Examples Of Phony In Catcher In The Rye

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The novel unearths the falsity of society, showing how phony it truly is, by using the principal of Pencey Prep, Mr. Haas. He is a perfect embodiment of Salinger’s idea of what it means to be insincere because Salinger displays society’s willingness to go against common morals to fit into societal norms. Just as Holden calls everyone a phony, in reality he sees society as phony. Holden says, “One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies. That's all. They were coming in the goddam window. For instance, they had this headmaster, Mr. Haas, that was the phoniest bastard I ever met in my life” (Insert Page). Salinger specifies that the headmaster would target the “fat and ugly” parents, greet them in a very bogus and superficial manner, and …show more content…

Holden’s understanding of sexual interactions corrupts his mind and innocence, depicting society’s corruptness and effect on people. By Holden hiring and then rejecting Sunny because of his fear of potentially corrupting his innocence, Salinger shows the pressure society unintentionally places on people through sexual experiences. Holden says, “It was a funny thing to say. It sounded like a real kid. You'd think a prostitute and all would say "Like hell you are" or "Cut the crap" instead of "Like fun you are"(Insert Page). Holden’s realization of this illustrates his ability to find the innocence in anyone, even a corrupting prostitute like Sunny. Holden assumes that Sunny also uses vigorous language as he does. Therefore, Holden’s inability to comprehend Sunny and by making assumptions about what her vocabulary would be based on her profession, shows how sexual involvement can corrupt people, leading them to make false accusations. Overall, corruption is powerful and can be manipulative and harmful, as it was in Holden’s interaction with

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