Catcher in the Rye Chapters 19 - 21

Wicker Bar Holden is to meet Carl Luce at the Wicker Bar, which is in a very nice hotel. “In case you don't live in New York, the Wicker Bar is in this sort of swanky hotel, the Seton Hotel.

The bar often features Tina and Janine, who sing silly songs in French and English. Holden recalls that they are not very talented, but that everyone in the bar gets all excited about the duo. The thought of their phoniness, naturally, bothers Holden.

Holden arrives at the Wicker Bar early and manages to find a seat even though it is crowded. It was pretty early when I got there. I sat down at the bar--it was pretty crowded--and had a couple of Scotch and sodas before old Luce even showed up.

Carl Luce Carl arrives and begins to drink. Old Luce. What a guy. He was supposed to be my Student Adviser when I was at Whooton.

The only thing he ever did, though, was give these sex talks and all, late at night when there was a bunch of guys in his room. He knew quite a bit about sex, especially perverts and all. He was always telling us about a lot of creepy guys that go around having affairs with sheep, and guys that go around with girls' pants sewed in the lining of their hats and all.

Luce seems bored and anxious to leave Luce seems bored and anxious to leave. At several points in the conversation, he tells Holden to grow up and quit being so childish. Holden persists in talking about sex even though Carl seems uninterested. Once again, as with Sally, Holden grows excited while talking and has to be told to lower his volume.

When Carl is ready to leave, Holden pleads with him to stay a little longer. Carl, however, has had enough of Holden. As he departs he suggests that Holden should be psychoanalyzed.

Holden remains at the Wicker Bar, getting drunk Holden remains at the Wicker Bar, getting drunk. A singer named Valencia is performing. Holden prefers Valencia to Tina and Janine and asks the headwaiter to invite her to join him for a drink. Either the waiter does not give her the message or she is not interested, because she exits quickly when her act is finished.

In his drunken stupor, Holden begins once again to pretend he is wounded in the stomach; he keeps putting his hand under his jacket to prevent the bleeding. “Boy, I sat at that goddam bar till around one o'clock or so, getting drunk as a bastard.” “I could hardly see straight.”

Finally what I felt like, I felt like giving old Jane a buzz and see if she was home yet. So I paid my check and all. Then I left the bar and went out where the telephones were. I kept keeping my hand under my jacket to keep the blood from dripping. Boy, was I drunk.

But when I got inside this phone booth, I wasn't much in the mood any more to give old Jane a buzz. I was too drunk, I guess. So what I did, I gave old Sally Hayes a buzz. I had to dial about twenty numbers before I got the right one. Boy, was I blind.

Sally is not pleased with his phone call in the middle of the night and, realizing he is drunk, tells him to go home and go to bed. Before leaving the bar, Holden soaks his head in a basin full of cold water to sober up..

Once outside, Holden starts walking toward Central Park to see for himself whether the ducks are safely taken care of. “So what I did, I started walking over to the park. I figured I'd go by that little lake and see what the hell the ducks were doing, see if they were around or not, I still didn't know if they were around or not.”

“It wasn't far over to the park, and I didn't have anyplace else special to go to--I didn't even know where I was going to sleep yet--so I went. I wasn't tired or anything.” “I just felt blue as hell.”

He has some trouble finding the duck pond, even though he knows this part of the park very well. When he finally reaches the lagoon, the ducks are gone, which makes Holden think about death. He decides he wants to see Phoebe and makes his way towards home.

I started thinking how old Phoebe would feel if I got pneumonia and died. It was a childish way to think, but I couldn't stop myself. She'd feel pretty bad if something like that happened. She likes me a lot. I mean she's quite fond of me. She really is.

Anyway, I couldn't get that off my mind, so finally what I figured I'd do, I figured I'd better sneak home and see her, in case I died and all. I had my door key with me and all, and I figured what I'd do, I'd sneak in the apartment, very quiet and all, and just sort of chew the fat with her for a while.

The only thing that worried me was our front door. It creaks like a bastard. It's a pretty old apartment house, and the superintendent's a lazy bastard, and everything creaks and squeaks. I was afraid my parents might hear me sneaking in. But I decided I'd try it anyhow.

So I got the hell out of the park, and went home. I walked all the way. It wasn't too far, and I wasn't tired or even drunk any more. It was just very cold and nobody around anywhere.

Holden arrives at the apartment building and believes he has had "the best break in years" because the elevator boy is a substitute who does not recognize him. Holden makes up a silly lie, which ends up confusing the elevator boy enough that he lets Holden up without asking too many questions.

I told him, in this very casual voice, to take me up to the Dicksteins'. The Dicksteins were these people that had the other apartment on our floor. He had the elevator doors all shut and all, and was all set to take me up, and then he turned around and said, "They ain't in. They're at a party on the fourteenth floor."

"That's all right," I said. "I'm supposed to wait for them "That's all right," I said. "I'm supposed to wait for them. I'm their nephew." He gave me this sort of stupid, suspicious look. "You better wait in the lobby, fella," he said. "I'd like to--I really would," I said. "But I have a bad leg. I have to hold it in a certain position. I think I'd better sit down in the chair outside their door."

I got off at our floor--limping like a bastard--and started walking over toward the Dicksteins' side. Then, when I heard the elevator doors shut, I turned around and went over to our side. I was doing all right. I didn't even feel drunk anymore.

Then I took out my door key and opened our door, quiet as hell. Then, very, very carefully and all, I went inside and closed the door. I really should've been a crook.

Holden makes a tiptoed journey through the apartment to Phoebe’s room. When she is not in her bed, Holden remembers that she sometimes sleeps in D.B.’s room. She doesn't like her own room because it's too little, she says. She says she likes to spread out. That kills me.

He finds her sleeping soundly and watches for awhile. Before he wakes her, Holden sits down at the desk and reads one of her school notebooks.

Then, finally, I woke her up. I mean I couldn't sit there on that desk for the rest of my life, and besides, I was afraid my parents might barge in on me all of a sudden and I wanted to at least say hello to her before they did. So I woke her up.

As expected, Phoebe is thrilled to see him. She tells him about all the recent happenings in her life. Holden listens with a great deal of care and affection and is happy just to be with her.

She tells Holden their parents are at a party in Connecticut and will not be home until late. Suddenly she realizes Holden is home from Pencey earlier than he should be and asks if he has been kicked out again. Holden tries to lie his way out of the situation, but Phoebe sees through him and gets upset. She covers her head with a pillow and refuses to talk to him.