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# Chapter 19 ## Overview This entity is Chapter 19 of a novel, identified by its sequential label and containing lines 3528 to 3725 of the source text. The chapter is part of the larger work preserved within the file [Rye.pdf](arke:01KFYRMP38MZY7WVH2Q0JN0CWH), and is included in the collection [More Classics](arke:01KFXT0KM64XT6K8W52TDEE0YS), which curates notable works of Western literature. The chapter is divided into five textual chunks for processing and analysis purposes. ## Context The chapter is narrated in the first person by Holden Caulfield, a teenage protagonist reflecting on his experiences in New York City after leaving boarding school. It takes place during an evening meeting at the Wicker Bar in the Seton Hotel, a setting Holden describes as pretentious and filled with "phonies." The narrative centers on Holden’s conversation with Mr. Luce, who was his student adviser at Whooton School. Luce, now attending Columbia University, is portrayed as intellectually aloof and emotionally distant, embodying the kind of adult sophistication Holden both mocks and seeks to understand. ## Contents The chapter details Holden’s critical observations of the bar’s atmosphere and patrons, including a flamboyant piano act and a bartender he considers snobbish. His interaction with Luce focuses on themes of sexuality, maturity, and emotional authenticity. Luce, who once gave sex education talks at Whooton, now dismisses Holden’s personal questions as immature. Holden expresses insecurity about his own emotional and sexual development, confessing his inability to engage intimately with someone he does not deeply care for. The conversation turns to psychoanalysis—Luce’s father is a psychoanalyst—and Holden tentatively considers seeking therapy. The chapter ends with Luce abruptly leaving for a date, underscoring the emotional disconnect between the two characters. Throughout, Holden’s voice blends cynicism, loneliness, and a yearning for genuine human connection.

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Chapter 19

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3377 19 3378 In case you don't live in New York, the Wicker Bar is in this sort of swanky hotel, 3379 the Seton Hotel. I used to go there quite a lot, but I don't any more. I gradually cut it out. 3380 It's one of those places that are supposed to be very sophisticated and all, and the phonies 3381 are coming in the window. They used to have these two French babes, Tina and Janine, 3382 come out and play the piano and sing about three times every night. One of them played 3383 the piano--strictly lousy--and the other one sang, and most of the songs were either pretty 3384 dirty or in French. The one that sang, old Janine, was always whispering into the goddam 3385 microphone before she sang. She'd say, "And now we like to geeve you our impression of 3386 Vooly Voo Fransay. Eet ees the story of a leetle Fransh girl who comes to a beeg ceety, 3387 just like New York, and falls een love wees a leetle boy from Brookleen. We hope you 3388 like eet." Then, when she was all done whispering and being cute as hell, she'd sing some 3389 dopey song, half in English and half in French, and drive all the phonies in the place mad 3390 with joy. If you sat around there long enough and heard all the phonies applauding and 3391 all, you got to hate everybody in the world, I swear you did. The bartender was a louse, 3392 too. He was a big snob. He didn't talk to you at all hardly unless you were a big shot or a 3393 celebrity or something. If you were a big shot or a celebrity or something, then he was 3394 even more nauseating. He'd go up to you and say, with this big charming smile, like he 3395 was a helluva swell guy if you knew him, "Well! How's Connecticut?" or "How's 3396 Florida?" It was a terrible place, I'm not kidding. I cut out going there entirely, gradually. 3397 It was pretty early when I got there. I sat down at the bar--it was pretty crowded-- 3398 and had a couple of Scotch and sodas before old Luce even showed up. I stood up when I 3399 ordered them so they could see how tall I was and all and not think I was a goddam 3400 minor. Then I watched the phonies for a while. Some guy next to me was snowing hell 3401 out of the babe he was with. He kept telling her she had aristocratic hands. That killed 3402 me. The other end of the bar was full of flits. They weren't too flitty-looking--I mean they 3403 didn't have their hair too long or anything--but you could tell they were flits anyway. 3404 Finally old Luce showed up. 3405 Old Luce. What a guy. He was supposed to be my Student Adviser when I was at 3406 Whooton. The only thing he ever did, though, was give these sex talks and all, late at 3407 night when there was a bunch of guys in his room. He knew quite a bit about sex, 3408 especially perverts and all. He was always telling us about a lot of creepy guys that go 3409 around having affairs with sheep, and guys that go around with girls' pants sewed in the 3410 lining of their hats and all. And flits and Lesbians. Old Luce knew who every flit and 3411 Lesbian in the United States was. All you had to do was mention somebody--anybody-- 3412 and old Luce'd tell you if he was a flit or not. Sometimes it was hard to believe, the <!-- [Page 77](arke:01KFYTAC8ADC3FTVBC23R7BP81) --> 3413 people he said were flits and Lesbians and all, movie actors and like that. Some of the 3414 ones he said were flits were even married, for God's sake. You'd keep saying to him, 3415 "You mean Joe Blow's a flit? Joe Blow? That big, tough guy that plays gangsters and 3416 cowboys all the time?" Old Luce'd say, "Certainly." He was always saying "Certainly." 3417 He said it didn't matter if a guy was married or not. He said half the married guys in the 3418 world were flits and didn't even know it. He said you could turn into one practically 3419 overnight, if you had all the traits and all. He used to scare the hell out of us. I kept 3420 waiting to turn into a flit or something. The funny thing about old Luce, I used to think he 3421 was sort of flitty himself, in a way. He was always saying, "Try this for size," and then 3422 he'd goose the hell out of you while you were going down the corridor. And whenever he 3423 went to the can, he always left the goddam door open and talked to you while you were 3424 brushing your teeth or something. That stuff's sort of flitty. It really is. I've known quite a 3425 few real flits, at schools and all, and they're always doing stuff like that, and that's why I 3426 always had my doubts about old Luce. He was a pretty intelligent guy, though. He really 3427 was. 3428 He never said hello or anything when he met you. The first thing he said when he 3429 sat down was that he could only stay a couple of minutes. He said he had a date. Then he 3430 ordered a dry Martini. He told the bartender to make it very dry, and no olive. 3431 "Hey, I got a flit for you," I told him. "At the end of the bar. Don't look now. I 3432 been saving him for ya." 3433 "Very funny," he said. "Same old Caulfield. When are you going to grow up?" 3434 I bored him a lot. I really did. He amused me, though. He was one of those guys 3435 that sort of amuse me a lot. 3436 "How's your sex life?" I asked him. He hated you to ask him stuff like that. 3437 "Relax," he said. "Just sit back and relax, for Chrissake." 3438 "I'm relaxed," I said. "How's Columbia? Ya like it?" 3439 "Certainly I like it. If I didn't like it I wouldn't have gone there," he said. He could 3440 be pretty boring himself sometimes. 3441 "What're you majoring in?" I asked him. "Perverts?" I was only horsing around. 3442 "What're you trying to be--funny?" 3443 "No. I'm only kidding," I said. "Listen, hey, Luce. You're one of these intellectual 3444 guys. I need your advice. I'm in a terrific--" 3445 He let out this big groan on me. "Listen, Caulfield. If you want to sit here and 3446 have a quiet, peaceful drink and a quiet, peaceful conver--" 3447 "All right, all right," I said. "Relax." You could tell he didn't feel like discussing 3448 anything serious with me. That's the trouble with these intellectual guys. They never want 3449 to discuss anything serious unless they feel like it. So all I did was, I started discussing 3450 topics in general with him. "No kidding, how's your sex life?" I asked him. "You still 3451 going around with that same babe you used to at Whooton? The one with the terrffic--" 3452 "Good God, no," he said. 3453 "How come? What happened to her?" 3454 "I haven't the faintest idea. For all I know, since you ask, she's probably the 3455 Whore of New Hampshire by this time." 3456 "That isn't nice. If she was decent enough to let you get sexy with her all the time, 3457 you at least shouldn't talk about her that way." <!-- [Page 78](arke:01KFYTAC6Z94H2KR0DC3YBTHRV) --> 3458 "Oh, God!" old Luce said. "Is this going to be a typical Caulfield conversation? I 3459 want to know right now." 3460 "No," I said, "but it isn't nice anyway. If she was decent and nice enough to let 3461 you--" 3462 "Must we pursue this horrible trend of thought?" 3463 I didn't say anything. I was sort of afraid he'd get up and leave on me if I didn't 3464 shut up. So all I did was, I ordered another drink. I felt like getting stinking drunk. 3465 "Who're you going around with now?" I asked him. "You feel like telling me?" 3466 "Nobody you know." 3467 "Yeah, but who? I might know her." 3468 "Girl lives in the Village. Sculptress. If you must know." 3469 "Yeah? No kidding? How old is she?" 3470 "I've never asked her, for God's sake." 3471 "Well, around how old?" 3472 "I should imagine she's in her late thirties," old Luce said. 3473 "In her late thirties? Yeah? You like that?" I asked him. "You like 'em that old?" 3474 The reason I was asking was because he really knew quite a bit about sex and all. He was 3475 one of the few guys I knew that did. He lost his virginity when he was only fourteen, in 3476 Nantucket. He really did. 3477 "I like a mature person, if that's what you mean. Certainly." 3478 "You do? Why? No kidding, they better for sex and all?" 3479 "Listen. Let's get one thing straight. I refuse to answer any typical Caulfield 3480 questions tonight. When in hell are you going to grow up?" 3481 I didn't say anything for a while. I let it drop for a while. Then old Luce ordered 3482 another Martini and told the bartender to make it a lot dryer. 3483 "Listen. How long you been going around with her, this sculpture babe?" I asked 3484 him. I was really interested. "Did you know her when you were at Whooton?" 3485 "Hardly. She just arrived in this country a few months ago." 3486 "She did? Where's she from?" 3487 "She happens to be from Shanghai." 3488 "No kidding! She Chinese, for Chrissake?" 3489 "Obviously." 3490 "No kidding! Do you like that? Her being Chinese?" 3491 "Obviously." 3492 "Why? I'd be interested to know--I really would." 3493 "I simply happen to find Eastern philosophy more satisfactory than Western. 3494 Since you ask." 3495 "You do? Wuddaya mean 'philosophy'? Ya mean sex and all? You mean it's better 3496 in China? That what you mean?" 3497 "Not necessarily in China, for God's sake. The East I said. Must we go on with 3498 this inane conversation?" 3499 "Listen, I'm serious," I said. "No kidding. Why's it better in the East?" 3500 "It's too involved to go into, for God's sake," old Luce said. "They simply happen 3501 to regard sex as both a physical and a spiritual experience. If you think I'm--" <!-- [Page 79](arke:01KFYTAC6P4AVDK2ESYNYKPSX6) --> 3502 "So do I! So do I regard it as a wuddayacallit--a physical and spiritual experience 3503 and all. I really do. But it depends on who the hell I'm doing it with. If I'm doing it with 3504 somebody I don't even--" 3505 "Not so loud, for God's sake, Caulfield. If you can't manage to keep your voice 3506 down, let's drop the whole--" 3507 "All right, but listen," I said. I was getting excited and I was talking a little too 3508 loud. Sometimes I talk a little loud when I get excited. "This is what I mean, though," I 3509 said. "I know it's supposed to be physical and spiritual, and artistic and all. But what I 3510 mean is, you can't do it with everybody--every girl you neck with and all--and make it 3511 come out that way. Can you?" 3512 "Let's drop it," old Luce said. "Do you mind?" 3513 "All right, but listen. Take you and this Chinese babe. What's so good about you 3514 two?" 3515 "Drop it, I said." 3516 I was getting a little too personal. I realize that. But that was one of the annoying 3517 things about Luce. When we were at Whooton, he'd make you describe the most personal 3518 stuff that happened to you, but if you started asking him questions about himself, he got 3519 sore. These intellectual guys don't like to have an intellectual conversation with you 3520 unless they're running the whole thing. They always want you to shut up when they shut 3521 up, and go back to your room when they go back to their room. When I was at Whooton 3522 old Luce used to hate it--you really could tell he did--when after he was finished giving 3523 his sex talk to a bunch of us in his room we stuck around and chewed the fat by ourselves 3524 for a while. I mean the other guys and myself. In somebody else's room. Old Luce hated 3525 that. He always wanted everybody to go back to their own room and shut up when he was 3526 finished being the big shot. The thing he was afraid of, he was afraid somebody'd say 3527 something smarter than he had. He really amused me. 3528 "Maybe I'll go to China. My sex life is lousy," I said. 3529 "Naturally. Your mind is immature." 3530 "It is. It really is. I know it," I said. "You know what the trouble with me is? I can 3531 never get really sexy--I mean really sexy--with a girl I don't like a lot. I mean I have to 3532 like her a lot. If I don't, I sort of lose my goddam desire for her and all. Boy, it really 3533 screws up my sex life something awful. My sex life stinks." 3534 "Naturally it does, for God's sake. I told you the last time I saw you what you 3535 need." 3536 "You mean to go to a psychoanalyst and all?" I said. That's what he'd told me I 3537 ought to do. His father was a psychoanalyst and all. 3538 "It's up to you, for God's sake. It's none of my goddam business what you do with 3539 your life." 3540 I didn't say anything for a while. I was thinking. 3541 "Supposing I went to your father and had him psychoanalyze me and all," I said. 3542 "What would he do to me? I mean what would he do to me?" 3543 "He wouldn't do a goddam thing to you. He'd simply talk to you, and you'd talk to 3544 him, for God's sake. For one thing, he'd help you to recognize the patterns of your mind." 3545 "The what?" <!-- [Page 80](arke:01KFYTAC8WVCTDGK4GKV35GC4T) --> 3546 "The patterns of your mind. Your mind runs in-- Listen. I'm not giving an 3547 elementary course in psychoanalysis. If you're interested, call him up and make an 3548 appointment. If you're not, don't. I couldn't care less, frankly." 3549 I put my hand on his shoulder. Boy, he amused me. "You're a real friendly 3550 bastard," I told him. "You know that?" 3551 He was looking at his wrist watch. "I have to tear," he said, and stood up. "Nice 3552 seeing you." He got the bartender and told him to bring him his check. 3553 "Hey," I said, just before he beat it. "Did your father ever psychoanalyze you?" 3554 "Me? Why do you ask?" 3555 "No reason. Did he, though? Has he?" 3556 "Not exactly. He's helped me to adjust myself to a certain extent, but an extensive 3557 analysis hasn't been necessary. Why do you ask?" 3558 "No reason. I was just wondering." 3559 "Well. Take it easy," he said. He was leaving his tip and all and he was starting to 3560 go. 3561 "Have just one more drink," I told him. "Please. I'm lonesome as hell. No 3562 kidding." 3563 He said he couldn't do it, though. He said he was late now, and then he left. 3564 Old Luce. He was strictly a pain in the ass, but he certainly had a good 3565 vocabulary. He had the largest vocabulary of any boy at Whooton when I was there. They 3566 gave us a test.

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