The girl Holden dates and argues with about the movies is Sally Hayes. She is a fashionable New York teenager whom Holden has known for some time and whose social confidence both attracts and irritates him.
Holden and Sally attend a Broadway show during his break in New York. He dislikes the production and mocks the actors, while Sally enjoys it and recognizes one of the performers. Their disagreement grows when Holden suddenly proposes that they run away together and live in the country. Sally rejects the idea as unrealistic, and Holden insults her by calling her a “royal pain.”
Sally is often confused with Jane Gallagher, Holden’s old friend and romantic fixation, or with Sunny, the sex worker Maurice sends to his hotel room. Neither is the girl in this date sequence. Sally’s role is important because the argument exposes Holden’s desire to escape adulthood while still craving companionship.