The Catcher in the Rye: Carl Luce

Carl Luce is quite an interesting character in the novel The Catcher in the Rye. He only appears one time in the entire story, but the reader really gets to know him. He is a current student at Columbia, and he was Holden’s student advisor when they attended the Whooton School. He is supposedly three years older than Holden, which makes him about nineteen years old. One can assume that he is just a freshman in college. While at the Whooton School, Holden recalls Carl talking a lot about his sexual escapades. Holden recalls that he was very sexually active, and he loved to talk about it. He served as somewhat of a sex ed. teacher to all the boys on his floor at the Whooton School. Holden recalls that he would tell stories all the time about his recent girlfriend or sexual escapade, and all the boys would listen and laugh intently. I believe Holden liked him in that sort of big brother way. I do not think that he was so much of a role model, but he was more of just an older guy who guided a few kids. His appearance in the novel happens when Holden is looking for something to do, and he calls up old Carl Luce on the phone for a drink or something of that nature. Carl agrees after a while, and their meeting is set. They meet at some swanky bar and start drinking. Holden remembers how Carl talked about sex all the time at Whooton, so they shoot the breeze for a while, then Holden starts asking him some sex questions like they used to at Whooton. Carl is very annoyed by this, and he leaves the bar after a while of Holden’s harassment. Holden continues to get drunk at the bar anyway. This situation shows Carl’s new found maturity as he has entered college. This is something in which Holden does not have any of.