Society vs. the Individual Often blamed for being the root of all problems, society presents itself as an easy target for criticism. Far too frequently, the overarching and vaguely defined term becomes a scapegoat for individuals to place responsibility upon. Most recently, modern society has been accused of being dishonest, superficial, and image-oriented. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, these concepts are all encompassed under the same theme: phoniness. Salinger’s bitter and dejected narrator, Holden Caulfield, displays a recurring contempt for those who engage in what he considers to be phony behaviors. Salinger first begins by utilizing Holden’s cynicism as a tool to point out the faults within America’s post-World War II society, …show more content…
This reveal of Holden’s hypocrisy ultimately challenges the concept that society itself is solely at fault and forces individuals to reconsider their own role in the creation of a phony society. From the very get-go, Holden is clear about his resentment for those around him that he considers to be “phonies”. His primary argument for leaving his boarding school is that he was constantly “surrounded by phonies,” with the headmaster being “the phoniest bastard [he] ever met” (Salinger 14). Holden’s reasoning for labeling the headmaster as such comes from the fact that “He’d be charming as hell and all. Except if some boy had little old funny-looking parents” (14). Holden resents the conformity that is demanded of him and his peers. To him, the headmaster’s prejudice in regards to appearance is just one of many examples of the shallowness and dishonesty in …show more content…
In fact, he even boasts that he is “the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life” (16). This is shown to be a talent he takes advantage of frequently. \In one instance, he lies to a classmate’s mother for no apparent reason other than his own enjoyment. At one point he even remarks with pride, “you should’ve seen her. I had her glued to her seat” (56). For someone who despises fake and dishonest behavior, Holden seems shockingly willing to play with someone else’s mind through lies and deception. He even admits how terrible his lying habit can be, claiming “I started reading this timetable I had in my pocket. Just to stop lying. Once I get started, I can go on for hours” (58). This entire exchange seems to contradict with the contempt Holden holds for the dishonesty he sees in many other characters throughout the novel. Holden’s phony behavior continues further. Later on, he displays behavior towards three women at a bar that is in direct conflict with his previous resentment of his headmaster’s superficial judgement of people’s appearance. Holden crudely remarks “I started giving the three witches at the next table the eye again. That is, the blonde one. The other two were strictly from hunger” (70). He berates the headmaster for prejudice against people for their appearance, then turns around and just as bluntly assesses
Since Holden was isolated from his family, in order to not get hurt again he tries to find hypocrisy in people to stop himself from trusting others. Holden feels isolated after being sent to a boarding school that “was full of phonies” by his parents (Salinger 90). Salinger’s message to the audience with this quote is that when
In the novel Holden is what you would call an unreliable narrator. The definition of unreliable is - a person or thing that cannot be counted on or trusted. You cannot trust Holden if you know that he lies all the time. Since the reader knows that he is a habitual liar you may never know the difference from when he is telling the truth or when he is telling another one of his stories. Holden goes in and out of mental lapses throughout the novel that affected his mind and psychological state greatly.
If you were to witness something corrupt, what would you do? Would you try to stop it? Or would you just look the other way and pretend it was not there? In today’s society, corruption is almost everywhere, and too often, people just look the other way, allowing it to continue. In writing The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger attempts to show people the evils of a corrupt society, and how it can harm anyone. He does this through Holden’s experiences at Pencey and in NYC, as well as the uncertainty and confusion that Holden feels about sex.
He also exhibits honesty; as a child, he chopped a cherry tree by accident but confessed and told the truth when asked by his father. Now, let’s view at Holden and see how he fits in when compared to one of the most known hero of the United States. Holden lacks honesty as he confesses to the reader how, he’s the “most terrific liar” (16). Another clear example is when Holden talks to Ernie’s mother at the train station. From when they first met, Holden already lied by telling her that his name was Rudolf Schmidt, an obvious phony lie.
Holden often talked about how phony people in his life were, however, he was also a phony, which made him a hypocrite. Holden would often mention things he hated that someone did, but sooner or later Holden was guilty of doing the exact same thing. In chapter one Holden is hypocritical towards his older brother, D.B. He says “Now he’s out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute.”(Salinger
J. D. Salinger's notable and esteemed novel, Catcher in the Rye, reflects the hypercritical views of a troubled teenager, Holden Caulfield, towards everyone around him and society itself. This character has a distinguished vision of a world where morality, principles, intelligence, purity, and naivety should override money, sex, and power, but clearly in the world he inhabits these qualities have been exiled. Holder desperately clings to and regards innocence as one of the most important virtues a person can have. However, he son becomes a misfit since society is corrupted and he yearns for companionship, any kind of connection with another to feel whole and understood again. Ironically, despite his persistent belittling and denouncing of others, he does not apply the same critical and harsh views on himself.
The world today is very deceptive and phony. J.D. Salinger’s well known novels, The Catcher in the Rye and Franny and Zooey attack this fake and superficial society which is evident through the lives, ideas, actions, and words expressed by the characters in these literary pieces. The transition from childhood, through adolescence and into adulthood is inevitable. The protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield goes through this stage and finds himself in a crisis. He alienates himself from everyone who is around him and tries his best not to grow up. Holden often dwells upon his childhood and the life he had with his family. Franny in Franny and Zooey has already passed this stage but finds it difficult to live in a world where everyone she is surrounded by is only concerned with outward appearances. In these worlds, both characters, Holden and Franny, reveal their struggle of growing up and trying to live as an adult in a world full of deception and shallow-minded people who only care about appearances.
Society finds it easier to hide behind lies than to proudly display the truth. In The Catcher in the Rye, through the eyes of the troubled teenager Holden Caulfield, J.D Salinger explores the shallowness behind the “phonies,” who pretend to be someone different with others, creating an image that protects them from the discomforts of shame and guilt. The phonies that Holden obsesses over reflect society’s need to create a false appearance to please and charm, a “mask” that disguises the phonies’ true feelings.
Holden complains about his classmates to Sally Hayes that, “It’s full of phonies, [...] everybody sticks together in these dirty little g***** cliques” (147). Holden thinks of himself as the one in a million person who can see past the phoniness of people and knows the true soul of people. He thinks that people are too blinded by their cliques to notice anything that he refers to as phony. Because Holden has convinced himself that he is the only one who can see through the people he calls “phonies”, he feels that he is superior to everyone else. Furthermore, Holden complains about distractions that the phonies talk about, such as girls and liquor.
Throughout “The Catcher in The Rye” Salinger explores the idea phoniness through Holden’s perspective. His perspective on phoniness revolves around a person who is not true to themselves to impress people, therefore they hide their identity and true personality. As I begin to learn about Holden’s character, I observed that he is drawn to individuals who are transparent based off the way they act. In the beginning of Catcher in The Rye Holden tells the reader that he doesn’t like many people at school, however he enjoys the company of the headmaster's daughter. Holden states that “I liked her. She had a big nose and her nails were all bitten down and bleedy-looking and she had on those damn falsies that point all over the place, but you felt
J.D. Salinger's novel Catcher in the Rye revolves around Holden's encounters with other people. He divides all people into two different categories, the "phonies" and the authentics. Holden refers to a "phony" as someone who discriminates against others, is a hypocrite, or has manifestations of conformity. A person's age, gender, and occupation, play a key role in how Holden interacts with them.
Compulsive lying is another characteristic that Holden exhibits. Holden would tell people lies just so they could not become closer to the real Holden. Holden tells lies on numerous occasions to gain. Holden pathetically tells Mrs. Morrow, " I have to have a tiny operation… it isn't very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on my brain" (58). She tells Holden that she is very sorry and she is hopeful that he shall be well soon. Holden then catches him self in a lie and he remarkes, "Once I get started, I can go on for hours if I feel like it," (58). This compulsive lying shows that Holden is not satisfied with himself and that he feels that people will judge him critically.
Holden's idealism is first brought forth when he describes his life at Pency Prep. It is full of phonies, morons and bastards. His roommate, Stradlater, " was at least a pretty friendly guy, It was partly a phony kind of friendly..." (26) and his other roommate, Ackley is "a very nosy bastard" (33). Holden can't stand to be around either one of them for a very long time. Later, he gets into a fight with Stradlater over his date with Jane. Holden is upset because he thinks that Stradlater "gave her the time" and that he doesn't care about her; 'the reason he didn't care was because he was a goddam stupid moron. All morons hate it when you call them a moron' (44). Holden not only sees his roommates as phonies and bastards, but he also sees his headmaster at Pency Prep as a "phony slob" (3). This type of person is exactly what Holden doesn't want to be. He strives to be a mature adult; caring, compassionate, and sensitive.
Judging others is a natural characteristic for humans, but many take it too far. From sharing their opinion when unnecessary to making rude comments towards another with no lack of remorse, people fail to realize the effects that judging others can have on their behavior and emotions. Holden Caulfield, from J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, underscores this concept. Throughout Salinger’s novel, the reader obtains the conclusion that Holden is extremely judgmental of those around him. Holden’s critique of others is a defense mechanism based on fear because he feels judged by the adult world that surrounds him; he in turn pushes his feelings upon other people to justify his own thoughts, hiding behind a “phony” exterior that he has created to deflect the criticism he feels from others.
Many of the times that Holden criticizes people, it is something he does himself. (Pg 13) “. one of the reasons I left Elkton was that I was surrounded by phonies.” Holden himself is many times what he refers to as a “phony”. He knows that he lies and pretends to like people that he would rather not be with.