The Catcher in the Rye is set in 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 currently undergoing treatment in some sort of medical facility. The events he narrates take place in the few days between the end of the fall school term and Christmas, when Holden is sixteen years old. …showed first 75 words of 1798 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1798 total…He buys her a ticket and watches her ride it. It starts to rain heavily, but Holden is so happy watching his sister ride the carousel that he is close to tears. 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.