Catcher In The Rye Chapters 8 - 14

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.