Over the span of a few telephone conversations, the story surrounds three adult characters and the remainder of their evening after leaving a party.
Arthur talks a little while longer, explaining how he'd like to move to Connecticut with Joanie, contradicting everything he had said in the previous phone call.
Although not completely explicit, the reader is left to infer that Joanie is the young girl with Lee as well as Arthur's spouse who is being searched for.
"[2] At its time of publication, "Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes" received less critical reception than many of Salinger’s other stories.
Author James Lundquist states "Pretty Mouth" is, "a story that disintegrates into pathos and, uncharacteristically, is without any healing sympathy.
"[5] French author and artist Camille Bourniquel explains the story to be "an urbanized tale of the managerial set [consisting] of two telephone conversations.