The Catcher in the Rye Group

Question:

klassic315
klassic315
Student
High School - 12th Grade

What is so terrible about the bell boy, and what does this have to do with Holden's character in The Catcher in the Rye?

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Posted by klassic315 on Thursday March 19, 2009 at 8:12 AM and tagged with catcher in the rye, character, holden, maurice, prostitute, the catcher in the rye.

Answers:


  1. afi80fl Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Maurice, the bell boy, was not what he seemed.  Rather than being a simple elevator operator, he had another operation underway... prostitution.  He offered Holden the opportunity to hire a prostitute for either an hour, or the evening.  Holden, uncomfortable with the situation, yet unwilling to say no and look young, agreed to hire the girl for an hour.

    However, once the prostitute came to Holden's room, he decided against actually using her for her purpose, and instead offered to talk.  She decided to leave, but came back later asking for the full night price.  He tried to state his case that he asked only for the hour, but when Maurice got involved, the situation became ugly very quickly.  Maurice "roughed him up" a bit, while the prostitute went into Holden's wallet and took the money that would cover the full night's services. 

    This shows that Holden has very weak character.  He should've never agreed to hire her, but was too much of a coward to say no.  His character was somewhat resolute when Maurice confronted him, but his fear showed through.  This just proves how incredibly weak Holden was emotionally and morally. 

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/catcher/summary

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    Posted by afi80fl on Thursday March 19, 2009 at 9:39 AM