Catcher in the Rye Litblog Ch. 17-18

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
5/6/13

Chapters 17-18

 

Summary: Holden meets up with Sally to go on a date to see the Lunts in a show. Holden tells Sally he loves her in the car ride there when they are kissing and she says it back. Sally runs into another guy friend of hers at the show and afterwards Sally and Holden go ice-skating and then Holden tells Sally that they should run away together and when Sally refuses Holden calls her a bad word and Holden apologizes but then starts laughing and Sally makes Holden leave.

Quotation: "If you want to know the truth, I don't even know why I started all that stuff with her...She wouldn't have been anybody to go with. The terrible part, though, is that I meant it when I asked her. That's the terrible part. I swear to God I'm a madman" (134).

Quotation Significance: Holden isn't sure why he asked Sally to go off with him and runaway. He thought she was a phony and not even worth going with but he asked her anyway and he meant it when he asked her. Holden has gotten to the point that he is so lonely that he is willing to ask almost anyone to run away with him and be with him.

Reflection: Holden believes that he is a madman. This isn't true, the truth is that Holden feels lonely. This is what motivates him to ask for the prostitute and to ask Sally to run away with him. Holden knows he can't go home and he is doing whatever he can to avoid loneliness and depression. This is also what motivates Holden to tell Sally that he loves her even though Holden actually doesn't really like Sally at all. Holden becomes angry when he calls Sally the bad word because he is angry that she doesn't want to go run away with him. I think that Holden is missing his family and missing the feeling of being part of a family and being home. But he can not go home because his parents do not know that he has been expelled yet and he knows that he is a disappointment to them all. His younger brother Allie and his sister Phoebe are all A+ students and Holden is flunking all of his classes. I also believe that Holden wants to find someone that he doesn't have to constantly compare himself to, someone who is original with a fresh outlook on life.

Discussion Question: Why is Holden so lonely? Why does Holden want Sally to run away with him?