After leaving the bar, where does Holden go first?

• A. He goes to a phone booth to call Sally Hayes
• B. He goes to Central Park to the duck pond
• C. He goes home to his hotel room
• D. He goes to Mr. Antolini's apartment

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is Holden’s immediate need for human contact after a night of superficial socializing. The first thing he does after leaving the bar is go to a payphone to call Sally Hayes, hoping to set up a date. This shows how, in his loneliness, he reaches out to someone he knows in the hopes of finding connection and reassurance, even if the plan ends up being impulsive or disappointing.

Central Park’s duck pond comes later in the night as part of his wandering, not right after leaving the bar. Going home to his hotel room isn’t the next step because he’s already staying there, and Mr. Antolini’s apartment is something he doesn’t head to until later in the sequence. So the act of calling Sally Hayes is the immediate action Holden takes to seek companionship.