Holden’s Desperation for a Relationship
Holden lies to Mrs. Morrow because he wants a relationship with someone, anyone, where the other person genuinely finds interest in him. To do this, Holden will lie without thinking of the repercussions that would inevitably affect the relationship in the future. Holden also acts in a way that he finds will be pleasurable to others so that he can become part of a reciprocal relationship.
When first engaging in a conversation with Ms. Morrow, Holden no longer felt the need to be genuine to his own personality and chose to lie which gave him the chance to create a new personality with new issues as well as the opportunity to be a part of a relationship. When Ms. Morrow started to ask Holden personal questions, Holden created an identity for himself, which allowed him to engage in a conversation with Ms. Morrow, “‘Rudolf Schmidt,’ I told her. I didn’t feel like giving her my whole life history. Rudolph Schmidt was the name of the janitor of our dorm” (61).
After solidifying a new character for himself, Holden’s issues…show more content… Morrow while still retaining a genuine character. Now that Holden has become acquainted with Mrs. Morrow he acts as if he were an adult. This allows for Holden to continue his lie and further become ‘Rudolph Schmidt’ while considering what Mrs. Morrow would want the gain from the relationship. “‘Dear, are you allowed to order drinks?... Well, no, not exactly, but I can usually get them on account of my height… and I have quite a bit of gray hair” (65). While maintaining his new personality, Holden does not conform to a point that ignores who he is and what he has learned throughout his life so far. His gray hair enables his personality to play a role in his new relationship to an extent at which Mrs. Morrow can find pleasure in the company of a mature adult such as Rudolph
