Is Holden Caulfield a Phony?
Throughout the Catcher in the Rye, Holden constantly expresses his distaste for phonies. This starts in the first chapter when he refers to his school's headmaster as a 'phony slob'. He doesn't elaborate on why the headmaster is a phony slob but it's clear he is not a fan of him. He continues to describe people as phonies which are people that he thinks are superficial and fake. He also sees phonies as people who try to fit into the norms of society and are also dishonest. Holden also has a bit of an obsession with being authentic which causes him to be very critical of the world. Specifically, the adult world. He associates adulthood with hypocrisy and lies and he doesn't take many adults seriously. This is clear at the beginning of the novel when Holden is visiting his former history teacher Mr. Spencer after he flunks out of Pencey. Mr. Spencer attempts to give Holden a lecture about taking things more seriously, but Holden is not impressed. This is also an example of Holden being close-minded and quick to label people as phonies even when they mean well. Mr. Spencer seems to genuinely care about Holden but he doesn't take criticism well so he calls him fake. However, Holden doesn't verbally express his distaste and he keeps his lack of respect for Mr. Spencer to himself. This shows that Holden can be a bit of a phony himself.
Another instance of Holden being phony is at the beginning of chapter three where he tells us "I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life" (Salinger 22). This is ironic because Holden claims to be annoyed by dishonesty but he lies often. This could be a case of 'it's only okay when I do it' but Holden lies or fibs to almost everyone he talks to. For example, Holden lies to Ernest Morrow's mother when they end up on the same train. His first lie is when he tells her his name is Rudolf Schmidt. His next lie is when he says that he is a fellow student of Ernie but he does not tell her that he flunked out of school. Holden has no real reason to lie to her but he does anyway and he seems to enjoy making up stories. He also causes trouble by lying to her about Ernie being popular. Holden knows that Ernie is not well-liked so lying to his mom might spark a confusing conversation later on, which emphasizes how he likes to twist the truth.
These examples show how Holden has a tendency to lie without reason, but he is upset by people being dishonest. His selective honesty exposes the many double standards that Holden has for the world. While he criticizes the world for its phoniness, he often participates in it himself. Holden's hypocritical tendencies reveal the internal battle that he deals with while struggling to find authenticity in the world around him. By holding himself, as well as the people around him, to an unrealistic standard, Holden makes his sense of isolation worse. This makes it hard for him to truly connect with the people around him. Ultimately, Holden's constant judgment of others as phonies reflects his concern about conforming to the world he despises.
You do a really good job of highlighting Holden's hypocrisy with his obsessive characterization of others as phonies when he is hardly ever honest himself. Now that I think about it, it's actually alarming how often he lies from cover to cover of the book. It certainly contributes to the way he views himself, even if he's not as aware of it as he should be.
ReplyDeleteI think it's really interesting to explore Holden's double standards in different ways throughout the book. I feel like he's so unaware of his own actions while being so focused on others, that it forms a constant hypocrisy that makes readers feel annoyed by him at certain points in the book. I also completely agree that this double standard isolates him, but since he doesn't really understand that he does this, he likely won't be able to fix it any time soon.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I haven't seen talked about enough for The Catcher in the Rye is just how much Holden lies, so I liked that you analyzed it because I think it is a very intruiging part of his character, and it can say a lot about him and his hypocracy. I think you did a good job of showing the way Holden's actions and thoughts contrast each other, which is something that really stands out about him. Good job!
ReplyDeleteHolden equates conformity with compromise, and he there is a lot of overlap between these words: when we "conform" to expectations or standards, there is the implication that we are changing our shape or "form" in some way in order to fit into some metaphorical mold. A significant subset of Holden's ire is directed not only at "phonies" in general but specifically at "show-offs," and this more familiar terminology maybe offers a more definite sense of what irritates him about the ways people present themselves in public. It's conformity to a point, but "show-offyness" implies something more, a "look at me" kind of narcissism that Holden really can't stand. Repeatedly throughout the novel, he sees people altering their self-presentation specifically in ways designed to make them seem cooler, tougher, more worldly or knowledgeable, whatever--this sense that we craft public personas designed specifically to bolster and promote our own ego. Of course, as your commentary implies, some readers may find Holden's narrative voice itself to be a little "show-offy," especially when he's having fun messing with others, and he asks us to watch him do it (like when he's lying to Mrs. Morrow, or "predicting" that Sally will go nuts when she hears the Lunts are in the play).
ReplyDeleteHi Chizara, I interpreted Holden's distaste towards phoniness as coming from just being fake, not really lying, so it's interesting that you interpreted it that way. I feel like Holden would argue that him lying does not constitute for being a phony, as it is usually harmless and just for jokes. I think he would say lying does fall under the category of phoniness when a person's real image is involved in an important scenario, not a one time interaction with a stranger. Overall, nice post!
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