During one of Holden's cab rides in the city, he carries on a conversation with a taxi driver named Horwitz about where the ducks in the Central Park lagoon go in the winter. Holden wonders whether someone in a truck picks them up or if they actually fly south for the winter like he's been taught. The cab driver gets upset with Holden's question and tells him that he has no idea. He calls Holden's question stupid and proceeds to discuss what happens to the fish in the lagoon instead of the ducks. Horwitz also declines Holden's offer to have a drink with him and speeds away without answering Holden's question. The taxi cab and the driver's callous, defensive personality represent the adult world and emphasize Holden's loneliness. Similar to most adults, Horwitz dismisses Holden's concerns about life and refuses to give him a concrete answer. The fact that the taxicab is moving and transporting Holden throughout the city symbolically relates to Holden's life, which is only moving forward towards adulthood. Before Holden reaches his destination (adulthood), he seeks reassurance that everything will be alright. Unfortunately, Horwitz and the other callous adults Holden interacts with do not give him concrete answers or show him sympathy.