Summary. He is a young and clever teacher and Holden respects him. When James Castle committed suicide, it was Antolini who carried his bloody, broken body all the way to the infirmary. He was reading The Atlantic Monthly, and there were pills and medicine all over the place, and everything smelled like Vicks Nose Drops. He doesn’t speak to Holden in the persona of a teacher or an authority figure, as Mr. Spencer does. One of the more controversial characters in the novel, Mr. Antolini was Holden's favorite teacher at Elkton Hills. One of the more controversial characters in the novel, Mr. Antolini was Holden's favorite teacher at Elkton Hills. “He was about the best teacher I ever had, Mr Antolini.” Smart, nice, young and with a good sense of humour, this English teacher comes as close as anyone to earning Holden’s respect. Holden’s meeting with Mr. Spencer is also important in terms of the novel’s structure, which is bookended by troubling encounters with male teachers, the other teacher being Mr. Antolini. Mr. Antolini is the adult who comes closest to reaching Holden. Mr. Antolini He is Holden’s old English teacher at the Elkton Hills School. Even if Mr. Antolini’s intentions are questionable, he’s making a reasonable argument. Salinger blazes Mr. Spencer into our memory with one of my favorite quotes: (Holden's visiting Spencer in his apartment. Even he is the closest adult to Holden. What Mr. Antolini thinks … The couple hosted a party earlier in the evening, and Mr. Antolini is still drinking heavily. It has been translated into almost all of the world's major languages. When Mr. Antolini touches Holden’s forehead, Holden suspects that Mr. Antolini is … Holden’s relationship with … In this lesson, we will learn more about Mr. Antolini in the J.D. Mr. Antolini was a favorite teacher of Holden's at an earlier school. Get an answer for 'What was the difference between Mr. Spencer's advice and Mr. Antolini's advice in Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye?' The Catcher in the Rye is a story by J. D. Salinger, partially published in serial form in 1945–1946 and as a novel in 1951. It was originally intended for adults but is often read by adolescents for its themes of angst and alienation, and as a critique on superficiality in society. Check out our introduction to this poor guy: The minute I went in, I was sort of sorry I'd come. Mr. Spencer initiates a pattern of unproductive adult interactions that define Holden’s experience throughout the book. The character of Mr. Antolini in The Catcher in the Rye from LitCharts ... Before long, he begins to lecture Holden, but what he says differs from the standard advice that people like Mr. Spencer have already imparted to him. And gross. Even though Mr Antolini is younger than Mr Spencer, his health isn’t perfect, he ruins it with smoking and heavy drinking. Holden admires and respects him because Antolini is not only intellectual and perceptive, but he has a heart. The Catcher in the Rye What is the life advice Mr. Antolini gives Holden? Holden feels dizzy and has a headache. It is very late when Holden arrives at the Antolinis' "swanky" apartment on Sutton Place. (Well, apparently those two are basically the same thing to Holden.) Bad teachers--we've all had them. Mrs. Antolini (Lillian) makes coffee and goes to bed. Mr Antolini, on the other hand – well, if Mr Spencer is the stuff of my nightmares, Mr Antolini is my first thought when I wake. When James Castle committed suicide, it was Antolini who carried his bloody, broken body all the way to the infirmary. Holden’s first meeting with Mr Antolini was when he went to Elkton Hills, where Mr Antolini was his teacher in English. Holden admires and respects him because Antolini is not only intellectual and perceptive, but he has a heart. We'd go ahead and argue that it sounds like the tone here is genuine: it doesn't seem like the author is poking fun at this set of beliefs in any way, like he does with Holden’s other teacher Mr. Spencer… He mentions it several times and notices that, when coffee is served, Mr. Antolini just fixes himself another highball. Get an answer for 'Who is Mr. Spencer and why does Holden visit him in J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye?' Well on his way to drunkenness, Antolini shows a side of himself that is especially annoying to Holden. Holden needs him for guidance. Salinger novel, ''The Catcher in the Rye''. He manages to avoid alienating Holden, and being labeled a “phony,” because he doesn’t behave conventionally. Get everything you need to know about Mr. Antolini in The Catcher in the Rye. Mr. Spencer is old. Spencer, Mrs. Morrow, the nuns he meets at breakfast, Mr. Antolini and Phoebe all represent different types of maturity that Holden lacks himself. and find homework help for other The Catcher in the Rye questions at eNotes Analysis, related quotes, timeline. Holden thinks that Antolini should be careful or he "may get to be an alcoholic." With Mr. Spencer and Mr. Antolini, Salinger delivers archetypes of bad and good teachers.