Chapter 3

Holden lies to Spencer that he has to be at the gym and takes leave of his teacher. He returns instead to his dorm in the Ossenburger Wing, where he recalls an anecdote about Ossenburger having earned his wealth from his funeral parlor business. Holden also recalls a speech Ossenburger had delivered at the school. The speech had focused on the importance of prayer and having faith in Jesus Christ, and Holden couldn’t help but think of Ossenburger as a phony. To Holden, the only memorable moment during the speech was when the proceedings were disrupted briefly by a loud fart.

Once Holden is back in his dorm, he wears his cap backwards and begins reading Out of Africa. It is apparent that he enjoys reading. As he thinks about the kind of books he is fond of, Holden finds himself wanting to call up Thomas Hardy, the British author of such tragic novels as The Return of the Native and Jude the Obscure. Holden’s reading preferences show that he prefers realistic, empathetic depictions of the real world. He seems to value empathy especially since the real world is devoid of it.

Soon Holden has a visitor in the form of Ackley, a boy from the neighboring dorm. Ackley is someone who annoys Holden; he tends to inspect everything in Holden’s room, and does not put them back in their place when he is done. When Ackley mentions that he does not like Stradlater, Holden disagrees and even defends Stradlater, citing his generous nature. A bit later, Stradlater comes in and Ackley leaves.