Examples Of Phoniness In Catcher In The Rye

After the operation, you don't think the same way as you did when you were an ugly. You begin to not worry about anything, and you believe everything that the government does is right. Once Tally found out this information, she even began to wonder if the whole 'turning pretty' thing was just a cover up to allow the authorities to alter your mind. This is a great example of phoniness in society. Once you are apart of society, which in this case would be New Pretty Town, nobody really has their own opinions. Everybody is wired to act and think the same way. Another example of phoniness in society in Catcher in the Rye is when Holden is talking about his all boys' school. “It's full of phonies, and all you do is study so that you can learn enough

One of the first examples of this is from Catcher in the Rye, as Holden is talking about his older brother, D.B. “Now he's out in Hollywood, D.B, being a prostitute. If there's one thing I hate, it's the movies. Don't even mention them to me.” (Salinger, 2). Here Holden is getting upset about how his brother went to Hollywood to turn his books into movies. He liked how D.B just used to write books for the love of writing, but now he wants them to be turned into movies and become successful. In Holden's mind, D.B is acting phony. D.B is trying to become one of those big, Hollywood stars, instead of just being himself, and writing for the love of writing. Phoniness in friends and family can also be seen through the Uglies. “Tally found herself nodding. Looking into Sol's and Ellie's faces, everything seemed so clear.” (Westerfeld, 112). Here Tally is talking with her parents about the situation regarding Shay, and Special Circumstances. This quote goes to show how corrupted society can make your loved ones. Tally herself knows that leading Dr. Cable to the Smoke is wrong, because Shay trusts her. However when talking with her parents, Sol and Ellie are making it seem as if it is okay to betray shay, as none of this is Tally's fault. They are giving Tally the false message that it is okay to hurt others, in order to get ahead. A similar example regarding Tally's situation is when Peris comes

Both protagonists end up having phoniness become apart of them. For example, in Catcher in the Rye, Holden says two things: “I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful.” (Salinger, 16), and, “Then I started reading this timetable I had in my pocket. Just to stop lying. Once I get started, I can go on for hours if I feel like it. No kidding. Hours.” (Salinger, 58). Throughout the whole novel, Holden stresses how he absolutely hates when people lie, however here he admits how good of a liar he is, and how hard he finds it to stop. It's ironic how much he hates phony people, yet he let's us know that he is phony himself. The fact that he had to start doing something else to distract himself fro, lying really shows how the chain reaction of phoniness can really effect you as an individual. In the Uglies, Tally also eventually finds phoniness within herself. “Either Tally infiltrated the Smoke and betrayed Shay, or she'd be ugly for life....”okay, I'll do it”” (Westerfeld, 130-131). Tally has made a promise to Shay that she will not tell anybody about the Smoke, however we see here that Tally is planning to betray her, for her own personal wishes. By planning to break the promise, Tally is acting phony. She will do anything, including backstabbing her best friend, just to please herself. One of the more prominent quotes about phoniness within ones self is also in the Uglies,