I'm Crazy

From Bananafish

I'm Crazy Status underpublished Original publication source Collier's Original publication date December 22, 1945 Salinger.org rating 3.0 Previous Next The Stranger Slight Rebellion Off Madison

Original art from Collier's

An alternate take on chapters 1, 2, and 22 of The Catcher in the Rye, with Holden getting kicked out of "Pentey" and talking to "old Spencer" and his sisters, Phoebe and Viola. Notable most in its differences from Catcher and the included painting of Holden Caulfield.

I kept seeing myself throwing a football around, with Buhler and Jackson, just before it got dark on the September evenings, and I knew I'd never throw a football around ever again with the same guys at the same time. It was as though Buhler and Jackson and I had done something that had died and been buried, and only I knew about it, and no one was at the funeral but me.

Recurring characters

Appearing:

• Holden Caulfield
• Phoebe Caulfield
• Viola Caulfield
• Mr. Spencer
• Mrs. Spencer

Mentioned:

• ? Buhler
• ? Jackson
• ? Schutz
• ? Kinsella
• Mr. Caulfield
• Mrs. Caulfield

Deck

The heart-warming story of a kid whose only fault lay in an understanding of people so well that most of them were baffled by him and only a very few would believe in him

Sources

• (December 22 1945) I'm Crazy. Collier's CXVI: 36, 48, 51.