When tackling this question we must first recognize that
Holden is a lost, confused, and immature teenage boy.
Like
most everyone else in society, Holden sees women as phony. He believes they are only
interested in superficial materialism and image. For example, when Holden takes Sally on
a date, he is disgusted with her when she goes to talk to another boy. He assumes she
only does so because he is "ivy league":
readability="17">
Then all of a sudden, she saw some jerk she knew
on the other side of the lobby. Some guy in one of those very dark gray flannel suits
and one of those checkered vests. Strictly Ivy League. Big deal. He was standing next to
the wall, smoking himself to death and looking bored as hell. Old Sally kept saying, "I
know that boy from somewhere." [...] The jerk noticed her and came over and said hello.
You should've seen the way they said hello. You'd have thought they hadn't seen each
other in twenty years. You'd have thought they'd taken baths in the same bathtub or
something when they were little kids. Old buddyroos. It was nauseating. The funny part
was, they probably met each other just once, at some phony party [...] The worst part
was, the jerk had one of those very phony, Ivy League voices, one of those very tired,
snobby voices.
Holden
believes Sally's only motivation in going to talk to this boy is his social status. He
believes she is drawing attention to herself so other people in the room will see that
she is speaking to a desirable man.
This is just one of
many examples. You may also want to
consider:
- Holden's interactions with the 3 women
at the bar in chapter 9 - The beginning of chapter 17 as
Holden sits in the hotel lobby - His opinion of Sunny, the
prostitute in chapter 13 - Also, don't forget about Jane.
However, do note, she is the exception, not the
rule.
Hope this helps!
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