Catcher in Rye ­ Chapter 19 Analysis By: Hannah Gray Summary: ­This chapter takes place in the Wicker Bar, a bar in a New York hotel. ­While waiting for Carl Luce (an alumnae from the Whooton School who was supposed to be Holden’s student advisor when he went to the school) to arrive at the bar, Holden has a few drinks. ­After Luce arrives at the bar, Holden tries to annoy and joke around with him. Since Holden mostly asks Luce very inappropriate and personal questions, Luce keeps getting irritated with him. ­After Holden continuously asks Luce a lot of questions about sex, Luce eventually tells Holden about his new girlfriend who is a sculptress in her late thirties. ­Luce reminds Holden that he suggests that he sees a psychoanalyst. ­Before leaving, Holden begs Luce to stay since he is so lonely. ­When Luce leaves the bar in a rush, Holden continues to drink alone. New Story Elements: ­Carl Luce is met for the first time. ­Holden (still thinking about his sex life and the reasons for his failed attempts at sex), continously asks Luce questions about his own relationships and sex life. Cultural References: ­It could be implied that Luce is gay: ­Holden mentioned that Luce used the washroom with the door open at Whooton ­Holden mentioned that at Whooton, Luce was always talking about your sexual experiences with you, his girlfriends, and his knowledge on sex. However, Luce would always get upset when someone asked him about his own sexual experiences (like how he did every time Holden asked Luce about it at the bar). ­It can be implied that Luce is talking about his sexual relationships to hide that he is gay, but then when asked for more detail, he does not know what to answer and gets annoyed that he is expected to be a heterosexual. ­Since the 1950s was a more homophobic period than the 21st century is, Holden questioned to himself if Luce is gay but in stereotypical ways (such as when Luce uses the expression “Try this for size” a lot). Although stereotypes against the gay community is defined as being homophobic, it is possible that Holden is more a product of his time. Not that this makes being homophobic or thinking stereotypically is okay but being brought up in a homophobic time might explain Holden’s stereotypical ideas. ­Holden also seemed racist after Luce told him that his new girlfriend was Chinese (Holden sounded racist when he asked Luce “Do you like [her] being Chinese?” (162). ­Even though this makes Holden seem racist, it can be said that this racism is due to being exposed to the more racist time period (however, this is obviously not an excuse for being racist). Language References: ­ Flit: someone who is gay ­ Goose: touch someone in their private parts Quotations: 1. “Same old Caulfield. When are you going to grow up?” (159) ­Although so much has happened to Holden since he left Whooton School (such as Allie dying), Luce does not think that Holden has gotten any more mature or has improved upon his bad qualities, such as caring about who is gay or not. ­This goes hand­in­hand with the theme of protection of innocence 2. “‘Have just one more drink’…‘Please. I’m lonesome as hell.’” (165) 3. “You mean [sex is] better in China?” (162) ­This represents that Holden is constantly asking Luce questions about his relationship status and questions about sex. ­Similar to Holden’s stereotypical ideas about gay people in a more homophobic time period, Holden sounds racist when he asks Luce “Do you like [your girlfriend’s] being Chinese” (162). What we Have Learned About Holden: ­Through the questions that Luce asks Holden (such as if “this [is] going to be a typical Caulfield conversation” (160)), it shows that conversations with Holden are sometimes annoying to the other person. ­Holden mentioned several times that “These intellectual guys don’t like to have an intellectual conversation with you unless they’re running the whole thing” (163). Luce is insecure about sex (doesn’t like it when people ask him questions about it) and Holden is insecure about his intelligence and always thinks that smart people are too confident. ­Luce thinks that Holden’s sex life is bad because he is immature. ­Holden’s being immature might be him trying to protect his innocence.
What we Now Think About Holden and Why: ­​
Holden doesn’t like the bartender because he’s a phony and is completely fake with people unless they have something that he wants. This is an admirable trait of Holden, however, it reinforces the fact that even though he hates phonies, he is a phony himself. ­Holden still talks respectfully about girls, which is shown when he tells Luce to talk respectfully about his ex girlfriend. Discussion Questions: 1. Why do you think Holden is asking Luce personal questions about relationships? ­Holden is trying to annoy Luce. Holden is also curious about Luce’s relationship status and sex life. ­If we look deeper, Holden might be trying to learn about relationships (since he has difficulty maintaining and establishing them) from someone who seems to have a lot of them. 2. In this chapter, Holden keeps on mentioning to the readers how smart Luce is. Why do you think Holden is constantly thinking about this? ­​
Having been expelled from four schools, Holden is probably jealous of Luce’s intelligence. ­Since Holden thinks that Luce is smart, he is expecting him to have the right answer to everything. ­Holden wants advice from Luce.