Catcher In The Rye Moral Analysis

Morality is an individual's principle of the difference between right and wrong, good or bad. Morality is based on particular points of view and often is not clearly defined. This leads to the line between immorality and morality to become grey. Such a line is one that a multitude of people live on, having trouble deciding which side their actions are likely to fall. Holden Caulfield, from J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye”, is one of these people. He lives on the line between morality and immorality, frequently crossing this line, even though he might not realize it. Throughout his experiences Holden engages in multiple illegal activities, such as drinking alcohol as a sixteen year old. He is constantly lying and deceiving people.

His constant stream of lies and deceptions keep everyone around him in the dark as to what is really going on and to the truth. Even in the most innocent of places, where it is so much easier to tell the truth he will still lie. “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. It’s terrible. So when I told old Spencer I had to go to the gym and get my equipment and stuff, that was a sheer lie. I don’t even keep my goddam equipment in the gym”. He has become such an avid liar, over his lifetime, that he can not help but lie at every opportunity. Holden even lies to one of his classmate’s mother while on the train to New York. “But I’ll bet, after all the crap I shot, Mrs. Morrow’ll keep thinking of him now as this very shy, modest guy that wouldn’t let us nominate him for president”. He lies about his name, her son’s behavior, and even tells her that he is on his way to get a small brain tumor removed. At this point, Holden is simply lying to amuse himself at another’s expense. Holden’s deceitfulness spares no one that he comes in contact with, if one were to have a conversation with him it is safe to assume that he is not telling the