In Chapter 9-14 Holden Caulfield leaves Penecy Prep and heads to New York City. Where he will stay for a couple days before winter vacation starts and he will head home. Delaying breaking the news to his family he got kicked out of school for as long as possible. These chapters are where Holden’s loneliness becomes abundantly clear. The reader is subjected to many long rants by Holden about the company he wants, though he attempts to settle several times.
Preposterous lying is a trait that Holden shows forth throughout the novel. In chapter 3 he warned the readers that he loves to lie and he does a good job at doing it (22). Holden would tell lies over and over again just to protect himself from any hurt or rejection. Another flip side to why Holden lies is because he tends to get bored with certain conversations he has with his peers so lying helps him to check out of reality for a while and in doing this, he tries to impress people and let them feel sorry for him. This makes him feel extremely superior.
Why would Holden call others phony when he is a phony himself? Holden’s repetitive use of the word phony throughout the novel begins to show his true colors. Some examples of him calling others phony is the headmaster, the actual school Pencey Prep, Ossenburger, Sally Hayes, Stradlater, also people he did not know. J.D. Salinger reveals Holden’s “phoniness” to the audience through his hypocritical use of the words fake and phony. Holden attends the school Pencey Prep, he says his headmaster as well as the school and everyone in it is a phony, he describes it as “one of the worst schools I ever went to.
Lying and deception are the most obvious and hurtful elements of the larger category of phoniness. Holden’s definition of phoniness relies mostly on a kind of self-deception: he seems to reserve the most scorn for people who think that they are something they are not or who refuse to acknowledge their own weaknesses. Isolation Throughout the novel, Holden seems to be excluded from and victimized by the world around him.
She probably knew what a phony slob he was" (2). He doesn't like people lying for other people, he expects everyone to realize when someone is being phony and call them out on it. Another reason Holden hates phony people is because he believes that you shouldn't be doing things just to look good but you should be doing them with a purpose. This is true, you should live with a purpose, and not just live to achieve personal gain Holden likes to strike out at these people calling them names that aren't nice to say the least. Lastly Holden believes that you become phony when you grow up, when the world corrupts you and you become conforming to everything around you.
In conclusion, Holden is a phony because because he pretends to be someone that he is not, he contradicts himself, and he blames others for things that he is responsible for. Holden, making such a big deal about phonies ended up being one. This shows that no matter what you do, the society will always play a big role in influencing one’s behavior and the way that one
It can be seen that there are many things which discomforts Holden Caulfield throughout the novel. “Phoniness,” which is probably the most famous phrase from The Catcher in the Rye, is one of Holden’s favorite concepts. This word describes the absurdity and artificiality that Caulfield encounters in the world around him. Sanford
Holden Caulfield lives his life as an outsider to his society, because of this any we (as a reader) find normal is a phony to him. Basically, every breathing thing in The Catcher in the Rye is a phony expect a select few, like Jane Gallagher. What is a phony to Holden and why is he obsessed with them? A phony is anyone who Holden feels is that living their authentic life, like D.B. (his older brother). Or simply anyone who fits into society norms, for example, Sally Hayes.
He has his own personality unlike anyone else. Holden uses the word, “Phony” is an insult to anyone who isn’t genuine. He does not want to be associated with phonies and yet, he calls almost everyone he meets a phony. Individuality ties into the concept of the red hunting hat because it’s unique and unusual just like him. Although he associates with the hat, he is very embarrassed about it.
Sixteen-year-old, Holden Caulfield, describes majority of people in the novel, ‘The Catcher in the Rye’, phony. During my High School years, although I was tremendously social, I decided to join in on home studies to keep distance from the students. Although I didn’t consider literally everyone phonies, I consider majority and it’s similar to as Holden states, “One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies. That’ all” (Pg. 19).
Option 3: Argument Life can either be taken way too seriously, or not at all. Some people choose to take life seriously by following all the rules that are enforced on us from birth until we get older, and others choose to take their own path and see where it takes them. The second behavior can be seen as treating life like a game. In Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Dr. Thurmer says that “life is a game that one plays according to the rules,” and Mr. Spencer mentions that idea to Holden while they talk. Although Holden does not think life is a game, his behavior and experiences show otherwise throughout the book.
Holden Caulfield, a sixteen year old boy, grows up and he realizes that the real life is very different from his ideal world due to him going through his brother Allie’s death and his transition to adulthood. Holden goes through a serious grieving process by constantly observing people and calling them “phonies,” phoniness means talking and acting fake in front of people by his definition. He always talks hostile towards others and uses negative language because he can’t connect with surrounding people due to his high standard, which includes Holden’s comparison between his brother Allie’s genuine personality and other people’s phoniness. Holden grieves Allie’s death by resenting the world full of phonies and regrets that he couldn’t save his brother and tries to make up for his guilt by saving the innocent.
It is the “phoniness” he wants to blame. Salinger used “phony” this word many times in the book and is one of the most famous word from “The Catcher in the Rye” and it accurately describes the human nature of most adults’. During Holden’s three-day-trip in New York, he has met and encountered with many characters who are pretentious and fake, from Mr. Spencer to Luce and Sally. In society people have to lie or be “phony” just to socialize, or impress someone. Holden is a judgemental person who keeps observing other people’s phoniness but never notices them in himself.
Holden describes phonies all throughout the book, he keeps calling out people for being fake. " The waiter was waiting for her to move out of the way, but she didn 't even notice him. It was funny. You could tell the waiter didn 't like her much you could tell even the Navy guy didn 't like her much even though he was dating her. And I didn 't like her much.
Edwin is picked on so harshly that it really impairs his self image, self esteem, social interations, moral development and solely his decisions. Edwin doesn't go through the developmental stages as one should. It's no longer about what's right and what's wrong. But rather, revenge; how can they get back at them, what will they do next, or who will be their target. Edwin shows a strong sense of remorse on the very last page of the novel.
