Holden Caufield

Following his third expulsion from his third high school, Holden left his most recent ex-school, Pencey Prep, days before he was supposed to. He caught a train to New York and spent a few days in the city. "New York's terrible when somebody laughs on the street very late at night. You can hear it for miles. It makes you feel so lonesome and depressed."(pg. 81, ch. 12) Holden is a very dependant person and is always looking for a relationship to become involved with, but he always becomes too insecure, which ultimately interferes with a possible connection. An example of such an event occurred with the nuns. Holden began having a conversation with the nuns, discussing Romeo and Juliet. Then, without even thinking, Holden blew cigarette smoke into their faces. Of course it was an accident, but it is these little things that distance Holden, leaving him all alone, again. .
             While Holden is in New York, he indirectly reveals that he wants to be a type of person he isn't able to be. Holden wants himself to be a suave, mature, young adult who can fend for himself in the world. Holden encounters a man who wants more money for sending a girl up to his room and he becomes scared, and tries to act as intimidating as he can while refusing to pay. The money, however, was eventually stolen from him and he was punched in the stomach. After the prostitute and her "boss" left, Holden thought of an alternate ending in which Holden was shot in the stomach by Maurice. He then mustered up the strength to get up and grab his gun and kill the bellboy by shooting him. "The goddamn movies. They can ruin you. I"m not kidding." (pg. 104, ch. 14) Holden wants to be somebody stronger than he is, but his problem is that he doesn't know how to find that other person.
             After his experience in the city, Holden came home to see his little sister, Phoebe. Phoebe immediately realized why Holden was home early and began to worry for him.