The Catcher in the Rye Group

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badminton
badminton
Student

In Chapter 11 of "The Catcher in the Rye, why does Jane start crying? What does Holden do about it?

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Posted by badminton on Tuesday September 23, 2008 at 10:59 AM and tagged with characters, holden, jane, plot, the catcher in the rye.

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  1. ms-mcgregor Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Jane was upset because her stepfather was abusing her. Holden's reaction was to sit next to her and put his arm around her. But instead of just comforting her, he begins to kiss her all over her face. He confuses lust with sympathy. This could have been one of Holden's first chances at real, not just sexual, intimacy, but Holden is obviously not ready for this. Ironically, he sees the same kind of approach when he witnesses a Yale-looking guy telling a girl about a suicide of a friend while trying to grope her under the table. He's appalled by the guy's behavior but doesn't seem to connect it to his own.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/catcher
    http://www.enotes.com/catcher/chapter-11-summary-analysis
    http://www.enotes.com/catcher/characters

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    Posted by ms-mcgregor on Tuesday September 23, 2008 at 11:24 AM