Similarities Between Holden Caulfield And Nick Carraway

Although Nick Carraway of The Great Gatsby and Holden Caulfield of The Catcher in the Rye are the narrators of their respective stories, the author reveals that both are unreliable through their sharing of background, hypocrisy, and biases. Neither Nick and Holden are entirely open about their backgrounds, which prevents the reader from immediately totally trusting them. On pg.3, Nick explains that he attended college and participated in the war, yet despite this and all of the other details he provides, he fails to gain the reader’s trust as these details are general and impersonal to him when considering that multitudes of others in the same social class did the same in the early 1920s. Personal details that allow the reader to understand

Nick’s denial ultimately sets him up to be interpreted as a hypocrite. On. pg.1, Nick informs the reader that he was taught to reserve all judgements because others did not have the same education as he did. Although this seems to manifest a sense of humility in Nick’s persona at first, upon further scrutinization and the following narration on pg.1, it becomes apparent that Nick’s statement is more so condescending and - ironically - arrogant. On pg.2, Nick acknowledges that his comment is “snobbish” however he reaffirms his belief nevertheless; this asserts that his hypocrisy is voluntary. Moreover, Holden’s untruthfulness is evident on pg.1 when he explains that he is only sharing this account of his life because it is the reader’s desire to hear it. Nonetheless, his will to be “neutral” or “act cool” here creates a sense that undermines his aforementioned claim. His “neutrality” is shown in the various excuses he uses throughout the chapter when addressing his flunking out of Pencey Prep however, in reality, he is actually extremely depressed when he states that he is glad to be leaving on pg.7. This longing for “coolness” is supported by Holden’s immaturity, established by his age and frequent tangents throughout the chapter. Therefore, Nick and Holden’s hypocrisy make them appear less reliable, which asserts that judgments about plot and characters should not be made solely on their

Nick is prejudiced against Tom even though he establishes that he is “old rich”. On pg. 3, Nick establishes that his family are descended from (moderate) wealth, and on pg. 5, he explains that he lives around millionaires. His choice to mention these two details foreshadow his respect for the “old rich”, those of families with histories of wealth. Despite evidencing his high regard for the “old rich”, however, Nick poses an impressively affluent Tom Buchanan with scorn and as an arrogant character, as shown by his negative, aggressive description on pg. 7. The basis for this bias is jealousy as Holden, someone very conscious of wealth, admits that - despite being around the same age - Tom is far beyond his own level in terms of wealth. Likewise, Holden also has bias; his bias is towards individuals who are not fake (or “phonies”). On pg.5, Holden declares that his fondness for Old Selma Thurmer is not for her looks or personality -but for her lack of complimenting her father, the headmaster. He further declares her father a “phony slob”, which is a theme that reappears throughout the novel. By liking Selma for her dislike of her “phony” father, Salinger makes a broader statement about Holden’s overall distaste for “fake” people. In tandem, Nick’s dislike of Tom and Holden’s liking of characters that aren’t “fake” (and corresponding dislike of “phonies”) signals to the reader that he/she