Mr. Antolini

Outer characterization

Holden’s interaction with Mr. Antolini, his former English teacher at Elkton Hills (p. 147), marks an important episode in J. D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye. Mr. Antolini lives in New York, after he quit Elkton Hills, and “took this job teaching English at N. Y. U.” (p. 186). 

Holden describes his former teacher as “a pretty young guy” (p. 188), “a pretty sophisticated guy” (p. 196), and “a pretty heavy drinker” (p. 196) who “smoked like a fiend” (p. 201). Mr. Antolini is married to an older woman.

Inner characterization

Mr. Antolini is one of the few adults that Holden respects and looks up to. He claims that he is one of the few teachers that you could “kid around with (…) without losing your respect for him” (p. 188). Holden particularly respects him for stepping up when a former colleague at...