This chapter is counted into a climax and a turning point of the novel. Due to the effect of alcohol and ignorance from Sally and the bar singer, Holden made himself of a fool with collapsing sense of security. When he was in the park, he was overwhelmed by depress and miserableness. Tape, ducks and pond triggered his depressing memory of his brother Allie’s death and the fear of his own funeral, thereby revealing the root of his previous manic behavior: Holden was troubled by unexplained disappearance and he was in deep anxiousness that all the things that were related to his pure, innocent childhood would suddenly vanish. This echoes one of the themes of this novel—adolescent confusion on the way to the adult world and the pain of growing up.
The migration of the ducks is most likely a symbol for Holden’s trauma from the death of his little brother, Allie, and to a lesser extent, the suicide of his old classmate, James Castle. The ducks always come back from migration, symbolizing that the trauma is only temporary. The ducks can also be understood in a different way: when the harsh winter comes, the ducks leave for somewhere warmer, and more hospitable. Holden is looking for a safe haven from the harsh and nasty world he lives in, and he wonders where he should go. No matter how it is interpreted, this symbol gives the reader a better understanding of Holden and how he thinks.
Later in the story this character stays late at a bar as well. Feeling the café as a refuge, he tries not to go home. He tells himself that he has insomnia, but this is just a cover for being lonely like the older man. Ironically, I related mostly to the young waiter. I feel that most people would not.
The young waiter is in a hurry to go home to his wife and is repulsed by the old and meaningless life of the old man. The older waiter identifies with this old man in that he also feels the despair of nothingness in his own life. The fact that the café is well lit is a powerful symbol in the story. Darkness can be a symbol of fear, loneliness, despair, and emptiness, while the light brings comfort and companionship. The light in the café is man-made or artificial and can be turned off; giving us the sense that it can only be a temporary and incomplete relief from the emptiness of the dark.
Lenehan's personal paralysis is that he lives a pitiful life but doesn't wish to. While Corley goes to meet the woman, Lenehan wanders around and decides to stop when he sees a sign for "Ginger Beer and Ginger Ale" in the window of a refreshment bar and lets his mind wander to thoughts of Corley and the woman and afterwards states, "He would be thirty-one in November. Would he ever get a good job? Would he never have a home of his own?" with this Joyce paints the picture of poverty in Dublin and tells the reader how Lenehan has zero hope for his future.
Elements of fiction like irony, symbolism and point of view play an important role in revealing Sam's conflict with his own life and the resolution he comes to at the end in Karas' short story. The different uses of irony in this story include verbal irony and most often, attitudinal irony. Verbal irony occurs when someone says the opposite of what they mean. For example, while Irene is in Philly visiting her sister and the new baby, Sam tells her that he's going to a movie, when in fact, Sam is going to the bar with Billy. He ends up having a terrible night, drinks too much and isn't having as much fun as he thought he would.
When Iona attempts to inform him of his grief, the officer does not pay attention. They reach their destination and the old man gets new customers, three young men. The young men are obnoxious and rowdy. They pay Iona an unfair fare for the ride. When the old man attempts to inform them of his son’s death, one of the young men rubbishes Iona’s words.
The young waiter with a wife waiting at home, begins to taps his foot for the man to leave so he can close the shop for the night. An older waiter contradicts the idea of closing, because the young waiter should be considerate of others desires and despairs. Like the deaf man, the older waiter is one who can’t sleep at night and causes them to be at war with themselves. The young, selfish waiter begins to wipe the table down with a rag, and proclaimed that the café was closed. The old man gets up, makes his way out the door, and down the street unsteadily.
He kept things to himself, and was secretive about what was going on in his mind. While in the airport, “another gust of nausea gathered about Muhammad Atta, like a host of tiny myrmidons. He waited for them to move on, but they did not do so, and, instead, coagulated in his craw. Muhammad Atta went to the men's room and released a fathom of bilious green. He was still wiping his foul mouth as he walked out on to the tarmac and climbed the trembling metal steps.” He knew what he was doing was wrong, and because of that his stomach turned and he was feeling ill.
The story ends abruptly; with Doreen telling everybody that he is a salesman. The total lack of benevolence between husband and wife are clearly seen straight away: “What are you doing here? Doreen said when she saw him sitting there” and later she says: “Don’t talk to me now. I’m busy.” Earl is very embarrassed when two men in business suits start talking about his wife’s weight. He then sits quietly and hopes the two men won’t see the connection between him and his wife, and that is also the reason for him not saying goodbye to his wife.