I'm Crazy
Encyclopedia
"I'm Crazy" is a short story
written by J. D. Salinger
in 1945 for Collier's magazine; it is told in first-person
narrative mode by Holden Caulfield
. Salinger later reworked this short story to incorporate it into his classic novel, The Catcher in the Rye
.
drop-out Holden Caulfield
overlooks a football match from a hill. He then goes to see his elderly history teacher Mr. Spencer, who lectures him about his academic failure. Holden tells Mrs. Spencer about meeting the mother of a "lousy" fellow student on the train, and lying to her about how wonderful her son was. He says he feels bad about dropping out of school mainly because his mother had just sent him ski boots, albeit the wrong kind.
Holden likes this teacher, but realizes that he gets no sympathy or understanding from him, so he leaves abruptly. He takes a train to New York City
and sneaks into his family's apartment, where he talks to his kid sisters Phoebe and Viola. Even Phoebe admonishes him for his academic failure. Holden finally owns up to his parents in a scene that is only described very briefly and indirectly ("When they were all done with me ..."). He concludes that he won't be sent back to school but into an unpleasant office job.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
written by J. D. Salinger
J. D. Salinger
Jerome David Salinger was an American author, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature. His last original published work was in 1965; he gave his last interview in 1980....
in 1945 for Collier's magazine; it is told in first-person
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
narrative mode by Holden Caulfield
Holden Caulfield
Holden Caulfield is the 16-to-17 years old protagonist of author J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. He is universally recognized for his resistance to growing older and desire to protect childhood innocence...
. Salinger later reworked this short story to incorporate it into his classic novel, The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel by J. D. Salinger. Originally published for adults, it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of teenage confusion, angst, alienation, language, and rebellion. It has been translated into almost all of the world's major...
.
Synopsis
Boarding schoolBoarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
drop-out Holden Caulfield
Holden Caulfield
Holden Caulfield is the 16-to-17 years old protagonist of author J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. He is universally recognized for his resistance to growing older and desire to protect childhood innocence...
overlooks a football match from a hill. He then goes to see his elderly history teacher Mr. Spencer, who lectures him about his academic failure. Holden tells Mrs. Spencer about meeting the mother of a "lousy" fellow student on the train, and lying to her about how wonderful her son was. He says he feels bad about dropping out of school mainly because his mother had just sent him ski boots, albeit the wrong kind.
Holden likes this teacher, but realizes that he gets no sympathy or understanding from him, so he leaves abruptly. He takes a train to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and sneaks into his family's apartment, where he talks to his kid sisters Phoebe and Viola. Even Phoebe admonishes him for his academic failure. Holden finally owns up to his parents in a scene that is only described very briefly and indirectly ("When they were all done with me ..."). He concludes that he won't be sent back to school but into an unpleasant office job.