 In 1942 , Salinger started dating Oona O 'Neill , daughter of the playwright Eugene O 'Neill . Despite finding the debutante self @-@ absorbed ( he confided to a friend that " Little Oona 's hopelessly in love with little Oona " ) , he called her often and wrote her long letters . Their relationship ended when Oona began seeing Charlie Chaplin , whom she eventually married . In late 1941 , Salinger briefly worked on a Caribbean cruise ship , serving as an activity director and possibly as a performer . 
