"The Catcher in the Rye" is set around the 1950s and is narrated by a young man named Holden Caulfield. Holden is not specific about his location while he's telling the story, but he makes it clear that he is undergoing treatment in a mental hospital or sanitarium. The events he narrates take place in the few days between the end of the fall school term and Christmas, the few days that lead to an …showed first 75 words of 1642 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1642 total…heavily, but Holden is so happy watching his sister ride the carousel that he is close to tears. This is the exact moment when Holden reaches rock bottom, yet finds a revolution. Holden ends his narrative here, telling the reader that he is not going to tell the story of how he went home and got "sick." He plans to go to a new school in the fall and is cautiously optimistic about his future.