Throughout the work of J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, there is very little physical conflicts. The main character, Holden Caufield, finds disputes boring and doesn’t see the need for them, suggesting that his "yellowness" is part of the problem. However, the only violent act Holden is a part of is when his roommate, a fellow classmate he calls Stradlater, have an argument. The debate starts after the other boy insinuates that he slept with one of Holden's friends, a girl named Jane, who gets mentioned only a few chapters beforehand. There is a scarce amount of information given about her, other than she and Holden were neighbors so they would spend their summer days together, playing checkers and she would practice ballet for "two hours every day" while he watched. Ordinarily Holden seems detached from both society and social norms, so the thought of him starting a fight over a girl that he only acknowledges because Stradlater goes on a date with her comes as shock to the reader. …show more content…
This helps explain that not even Holden knows what happen fully and it also surprised him. Nevertheless, the brawl is in the same manner as a child fighting with an adult; Stradlater holding down Holden's arms as to not get hit, all the while Holden calls names and hollers insults. It's so unlike his character, the immaturity he conveys as well as the affection he carries so deeply for someone, that the scene sticks in the mind of the