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The Catcher in the Rye Isolation Quotes Page 1
Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Anyway, it was the Saturday of the football game. […] I remember around three o'clock that afternoon I was standing way the hell up on top of Thomsen Hill. […] You could see the whole field from there, and you could see the two teams bashing each other all over the place. […] You could hear them all yelling. (1.3)
The very first place we see Holden sets the stage for his character throughout The Catcher in the Rye: he's isolated, aloof, and watching people instead of connecting with them.
The first thing I did when I got off at Penn Station, I went into this phone booth. I felt like giving somebody a buzz […] but as soon as I was inside, I couldn't think of anybody to call up. My brother D.B. was in Hollywood. My kid sister Phoebe […] was out. Then I thought of giving Jane Gallagher's mother a buzz […]. Then I thought of calling this girl […] Sally Hayes. […] I thought of calling […] Carl Luce. […] So I ended up not calling anybody. I came out of the booth, after about twenty minutes or so. (9.1)
Holden is clearly trying to reach out to someone – but is for one reason or another unable to do so. His hesitation (itself a result of his judgmental view of others) keeps him in this isolation.
"Well – take me to the Edmont then," I said. "Would you care to stop on the way and join me for a cocktail? On me, I'm loaded." (9.10)
So Holden is pretty desperate for someone to talk to. This is the first in a long string of his attempts to connect with someone – anyone – during his time in the city.
