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She's Out Past Curfew!
Stradlater tells Holden that he got Jane back late from their date. Holden reacts by eventually beating up Stradlater. If it weren't obvious already through Holden's constant talk of Jane that he really likes her, this seals it. Holden seems to admire Stradlater's ways with women, but apparently not when it comes to Jane. We can clearly see that Holden cannot handle the thought of Jane being with someone else, illustrating his jealousy of Stradlater as well as his real feelings for Jane. -
Swinging on the Porch
When Holden worries about Jane's stepfather's behavior toward her, he "consoles" her by kissing her everywhere but her mouth. However, we learn that Holden is "practically sitting on her lap," and that Jane "wouldn't let" Holden kiss her lips. So, really, it's not that Holden is being a gentleman here; rather, he seems to want to do more with Jane, but she is the one holding him back. Perhaps Holden doesn't have the respect for women he claims to, since Jane is the one keeping things platonic. -
*CLICK*
Finally, Holden calls Jane, but before she can get on the phone, he hangs up. Nerves? Maybe. What we really see here, however, is that Holden needs to keep the past exactly as it was. To talk to Jane now would risk knowing something he may not want to know. Maybe he will find out she doesn't like him, or he will learn that she and Stradlater were intimate. Holden isn't afraid of Jane, per se; he is afraid of things in his past changing. When they change, he loses them, and he's lost too much..
