The photo represents Holden's lonely thoughts about the past and how there is still hope for the future, as Holden holds on to every last strand of human interaction, we can see his calm attitude about his distressing future.
The chapters 8 through 14 in the novel The Catcher In The Rye mostly consists of Holden roaming around New
York going to clubs, hotels and bars. In the beginning of the chapters Holden
runs in to the mother of Earnest Marrow, who is a student at Pencey, Holden
dislikes the student but tells lies of his good deeds to his mother. Holden
goes to a hotel and visits the night club downstairs, where he attempts to make
conversation with a few ladies but constantly despise them for their phoniness
down inside. Then after visiting another nightclub Holden meets a pimp where he
hires a prostitute, when the prostitute arrived Holden declined to sex and
fakes a recent sugary due to his nervous and anxious state. After having some
small chat Holden pays off the prostitute but the prostitute claims the price
was higher. During the time he was at the nightclubs and in the hotel he would
think back about Jane, Allie, and Phoebe. A little later the pimp came into his
hotel room, roughed Holden up and took the money of which Holden supposedly
owed. Afterwards Holden imagined himself as a movie star extracting revenge on
the pimp before going to sleep.
In the chapters Holden is going through a very difficult
time, the effects of his loneliness are at it's climax. Holden desperately
tries to hold on to any conversation he can, attempting to extend it's duration
as he knows once the other participants leave he will have nobody to talk to
and will end up indulged in his tragic past and his sad desolate present. This
was shown as he asks all convocation holders for another drink or another
reason to stay, and his willingness to start seemingly pointless convocations.
"Would you be interested in meeting me for a cocktail somewhere?", is
what he asked to someone he had just rung up in the middle of the night. At one
point in my life I was going though similar feelings of isolation and
loneliness. It was at this time where I also tried to cling on to every last
conversation and make pointless dialogue simply because I had a hard time to
get anyone to talk to me. My peers would ditch me and I felt terrible, drowning
in my own misery; I too felt the grasping need for companionship.
At this time in the novel, it becomes increasingly noticeable
that Holden's traumatic past along his state of mind is causing Holden the
majority of his troubles. During the chapters Holden aimlessly roams the clubs
and streets of New York
where he looks upon his past, attempts to ease his loneness, and tries to see
his true self. Holden has wondered through bars judging, looking down upon, and
exaggerate about every other person, "I was surrounded by jerks. I'm not
kidding." said Holden as he was seated in a bar. Nearing the end of the
chapters, Holden hired a prostitute but refuses sexual intercourse, What Holden
seeking is not from sexual desire but from his initial isolation. Holden wanted
a friend, a place where he could belong, not a sexual partner, thus why Holden
was so happy with Jane. When Holden was with Jane he could talk casually not
needing to try to extend every encounter as he knows that he will be able to
talk to Jane even after their conversation ends. "You never even worried,
with Jane, whether your hand was sweaty or not. All you knew was, you were
happy. You really were." Said Holden while he thought about the past.
A few questions arose as I read the chapters, like why would
Holden try to talk to taxi drivers about the ducks in Central
Park? and why Holden hired a prostitute only to reject her
services moments later? I believe that Holden asked about the ducks to the taxi
drivers from another part of his loneliness, but it could be because he was unsatisfied
with the answers of the first taxi driver. "what're ya tryna to do, bud? Kid
me?" was the response of the first taxi driver when he was asked about the
ducks. It is possible that Holden hired the prostitute hoping for a experience
similar to his feelings of acceptance with Jane, but realized moments later
that that is utterly untrue.
It is possible in future chapters for Holden to aimlessly
stay at the hotel until he runs out of money, or hide from his parents for a
few more days until after the initial shock of his expulsion. It is also
possible that Holden heads straight home as his loneliness would be too much to
handle.