Throughout Catcher in the Rye, Holden often uses alcohol as a way to numb the input he gets from interacting with other people. Drinking also occurs when someone is being disrespectful to the people around them, connecting back to avoiding societal expectations.
One of the first times drinking is seen is when Holden is talking to Stradlater about Jane. He starts talking about her life when they were young, and he gets to her "booze hound" father and how he would "booze all the time... and run around the goddam house, naked" (Salinger 32).
This shows how disrespectful drinking makes someone. Jane's father would not be respectful enough to her family by not being decent, and he also avoided societal expectations by not wearing clothing like normal people in their society.
A bit later in the story, Holden is talking about dancers, and how if one is a "lousy dancer, the best thing to do is stay at the table and just get drunk with her" (Salinger 71). This shows that Holden's way of thinking is that if one does not wish to deal with a situation, it is best to drink. He shows that drinking for him is an escape.
One of the first times drinking is seen is when Holden is talking to Stradlater about Jane. He starts talking about her life when they were young, and he gets to her "booze hound" father and how he would "booze all the time... and run around the goddam house, naked" (Salinger 32).
This shows how disrespectful drinking makes someone. Jane's father would not be respectful enough to her family by not being decent, and he also avoided societal expectations by not wearing clothing like normal people in their society.
A bit later in the story, Holden is talking about dancers, and how if one is a "lousy dancer, the best thing to do is stay at the table and just get drunk with her" (Salinger 71). This shows that Holden's way of thinking is that if one does not wish to deal with a situation, it is best to drink. He shows that drinking for him is an escape.