In bed that night I invented a special drain that would be underneath every pillow in New York, and would connect to the reservoir. Whenever people cried themselves to sleep, the tears would all go to the same place, and in the morning the weatherman could report if the water level of the Reservoir of Tears had gone up or down, and you could know if New York is in heavy boots.

Summary

This quote, said by the protagonist in the book "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, reflects the character's desire for a universal understanding of sadness and emotional anguish. The protagonist envisions a fictional drain system that would collect the tears of every New Yorker, providing a tangible measure of collective pain. This imaginative concept highlights the narrator's longing for emotional connection and empathy in a bustling city where individuals often feel isolated. Ultimately, the quote serves as a metaphor for the protagonist's yearning for a world in which emotional struggles are acknowledged and shared.

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