The Catcher in the Rye Chapters 15-17

Around mid-morning (after very few hours of sleep), Holden wakes and makes a phone call to Sally Hayes, an old girlfriend. They set up a date for 2PM. Holden checks out of the hotel, and leaves his luggage in a locker at the train station.  

He then has breakfast, where he meets a pair of nuns. The three engage in conversation about “Romeo and Juliet.” Holden is very familiar with Shakespeare’s tragedy, and expresses his thoughts and opinions.  

At the conclusion of breakfast (nearly noon), Holden makes a donation of ten dollars to the nuns, something he feels good about. However, he is beginning to feel a little worry over his limited budget. He’s spending (or losing, or giving away) money at a rate that will leave him penniless soon, or at best, having to pinch pennies on his date in the afternoon.  

Holden has two hours to kill before his date, so he goes out to find a copy of a record that his sister Phoebe would like. As he is walking, he sees a poor family walking, with a little boy singing his heart out, in a way that strikes Holden as “authentic.” The young boy is singing, “...if a body catch a body coming through the rye…” Holden approves, and his mood is improved.  

Holden finds the record, and purchases it for the steep price of five dollars.  

Holden tries to make a phone call to Jane, but hangs up when her mother answers instead. He then purchases tickets to the afternoon play for his date with Sally, then wanders over to Central Park, thinking that he might find Phoebe, who sometimes skates there. He does not find her.He considers visiting the Museum of Natural History, buit decides against it, and heads for the hotel where is to meet sally at 2PM.  

She arrives ten minutes late, which irritates Holden. He is reminded of her many unlikable traits, although she is very physically attractive. Holden is annoyed by the things she says, the way she talks, and her seemingly shallow way of thinking. He makes mental comparisons to Jane, and notes to himself that Jane is so much better of a person than Sally.  

Holden’s feeling about Sally’s phoniness is aggravated by his feeling about the performers in the play, who he also feels are phony. He values authenticity, but sees many performers with great skill eventually become smitten with their own greatness, at which point they tend to become phony, in Holden’s opinion.  

After the play, the pair go skating. Holden tries to discuss some intellectual and emotional things with her, but she is either uninterested or incapable of such depth. Holden is further annoyed, yet he pushes onward, finally suggesting that the two of them spontaneously take off together, to spend a couple of weeks somewhere, perhaps in a cabin. He suggests that maybe they could even get married.  

Sally is now irritated, and rebuffs his idea. He then insults her, and hostilities emerge. She says that she will find her own way home, and Holden storms off, leaving her at the skating rink.

Analysis: 

Holden’s favorite character in “Romeo and Juliet” is relatively-minor character Mercutio. This is because Holden holds loyalty in the highest regard. Again, we see more of Holden’s integrity displayed, even as his youthful struggle towards adulthood is rife with conflicting desires and seemingly contradictory values.  

Holden’s entertainment selection, a play featuring the Lunts, of which Sally is a fan, show that he is thoughtful towards the needs of others, even if does not particularly expect to enjoy the performance. The same thoughtfulness is evidenced yet again, when he purchases a record for his little sister.  

His joy as seeing the little boy singing in the street is another example of Holden’s appreciation of authenticity. His feeling that many performers are phony, or eventually become phony, is contrasted by the boy, young and innocent, singing and expressing himself for no reason other than the joy of singing. This reinforces Holden’s belief that the innocent and vulnerable must be protected, and that things such as youthful exuberance must be preserved, if at all possible.  

Holden finds Sally shallow and annoying, but proceeds, perhaps with little more than a sense of obligation, to entertain his date. But when he tries to tap into her deeper thoughts with discussion of things important to him, he is further bothered by her inability to engage in this conversation. His anger leads him to insult her, and he feels some sense of relief when their date is terminated, even if not amicably.