Phonies In Catcher In The Rye

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Catcher in the Phonies “One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies. That’s all. They were coming in the goddam window” (Salinger 13). These are the feelings of Holden Caulfield, the main character in J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. He has a wide definition of what he considers a phony. He believes that anyone other than his brother Allie and his sister Phoebe are phonies. Included in his long list of phonies are all adults, his school, and even the actors in the plays and movies. Holden’s extreme criticism of others and the world, reflects more on who he is as a person. Holden is haunted by all of the phonies he identifies in the world, but as the book progresses Salinger identifies Holen as …show more content…
Starting as soon as page 2, Holden points out the magazine advertisement for his school Pencey Prep is, “Always showing some hot-shot guy on a horse jumping over a fence. Like as if all you ever did at Pencey was play polo all the time. I never even once saw a horse anywhere near the place”(2). Holden considers his school a phony because of the false advertisement. Turning to his view of his roommate he states, “Stradlater was more of a secret slob. He always looked all right, Stradlater, but for instance, you should've seen the razor he shaved himself with. It was always rusty as hell and full of lather and hairs and crap. He never cleaned it or anything. He always looked good when he was finished fixing himself up, but he was a secret slob anyway, if you knew him the way I did.” (27). This quote meets Holden's own definition of a phony because Stradlader’s presentation in public is the complete opposite of what he is like in private. Likewise, Holden’s impression of the actors in a play, was that they were good “but they were too good. . .They didn’t act like people and they didn’t act like actors.” (126). Holden is obsessed with the faults of others and their appearance and actions. These three examples clearly illustrate that Holden believes phonies are people who portray themselves …show more content…
Holden’s extreme criticism of others and the world, reflects more on his own personality. When Holden is intimidated by another person's good looks, or achievements, he categorizes the person as a phony rather than spending time with them. Another example that illustrates his obsession with physical appearance occurs with Selma Thurmer. He describes her to be unattractive. “She wasn’t exactly the type that drove you mad with desire” (3). Since Holden was recognizing faults in her, it made him feel superior to her. This meets Holden’s criteria for a phony because he considers a phony someone who intimidates him. Holden is slowly starting to destroy his life, by finding faults in others rather than looking for good qualities or spending time to understand other people. In actuality, Holden plays the role of phony because he destroys all of his personal relationships, and he is left all
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