ryelden returns Grand Central Station. He decides to sleep on one of the benches in the waiting room because he has nowhere else to go. He wakes around nine, as the hustle and bustle of the working day begins. He thinks about the night before and the incident with Mr.
Antolini; he wonders if he has misinterpreted Antolinis touch. Disturbed by these though, he tries to think of something else. He reads a magazine someone has left behind. It is some kind of health magazine, however, and Holden gets more depressed, certain he has cancer and is dying.
Holden decides to go out and buy himself an inexpensive breakfast. He does not want to spend too much of Phoebes money. Since his stomach is upset, he just drinks coffee. He leaves the train station and walks out to Fifth Avenue. All around him, people seem to be in the Christmas spirit, which is depressing to Holden. He begins to imagine he is disappearing, becoming invisible.
He thinks the distance it takes to cross the street keeps growing and fears he will never reach the other side; it is like a death dream. He then begins to talk to his dead brother, asking him to help him cross the street. Each time Holden makes it across another street, he thanks Allie. After a while, Holden sits down on a bench to formulate a plan of action. He decides he will hitchhike “way out west”. However, he decides to meet Phoebe one last time and say good-bye.
He goes to her school and delivers a note asking her to meet him in the Metropolitan Museum of Art for lunch. Since he has nothing else to do, he goes to the museum to wait. While Holden waits, he meets two young boys and helps them locate the display of Egyptian mummies. The tomb-like structure makes Holden ill, and he goes to the bathroom and faints.
Once he revives, he goes out to wait for Phoebe. She is twenty minutes late, but she is no longer mad. In fact, she shows up with a suitcase, announcing her intention to go with Holden. He scolds her and tells her no, which makes her sulk. Finally, Holden convinces her he will not leave. He takes her to the zoo, and they end up at the carousel.
Holden watches as she rides the carousel over and over, bringing the action of the novel to an end. Words/ Pages : 420 / 24
