde one. He asks the blonde one to dance, and Holden judges her to be an excellent dancer, but a moron. Holden is offended when the woman, Bernice Krebs, asks his age, but he tells these women, who are visiting from Seattle, that his name is Jim Steele.

This chapter continues a pattern of pseudonyms that Holden adopts for himself. He treats his interaction with others as a performance, refusing to honestly depict himself to those around him. His honesty is entirely internalized; he admits his faults and lies in narration, but cannot do the same with other persons.

What do girls need to do (or be) in order to appeal to Holden?

Holden’s view of women in general is not too kind. He doesn’t feel that they are smart, nor hold any depth of character. He believed that women would just be driven by instinct and just go out with guys for the money. He felt this way mainly because that was the sort of women he was hanging with, and because he tends to generalize. For example in Chapter 10 to one of girl from the bar Holden:  “Every time they do something cute he ends up half in love with them, even though they’re sort of stupid”.

Why does Holden regret having lied to Marty about seeing Gary Cooper?

In the story “The Catcher in the Rye”, Holden lied to Marty. It doesn’t seem to him like the wrong thing to do. But he does it just have a little fun on the side. Telling that he can do it even for hours, is a joke that he pulled off to make talks lighter and not get too serious in the conversation. Anyway, he regrets his lie when he said he saw Gary Cooper that made Marty really sad of not seeing this actor.