Mr. Caulfield In The Catcher In The Rye

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The Catcher in the Rye-Holden’s Therapist Rough Draft After evaluating Mr. Caulfield, it seems to me that his constant issue with connecting to others is due to his multiple social problems. Holden appears to be in a frame of mind where he is stagnant and is scared of change, leading him to block out the world. Speaking to Mr. Caulfield made me realize that his social complications lie deeper within his state of mind. Mr. Caulfield is stuck in a reality where he believes life is nothing but phonies and negative ideas. One of Mr. Caulfield’s primary connection issues is his negative outlook on life. As Holden was telling me about Pencey Prep, he seemed to describe everything bad about the school. Every school has its up and downs, yet …show more content…
Caulfield’s social problems that disallow him to properly connect with others is the fact that he is ashamed of who he is. Holden seems to be embarrassed that he has been kicked out of multiple schools, he is ashamed that he flunks his classes, and he is afraid of finding out what people truly think of him. Mr. Caulfield talked to me about his compulsive lying about whom he is or lying about his life. Holden seems to call many people around him phonies, yet it seems he calls others this term because he is the real phony, lying about his age, his life, and even his name. He told me about one account with a former fellow classmate’s mother: " ‘Oh, how lovely! Perhaps you know my son, then, Ernest Morrow? He goes to Pencey. Yes, I do. He's in my class’. Her son was doubtless the biggest bastard that ever went to Pencey, in the whole crumby history of the school….” (61) Holden said he had no reason for lying to her, he just didn’t feel like telling the truth. To me, Holden was lying because he was embarrassed that he flunked out of Pencey. He also told me about another time when he was trying to call a whore and he made his voice deeper. “ ‘Hello’? I said. I made my voice quite deep so that she wouldn't suspect my age or anything. I have a pretty deep voice anyway.”(71-72). This shows me that he is ashamed of who he is even though what he is ashamed of is not embarrassing at all. Holden seems to not only look negatively at the world, but towards himself. He told me about how good of a liar he was. He seemed to be proud of it. “I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful. If I'm on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I'm going, I'm liable to say I'm going to the opera…” (19). After listening to him speak of how he was a terrific liar, I realized that to him, his life is a lie. When he speaks to someone, he compulsively lies, just naturally. This shows me that he believes he lives
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