Character Analysis Of Jane In Catcher In The Rye

When thinking of Jane Gallagher, one of the few people Holden does not refer to as a phony, he recalls her childhood. He valued her quirks as well, remembering fondly how she kept all her kings in the back row. His relationship with her was, for the most part, strictly platonic. Holden says, “ You don’t always have to get too sexy to get to know a girl” (Salinger, 99). When Holden learns Stradlater, a peer, is taking Jane out on a date, he feels threatened and apprehensive, worried that he may try something with Jane. Holden values Jane’s charm and innocence and does not want to see a boy like Stradlater take advantage of her good nature. His relationship with Jane is rather complicated, because he actually likes her and not just her looks,
He wants to call people such as Jane Gallagher but never does go through with it. Instead, he calls people whom he knows will provide lighthearted entertainment if not engaging conversation. Another example of Holden’s indecisiveness is Sunny the prostitute. Holden hires her and thinks of the interaction as practice for him, but realizes he cannot go through with this. The confidence he had before, when he ordered Sunny, vanishes and his immaturity and uncertainty reappears. To go through with this encounter would almost certainly label Holden as a phony himself. He comes to learn that he wants something more than this meaningless physical interaction, and partaking in it will leave him even more empty and drained than before. As Holden says, “I felt much more depressed than sexy” (Salinger, 123). Sunny, the prostitute, represents a child who has lost her innocence. Even her green dress itself is a symbol; green being the color of youth and life. Sunny has fallen off of the cliff into adulthood and there is no way for Holden to catch her and preserve her purity. The cliff represents the bleak pain of adulthood, and the children who fall off of it are stripped of their