All rights reserved. Discuss Holden's inability to communicate with adults. Holden is concerned by his lack of communication with the adult world. At the beginning of his odyssey, he tries to say goodbye to Mr. Spencer, but the old man's words of wisdom sound trite, like all the other phoniness that Holden despises.
Life is a game that one plays according to the rules.
Before Holden leaves, Mr. Spencer tries to toss a copy of the Atlantic Monthly on the bed. His unsuccessful attempt suggests the failure of their relationship. I'm just going through a phase right now. In a parallel episode in New York, Mr. Antolini, Holden's English teacher at Elkton Hills and a friend of the Caulfield family, tries to persuade Holden to take a more realistic attitude toward his education. Yet Holden fails to absorb Antolini's wisdom.