The Catcher In the Rye: Genuine or Phony? Essay

People need to read Catcher in the Rye at least once before they die. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is a book that takes the reader inside the head of Holden Caulfield, a depressed sixteen-year-old, who enters a strange series of adventures in New York City. Holden writes his story from a mental hospital in California, about how he was expelled from a fancy prep school, his experiences after spending a few days in NYC. The book has had critical success since its publication in 1951, selling sixty-five million total copies, after a splendid review from the New York Times. Catcher in the Rye is a great novel because of its subtle symbolism, amazing portrayal of Holden Caulfield and ends on a higher note than most people realize.

Through Holden’s critique of others, we see that he is strongly against people who are hypocritical, conceited, and who conform to society. Phonies are more interested in putting the best version of themselves out for people to see rather than being their true

Holden is the biggest hater of phonies, and at the same time, he is the biggest phony in the novel. In this novel, being phony is somewhat equivalent to being an adult. Holden wants to be seen like an adult. For this reason, he smokes and drinks heavily, and goes as far as being involved with prostitution. For people like Stradlater and adults, these are rather normal from their perspective. However, for Holden, they become paradoxes, as he absolutely loathes phoniness. Nearly all aspects of society, including movies, matinees, people’s behaviors, and even simple social interactions like conversations, are criticized by Holden for being phony. For example, during his date with Sally, Sally’s conversation with a guy they met at the matinee “killed [Holden]…it was the phoniest conversation you ever heard in your life” (Salinger 127). In a hope to make Sally understand his views on phonies, Holden says, “‘Take cars,’… ‘I don’t even like old cars. I mean they don’t even interest me. I’d rather have a goddam horse. A horse is at least human, for God’s sake’” (Salinger 130). Then again, Holden becomes the phoniest person shortly after. He asks Carl Luce,

The theme of phoniness, illustrated by J.D. Salinger is the key of a better understanding the story line as a whole. Phony or fake more often than not means not real and is mostly referred to some religions by non believers or sometimes even to people. J.D. Salinger has used the term "phony" in a very common manor. By the interpretation of common manor, many of the people at that time period suited to the style of Holden Caulfield's dialogues through J.D. Salinger. Salinger's view of phoniness may or may not even share a bond with most of the readers' experiences, because this theme is confronted in at least some kind of form or action in the life of all people on a daily bases. The way Salinger has set

He may still be a young boy but he is very independent and basically lives on his own for the entirety of the book, but his negative outlook transforms independence into isolation. He is incredibly lonely but also pushes people away when he has a chance to get close to them. Such as his date with Sally Hayes which was going very well until he pushed her away with his harsh words, “You give me a royal pain in the ass, if you want to know the truth” (Ch. 17 pg. 173). Just because Sally wouldn’t run away with him and be independent with him he pushed her away. Holden may think he wants to be free and independent but his negative outlook just feeds his loneliness and

  J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is a remarkable book that gives readers a unique and perhaps gloomy perspective of the 1950's through Holden Caulfield, a cynical and peculiar teenager. Through The Catcher in the Rye Salinger describes important aspects of the 1950's. Salinger emphasizes several key characteristics of the 50's and criticizes them through Holden. In addition, Holden Caulfield is a very interesting character with several traits that put him at odds with society.

Holden Caufield emphasizes on the loss of innocence in children. He feels that once they lose their innocence, they will soon turn into phonies like everyone else. The loss of innocence is very common in the development in human existence. It is caused by many factors. Past a certain age, children are either forced or led unintentionally into a pathway of corruption. A child is also known to lose their innocence by desires, fantasies, and attention. But once they lose their innocence, they tend to desire to go back and pretend to be young again. In the Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden discusses the importance of innocence in children's lives. He feels that once a child loses his/her innocence, he/she will soon be leaded to a

Lies, failure, depression, and loneliness are only some of the aspects that Holden Caulfield goes through in the novel The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger. Salinger reflects Holden’s character through his own childhood experiences. Salinger admitted in a 1953 interview that "My boyhood was very much the same as that of the boy in the book.… [I]t was a great relief telling people about it” (Wikipedia). Thus, the book is somewhat the life story of J.D. Salinger as a reckless seventeen-year-old who lives in New York City and goes through awful hardships after his expulsion and departure from an elite prep school. Holden, the protagonist in this novel, is created as a depressed, cynical, and isolated character and he

In The Catcher in The Rye by J.D Salinger, the main character Holden Caulfield is shown to be someone who is against society. Throughout the book he wants to isolate himself from the world and calls everything and everyone that he sees with words such as “phony”, “moron” or “too good”. Some could say that Holden just wishes the world would change to the way he wants it to be. However, there is evidence that Holden is a misfit and that he is the problem, not society. The evidence that supports this are his experience at school, his thoughts of the graffiti with vulgar words, and his red hunting hat.

     In life there comes a time when everyone thinks that they are surrounded by phoniness. This often happens during the teen years when the person is trying to find a sense of direction. Holden Caulfield, a 16-year-old teen-ager is trying to find his sense of direction in J.D. Salinger's, "The Catcher In The Rye." Holden has recently been expelled from Pency Prep for failing four out of his five classes. He decides to start his Christmas recess early and head out to New York. While in New York Holden faces new experiences, tough times and a world of "phony." Holden is surrounded by phoniness because that is the word he uses to identify everything in the world that

Holden’s parents establish a set of standards for Holden while he attends fancy preparatory schools. They want him to become successful and follow the footsteps of his father, “Lawyers are all right, I guess… All you do is make a lot of dough and play golf and play bridge and buy cars and drink Martinis and look like a hot-shot… Even if you did save guys’ lives and all, how would you know you did it because you wanted to, or because you did it because what you really wanted to do was be a terrific lawyer? How would you know you know you weren’t being a phony? The trouble is, you wouldn’t” (172). This shows his unwillingness to acquiesce, and follow the standards set by his parents and society. Holden continually gets kicked out of school, because he doesn’t want to live a meaningless life. He simply has no concern about making money or achieving the American Dream, he just wants to be complacent and live a happy life. Holden is essentially rebelling against what society has taught him that was most important; wealth and power. He has created his own set of principles, which is often the cause of his alienation from the rest of his peers. While attending Pencey Prep, Holden was forced into taking an oral expression class, that forced him and his classmates to standardize the way they think and speak in order to comply with the guideline set by their teacher Mr. Vinson (183). In almost every aspect of his life, he is being continually

The Catcher in the Rye is a book that’s written by J.D. Salinger and narrated by a sixteen years old teenager named Holden Caulfield. At the beginning, Holden has just been kicked out of Pencey Prep because he’s failing his classes, and it’s not the first time or first school. He went to say goodbye to his teacher, Mr. Spencer. Then, he tells us about his brother Allie and how he died, and this is the reason behind Holden’s problems. Holden’s roommate is dating a girl Holden knows, Jane Gallagher. After, Holden and his roommate got into a fight. A three days before returning home for Christmas break, Holden decides to go to NYC. In NYC, Holden gets to explore more people that he calls them phonies. Also, he gets to go on a date with his old

     The most significant irony in the novel is the role that Phoebe plays. Holden believes that children are the only ones that are not corrupted by the dishonest society in which they live. The main reason Holden wants to be a protector is to keep children from growing up and becoming phony and fraudulent as he feels most adults have become. Holden's sister, Phoebe, is his connection to children, and he does not want her to change. Holden believes that he could be the one to rescue Phoebe when it is her turn to “fall.” Ironically, she

Holden believes that he can change the world and he reveals his feelings on a date with Sally '" Did you ever get fed up? … I mean did you ever get scared that everything was going to go lousy unless you did something…"'(pg 130). Holden proposes to Sally to escape this world with him. It is finally to his younger sister that Holden reveals that he wants to prevent children from growing up. He blames the world's corruption on adults and believes that when he stops the children from growing up he will preserve their innocence and save the world.

Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, introduces us to Holden Caulfield is one of my favorite characters because of his immaturity and confusion, or lack of understanding of his own mind. He tends to change opinion, say strong remarks, and act very childish throughout the book. Because he hasn’t grown up. He hates most of the things he comes across during the novel. His challenge is understanding the reason things are the way they have to be and why he has to act a certain why. He doesn't understand the conventions of society so he