How Does Holden Use Money To Symbolize Phoniness

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In the Catcher in the Rye, Salinger uses the motif of money to symbolize the phoniness of the adult world. Holden acknowledges that he comes from a wealthy family and talks about them in a way that they only care about money. However, Holden contradicts himself on a few occasions because he is quick to judge others based on their possessions. Salinger’s use of money in Catcher in the Rye represents the phoniness and selfishness of the adult world. Holden talks about his family, specifically his father and older brother, in a negative tone throughout the book because of their association with money. At the very beginning of the book, Holden describes his brother, D.B., as a “prostitute” (4) because he works for Hollywood. He believes his brother cares more for the money and less about his talent for writing. Salinger does this to compare the rich to phonies. In Holden’s mind when one grows up and enters the …show more content…
Holden says he could “get to hate someone with cheap suitcases” (120) and prefers to room with those who have suitcases like his own. These suitcases are first introduced when he sees a group of nuns with suitcases that are inexpensive (120). He then goes on to tell a story about a boy, Dick Slagle, who himself has cheap suitcases and would hide them. Slagle does this because he is ashamed of what he is on the outside and does not realize that what matters is the inside. In fact, all suitcases are similar in that they all carry clothes. It does not matter if it is a cheap suitcase or a Mark Cross leather suitcase, they all have the same basic function. The suitcases are a symbol for who someone is on the outside and what they have inside them. It is not known what is inside these suitcases until one gets to know the person. Salinger shows readers that the phony society expects people to be perfect on the outside with no mind to what those suitcases have
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