The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 13 Summary & Analysis

Holden’s feelings of cowardliness reflect his low self-esteem. While he doesn’t necessarily always hold himself to as high a standard as he holds other people in his life, this doesn’t mean that he has particularly good self-esteem. To that end, it becomes apparent in this moment that he tends to beat himself up for failing to behave in certain ways.

In addition to the fact that Holden’s impulse to get drunk is an unhealthy way to deal with depression, it spotlights his escapist attitude. Rather than actually reflecting upon what’s bothering him, he wants to run away from his problems by getting drunk—a naïve idea, since turning to alcohol does nothing to actually address a person’s problems and, in some cases, can exacerbate feelings of depression. Preparing to step into the adult world of a New York City bar, he suddenly loses his nerve when he sees two haggard men stumble outside. That he decides to turn away after seeing this only indicates once more that he’s not quite ready or mature enough to enter certain adult situations.

Holden’s treatment of women is a bit confusing, since he approaches his romantic relationships with a mixture of condescending misogyny and—surprisingly—respect. On one hand, he doesn’t want to do anything with a woman if she doesn’t want to, setting him apart from people like Stradlater, who focus solely on their own physical desires. On the other hand, though, Holden says he doesn’t pressure women into having sex with him because he thinks they’re “dumb.” This is most likely an attempt to feel superior to his dates so that he doesn’t have to admit to himself that he’s intimidated by the prospect of having sex. Indeed, Holden thinks of himself as a “sex maniac,” but he hasn’t even lost his virginity. In an attempt to preserve his self-image as a mature adult, then, he condescendingly suggests that the reason he hasn’t had sex is because he feels so much more intelligent than his dates.

It is unsurprising that Holden doesn’t go through with his plan to have sex with a prostitute, since it’s clear that he’s quite nervous about engaging in sexual intercourse, which is a significant right of passage into adulthood. Even though he constantly postures as an adult, the truth of the matter is that he’s only a teenager yearning for a sense of acceptance and connection. If he can’t bring himself to have sex with somebody he knows, it’s extraordinarily unlikely that he’ll be able to convince himself to have sex with a prostitute, since this experience would no doubt be overwhelming to a young person who’s never become so intimate with another person. Furthermore, the lack of connection between Sunny and Holden emphasizes Holden’s overall loneliness, which is why he asks if she simply wants to talk. When she makes it clear that she’s uninterested in doing this, though, he finally lies and says he can’t have sex because he had an operation on his “clavichord,” which, despite what he says, is a small stringed keyboard popular in the Late Middle Ages.

Holden agreed to have Maurice send a prostitute to his room because he was feeling lonely. Unfortunately, though, his time with Sunny has only emphasized the extent to which he feels alienated from his surroundings, since he can’t seem to connect with her on the level he wants (to be fair, this is because his attempts at conversation are out of place in this particular situation).