Chapter 11

Holden leaves the Lavender room and waits aimlessly on a chair in the lobby of the Edmont Hotel. Once again, he reminisces about his time with Jane. He thinks of the time he met her: his mother had complained to Jane’s mom about the Gallaghers’ doberman who was in the habit of relieving himself in their yard. Jane was at the swimming pool, and Holden, on seeing her, had said hello, but she’d ignored him. In a bid to get her attention, Holden had brazenly told his mother that he couldn’t care even if the dog relieved himself in the drawing room.

Jane and Holden quickly became friends . They would go to the movies and play checkers often. Once when she broke down in tears due to something her step-father had done, Holden kissed her all over her face to console her. Holden’s preoccupation with Jane shows that he still has feelings for her and could still be in love with her.

Holden decides to go to Ernie’s, a club in Greenwich Village. He was first taken to the club by his elder brother, D.B. Holden had Ernie play the piano, and though he thought Ernie was good, Holden couldn’t help but feel that the pianist was also snobbish.