Page 68 - Knighted_Issue2.0

goddam seaweed and crap that's in the ice. They got their pores open the whole time. That's
their nature, for Chris sake" (93). Horwitz frantically makes up an explanation that sounds
logical to him to avoid admitting that he does not have a basic understanding of the natural
world.

Holden is unresponsive: though he doubts Horwitz's explanation, he does not want to
upset him further. Though Holden attempts to socialize and seeks companionship, he is alienated
because of his concern for nature, a concern that has not crossed the mind of the cab driver and
other adults in the text. While Holden longs to understand the natural world, the "phony" adults
that he encounters are consumed in their daily routine, and Holden observes with disgust and
disappointment as most New York inhabitants are only concerned with money, sex, and
celebrities.

It is evident that Holden feels restless in the crowded, polluted streets of New York, and
fantasizes about escaping through interacting with the natural world. However, Central City Park
is his only access to nature, a park that is enclosed by an urban environment. On his way to the
lagoon, Holden notes: "It was lousy in the park. It wasn't too cold, but the sun still wasn't out,
and there didn't look like there was anything in the park except dog crap and globs of spit and
cigar butts from old men" (131). Holden believes that nature has therapeutic qualities, but as he
searches nature for the peace and comfort he longs for, he can only notice the careless stains that
humans have left in the park. Later, he admits to his friend, Sally: "I hate living in New York and
all. Taxicabs, and Madison Avenue buses, with the drivers and all always yelling at you" (145).
Glotfelty states: "contemporary psychologists [ ... ] are exploring the linkages between
environmental conditions and mental health, some regarding the modem' estrangement from
nature as the basis of our social and psychological ills" (xxi). New York, which is portrayed as a