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Who Is Jane In Catcher In The Rye

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Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is searching for a girlfriend. He tries to set-up a date with several girls throughout the story, but, it never seems like he actually is trying his hardest to connect with them. This is because Jane is the girl of his dreams and the only one that he truly wants to be with but even he may not know it. Holden was very good friends with Jane Gallagher, although he never truly expressed his feelings. When Holden tried to connect with several girls throughout the book from Faith Cavendish to the hat-checker girl from the bar, he either fails horribly or he does not give it everything he has got to make his relationship with the girl work. Lastly, although Jane is a character in the book that never actually appears, she is consistently mentioned throughout the book more often than some of the main characters. These facts can all be backed up with evidence from Edgar Branch’s, Hans Bungert’s, Sara Lewis’, and Gerald …show more content…

“The recurring image of Jane Gallagher, an old friend who needs love and whom he he loves with strange unawareness.” (Branch 144) This quote shows that Jane is someone that even though she never comes across Holden’s path during the book, she is always on his mind. Also, the quote proves that Holden is in love with but does not quite know it yet. Holden loves Jane Gallagher but does not know it until he begins to narrate this story. “Among the girls of his acquaintance only Jane Gallagher has the inherent prerequisites for a genuine partnership. In the past Holden had experienced happy moments of spiritual harmony, of wordless understanding, with her.” (Bungert 208) This quote also shows that Jane was the only one that he was able to connect with. Jane Gallagher was always on his mind, as she was the only one that meant something to

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