Original artwork, not a still
The Catcher in the Rye • 1951
She looked nice, smoking. She inhaled and all, but she didn't wolf the smoke down, the way most women around her age do. She had a lot of charm. She had quite a lot of sex appeal, too, if you really want to know.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The narrator admires a woman’s manner of smoking and connects it with her charm and sexual appeal. Their comparison with other women reveals a personal judgment rather than an objective measure of elegance. The added confession of attraction makes clear that the description is coloured by desire.
Context reviewed
