Wong 1

Zi Ping Wong
Ms. Jocelyn Thomas
Honors English 4
Friday, March 28, 2014
The Mind of Holden Caulfield
A famous actress once said: The moment you sense someone is making something
because they think people are gonna buy it or like it, its just so phony! The public has a nose for
phony like nobody else. This was stated from Zooey Deschanel from her sixteen years and
counting experience in showbiz. In the entertainment industry the audience expects a lot out of
the performers and that causes stress and tensions amongst the entertainers. So in the the
entertainment world there is no room for phonies and liars, because the paparazzi will eat you
alive like a hungry bloodhound. This society that focuses on the appearances of individuals
relates back to Holdens character development. Holden is a very trouble young man who is a
misfit and acts like a major phony. Caulfields hostility towards society can be found in common
themes of the Catcher in the Rye like avoiding reality, death and sexual desires.
Holden is a troubled lost boy who does not accept himself as who he really is. This
results into his constant actions to avoid his reality. He dodges the main subject and tends to
focus on subjects that do not normally matter. Well, you know the ducks that swim around in it?
In the springtime and all? Do you happen to know where they go in the wintertime, by any
chance? (Salinger 81). When Holden tries to make conversation with his taxi driver he instead
annoys him because he asked irrelevant ideas and this is usually nonchalant to the majority of the
population. Holden is basically ignoring his current conditions such as he is expelled from school
because of his unacceptable grades.

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Holden also concentrates a large amount of his attention on the appearance of others.
She had these orchids on, like shed just been to a big party or something. She was around forty
or forty-five, I guess, but shes was very good-looking. (Salinger 54) Later he also mentions she
has a nice telephone voice, mostly on the same page. Holden uses money to substitute the lack
of items.... and she keeps sending me money for my birthday about four times a year (Salinger
52). After Holden got the cash his grandma sent him, he immediately woke up a rich friend just
to sell his typewriter. Caulfield is a very insecure and depressed kid, who seems to have an
obsession over the phonies in society. This also leads to Holdens isolation towards the adults
world because he does not trust them. So obviously, society will see him as an outcast or an
oddball of modern society. Im the MOST terrific liar you ever saw in your life (Salinger 16).
Holden, himself even admits his persistent lies that cover up his true self. The identity he does
not want to accept. He does not trust adults because of their phoniness, for that he is hiding
under a mask and also is disturbed by the adults behavior. The displeasure drives him further
away from society resulting in his disclosure of reality.
Holdens past has very much impacted him dramatically to how his attitude towards other
characters and society. He has a very close bond with his little brother Allie who was two years
his junior. Allie had died on July 18, 1946 from leukemia at the age of eleven. I happen to have
it with me, in my suitcase, so I got it out and copied down the poems that were written on it
(Salinger 39). In Holdens eyes, he visualizes Allie as a god he worships. He literally repeats how
a good kid Allie was. Allie was the only person Holden actually cared about. When news of
Allies death reached Holden he punches every window in the garage until he had to be
hospitalized. As you can see, Holden explains how special Allie was being left handed and a red
head. He even told the readers about Allies poems in his baseball gloves written in green ink.

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This hints that Allie was a sensitive and emotional child and the green ink he wrote in also
displays the meaning to be special. These long detailed descriptions of his deceased little brother
shows the importance of Allie in Holdens heart. At times Holden even talks to Allie out loud,
this is a way to confront his loneliness and to solve his difficult dilemmas. What I did, I started
talking, sort of out loud, to Allie. I do that sometimes when I get very depressed (Salinger 98).
Holden immensely treasures his memories with Allie and even respects him to the point that
Holden himself asks like a madman talking to nobody but air. Also Holden always called Allie a
kid, giving the readers a hint of Holdens negative views the adult world. Allie was not yet
demoralized by the adult world of sex and violence.
The Egyptians are extremely interesting to us today for various reasons. Modern science
would still like to know what the secret ingredients were that the Egyptians used when they
wrapped up dead people so that their faces would not rot for innumerable centuries. This
interesting riddle is still quite a challenge to modern science in the twentieth century (Salinger
11). This was the dirty trick Holden referred to as, so it is also a clue that he has wariness for
grown-ups. Holden has a strange interest in death and typically bad omen ideas. He mocks the
idea of death like he is displeased with how it took his dear little brother, Allie. This leads into
societys perspective on him as a misfit and a crazy kid with problems.
Holdens crazy lies is very evident when he brings up topics that deal with sexual
contents. Boys in the mid 1900s, typically thought the idea of being a virgin was inferior to men
with experiences. Holden never engages into sexual activities due to his depression and his
confusion about his sexuality. In chapter thirteen, Holden calls up a prostitute to his room.
However, Holden never experienced any recreational activities with the whore Sunny since he
just recently had a surgery on his clavichord. (Salinger 96). That was just an excuse to reject

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Sunny, he actually felt sorry for her because he saw her as an actual individual than a low
working servant. He calls her young as hell, she says child like phrases like like fun your are
instead of swearing where typical adults would say: like hell you are and Holden claims
(Salinger 94) she got a tiny little wheeny whiny voice. He does not go through with this because
he values love more than sex. He feels sex without love is just a short term relief method. He is
searching for love desperately to fill the hole in his heart from Allies love, but he confuses that
with sexual desires.
Later on, he is beaten up by Maurice. So Holden smoked a cigarette as a stress relief and
wants to portray manlier. Smoking did not completely comfort him so he meets up with an old
friend named Luce. Holden admits in chapter nineteen that calling Luce up for comfort was not
the only reason, but Luce was a great conversationalist when it comes to the topic sex. In my
mind, Im probably the biggest sex maniac you ever saw (Salinger 62). Holden is constantly
thinking about sex. Another example is on his date with Sally he instantly wants to marry her
because again he is distracted by her looks and is attempting to replace his loneliness with love
which he confuses with sexual desire. The funny part is, I felt like marrying her the minute I
saw her. Im crazy. I didnt even like her much, and yet all of a sudden I felt like I was in love
with her and wanted to marry her. I swear to God Im crazy. I admit it. (Salinger 124) He also
later compliments her feminine figure and admires her butt, so it is a pretty obvious indicator
Holden is only interested in her physics. He also mentions his interest a couple of times
throughout the book for women. Women kill me. They really do. (Salinger 54). Overall,
Holden is searching for comfort and love to ease his loneliness, he tries numerous times to pick
up girls and to arrange dates though it almost never succeeds. Caulfield is attempting to replace
his loneliness for compassion with sex to temporary provide relief for him.

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A politician once said: Some people think that the truth can be hidden with a little coverup and decoration. But as time goes-by, what is true is revealed, and what is fake fades away.
He also once served as prime minister, this grants him experience from deadly threats and a more
keen sense to detect hostility. Ismail Haniyeh understands the concept of deception. Deception is
an illusion an individual creates to obscure his real character. Three major motifs found in
Catcher in the Rye present readers an idea of Holdens perspective of society are his persistent
measures to block reality, interest in the deceased, and desperate attempts for love. These themes
shape the entire story from teenage depression to suicide. This provides a support to the
development of Holdens character growth throughout the story. In the beginning Holden acts
like a normal rebellious kid. However, as the story progresses Holdens true intentions can be
detected.

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Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print.

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