Chapter 15
Holden calls up Sally Hayes, an old flame. There's a lot of calling in this book. If it was set in present day, I bet Holden would be all over texting. It's up his social alley. But then again, if it was set in present day his parents would already know he was kicked out of school and we'd never believe that he was wandering around unnoticed this long, and it would ultimately ruin the story. Hooray for the 1950s: making it easier for kids to have secret adventures. Holden invites Sally to a show and she accepts his offer. He has a lot of time to kill before the show starts, so he checks his bags at Grand Central Station and gets some breakfast.
While he eats, he eavesdrops on a pair of nuns. He gives them $10 even though they try to tell him they aren't fundraising for anything. They all chat for a bit about English - a subject that one of them teaches and that Holden clearly has quite an interest in even though he can't seem to care about his education. The nuns have to leave, and they leave Holden wishing he had donated more money to them. This seems really noteworthy, considering that Holden is pretty financially self-centered. Never before has he spent money on anyone else without being cranky about it.
Internal monologue quote of the chapter: "I always sort of think whoever I'm necking is a pretty intelligent person. It hasn't got a goddam thing to do with it, but I keep thinking it anyway." That is what I assume all teenage boys are thinking. It explains a lot.
Chapter 16
Still left with time to kill before meeting Sally Hayes, Holden goes for a walk. He decides to head to Broadway to see if there's a record store open on Sundays. He wants an album called "Little Shirley Beans" to give to Phoebe. He heard it at school, and it's hard to find, but he really thinks Phoebe would love it. Phoebe has not actually appeared in the novel yet, but Holden treats her much better than he treats anyone else. I suppose if you lose a sibling, you get really clingy to the others, and D.B. is hard to connect with out in California.
Holden notices a family coming out of a church, and the child is singing a song that he recognizes. It goes, "If a body catch a body comin' through the rye." Wait! That's almost the name of the book! I smell symbolism but I can't sort it all out just yet. The kid is weaving through traffic as he sings and his parents are ignoring him, but for some reason this image soothes Holden.
Broadway, unsurprisingly, is full of people going to the movies. To Holden, of course, Broadway is just full of phonies. Luckily, he finds an open record store and snags a copy of "Little Shirley Beans" for Phoebe. It sets him back $5 since it's rare. Inflation makes this hilarious to a 2012 reader. He also picks up theater tickets for his date with Sally. Record in tow, he goes to a park that Phoebe frequents, but she isn't there. He is told by a friend of Phoebe's that she might be at the Museum of Natural History, and Holden knows she won't be, but he heads in that direction anyway. On his walk, he puts his hunting hat on again. What does this hat represent?! Agh. He ultimately decides to head to the Biltmore Hotel and wait for Sally to arrive for their date. The way this book makes it sound, New York City is about 90% hotel.
-S
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