CATCHER IN THE RYE CH 11-15

LATE, LATE SATURDAY NIGHT ChapterSettingEvent 11Edmont Hotel lobby After leaving the Lavender Room, Holden gets “old Jane Gallagher on the brain again” (Salinger 76). He reminisces about how they met (her Doberman Pincher) and some of the times that they spent together (at the swimming club and playing golf). Jane isn’t “strictly beautiful” (77); she is “muckle-mouthed” (77); she is the only non-family member Holden has ever shown Allie’s mitt. Holden comforts her on the porch after an incident with her step-father. We can infer that he is abusive based on her reaction to him. Holden is trying to protect her innocence. He ends with a memory of him and Jane at the movies when she puts her hand on the back of his neck. In this moment, she was protecting him (he also sometimes does this to Phoebe). 11Edmont Hotel lobby Holden thinks the lobby is too depressing and wants to get out of there. He decides to go to Ernie’s Nightclub in Greenwich Village.

STILL LATE, LATE SATURDAY NIGHT ChapterSettingEvent 12A taxi cabOn his way to Ernie’s, Holden engages in a conversation with Horwitz (the cab driver). He asks Horwitz about the Central Park ducks and where they go in the winter. Holden is searching for some sort of human connection by talking with Horwitz. Ironically, Holden gets annoyed at Horwitz’s fascination with the fish. 12Ernie’s Nightclub Holden describes Ernie as very phony and a snob. Holden says he feels sorry for him because his audiences have stroked his ego so much over the years that he doesn’t know when he is genuinely good or not. He is “surrounded by jerks” (Salinger 85): “Ivy League bastards” (85), couples on awkward dates, Lillian Simmons and her Navy date. Lillian Simmons, D.B’s former girlfriend, only talks to Holden because she wants to know about D.B and his Hollywood life/successes (phoniness)

HOLDEN STILL HAS NOT GONE TO SLEEP…TECHNICALLY, STILL SATURDAY ChapterSettingEvent 13Walking 41 blocks back to the Edmont Holden reveals that he is “one of these very yellow guys” (Salinger 88). He talks about approaching the guy who stole his gloves at Pencey Prep. He says that he would accuse him, but never really do anything about it. Holden is too humane to hurt anyone. He cannot look at the consequences of violence (says he’d rather chop someone’s head off or push them out the window) 13Edmont Hotel Holden meets Maurice (the elevator guy), and he offers him a prostitute. Holden lies about his age (22) and accepts. He reveals he is a virgin and that he has respect for women (he stops when they say stop – not like Stradlater) Sunny arrives and Holden gives her his suave alias, Jim Steele. She is young (roughly Holden’s age) and that makes Holden a little uncomfortable. Holden just wants to talk to Sunny; he doesn’t want to contribute to her loss of innocence, so he lies about just having surgery on his clavichord (which is not even a body part). He pays Sunny $5 (even though she tries to get $10) and she leaves.

HOLDEN FINALLY SLEEPS…. ChapterSettingEvent 14Edmont HotelAfter Sunny leaves, Holden is miserable and depressed. He starts talking out loud to Allie about the time that he wouldn’t let him go to shoot BB guns (trying to protect his innocence). He feels guilty about not letting him go… Though he claims to be an atheist, Holden feels like praying. Finally, Holden lays down to go to sleep. 14Edmont HotelMaurice shows up at the door for the other $5. Though Holden is afraid, he tries to stand up to Maurice and threatens to call the police. Sunny grabs his wallet and takes the $5 (they take advantage of his age and class) Maurice flicks him, Holden calls him a moron, and Maurice punches him in the stomach. Holden pretends that he’s a gangster that’s been shot in the gut and he calls Jane to bandage him up. Holden has suicidal thoughts

IT’S FINALLY SUNDAY ChapterSettingEvent 15Edmont Hotel Holden wakes up around 10:30 and decides to call Sally Hayes. They arrange to go to a matinee. Holden does not necessarily like her (she's not very smart and she's phony), but she's good-looking. 15Grand Central Station Holden tells us he's from a wealthy family (Dad's a cooperate lawyer) and his mom "hasn't felt too healthy since [his] brother Allie died. She's very nervous" (Salinger 107). Holden meets the nuns and goes on a rant about their inexpensive suitcases. He offers them a donation. He talks to the nuns (who are teachers) about Romeo and Juliet and says that Mercutio was his favorite character (an innocent caught in someone else's mess) He accidentally blows smoke in the nuns' faces and immediately apologizes and feels guilty. At the end of the chapter he says, "God damn money. It always ends up making you blue as hell" (113).

DIG DEEPER SymbolsMotifsThemes The Central Park Ducks Inexpensive suitcases Illustrate the divide between the rich and the poor (the have and the have-nots) Loneliness/Depression By the end of chapter 14, Holden is beginning to have suicidal thoughts Holden is talking to his dead brother, Allie to ease his depression (comfort) The Central Park Ducks Loss of Innocence/Protecting Innocence Not sleeping with Sunny Donating to the nuns Phoniness of Society Ernie (and his audience) Lillian Simmons