Claudia Zapata

Period 4th
April13, 2011

Holden’s Types of Intimacy and Their Differences

Sexuality is a big concern for Holden. He presents the point of view that sexuality is

inherently degrading for a woman, and therefore cannot reconcile acting sexually toward a

woman that he respects. Although Holden is obsessed with sex, he wants to preserve innocence

more than he wants to gain carnal knowledge. This is why he never has sex in the story. Holden's

view of any sexual act as "crumby" and degrading is the result of his previous sexual encounters.

Holden has a bit of a problem: he's completely alone and he knows it, he even says that he "felt

so lonesome” and “wished [he] was dead". He gets stuck with the tab for the three "moronic"

girls' drinks in the Lavender Room at his hotel. He pays Sunny even though he doesn't have sex

with her, and ends up getting cheated out of five more dollars. First, he must admit to himself

that he misses people and longs for them, then, in return, he’ll notice people starting to associate

with him, “If you want to know the truth,….I sort of miss everybody….Even old Stradlater and

Ackley….even miss that goddam Maurice. It's funny. Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you

do, you start missing everybody.” You could see this as uplifting – it means that Holden made

enough personal connections to miss those with whom he interacted (much like his wanting to

feel a solid "good-by" with Pencey at the beginning of the novel). On the other hand, it could be

quite a depressing ending, since Holden is just as isolated now as he was when all of this began.

But this is not the only type of intimacy that occurs throughout the book, there is also non

sexual encounters Holden experiences. His passivity and indecision take over at key moments.

The very first thing he does when he gets off the train in New York City is he goes into a phone

booth. He knows he wants to call someone, but proceeds to veto all of his options: D.B. is in

Hollywood, Phoebe is sleeping, he "doesn't feel like" calling Jane's mother, he's afraid Sally's

mom will pick up at her house and he assumes that she just came back home from a date in
 Claudia Zapata
Period 4th
April13, 2011

which he pictures her date by saying, "All of them saying sophisticated stuff to each other and

being charming and phony," and he "doesn't like" Carl Luce. Holden steps out of the phone booth

after twenty minutes, having not called anyone. When Holden does end up interacting with

people, he usually gets the short end of the stick. He invites Ackley along to the movies, but

Ackley won't return the favor by letting Holden sleep in his roommate's bed. He writes

Stradlater's composition for him, and in return gets yelled at. He even had to type that essay on a

junky old typewriter because he had lent his own to the guy down the hall. He gives up his

hound's-tooth jacket for the night, knowing it'll get stretched out in the shoulders.

It seems as though as Holden “tries” more in his nonsexual encounters, which could be

due to the fact that he might have been molested as a child, “When something perverty like that

happens, I start sweating like a bastard. That kind of stuff's happened to me about twenty times

since I was a kid. I can't stand it.” Look at how Holden acts even after he feels violated and

nervous. He still makes conversation, still tries to somewhat smooth over the conversation.

Despite everyone calling him "anti-social" all the time, he's a rather conscientious guy. When

he’s trying to create sexual encounters, he gives up once they don’t work out in the first place.

He respects women and gives them the freedom to do as they please because he doesn’t want to

force himself upon them. As far as people go, Holden seems to put himself “out there” more

often and pushes himself upon people. His nonsexual encounters are something that he cherishes

just as equally as his sexual ones, though he says he doesn’t respect the “phonies” of the world.

He respects everyone in the sense that he gives them a chance, even if he doesn’t like the

outcome. He always tries his best to make someone happy, regardless whether or not he’s happy

himself.