The Importance Of Lying In Catcher In The Rye

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In addition, Holden lies to women because he wants them to pay attention to him, because he does not know how to have a genuine relationship without lying. We see how hard it is for Holden to admit to himself that he likes someone or how hard it is for him to have a normal conversation because if he begins to get too close to someone he thinks he will lose them just like he lost his brother. His greatest fear is becoming too vulnerable and therefore exposing his true self which would be exploited. When Holden gets on the train to New York City, he sits next to a woman whose son goes to Pencey. They talk extensively about Pencey and her son's involvement regarding the school’s elections. He tells her, "’He adapts himself very well to things. …show more content…
I mean he really knows how to adapt himself’" (Salinger 55). Holden reveals untruths about her son's accomplishments in order to make the mother feel proud, until she realizes the truth. These lies are entertainment for Holden. He potentially isolates himself from people because he does not reveal his true self for fear of getting too close to people. When Holden deals with women he often tries to act older than he is. By lying, Holden is able to create a different persona, which allows him the freedom of adopting character traits of someone who he is not. This gives him the leeway to create an external facade that would camouflage Holden’s insecurities, however, providing him with a sense of superiority. Another lie is when Holden recounts untruth on the train when Mrs. Murrow asks Holden why he was going home early from
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