Abundis 1

Carlos Abundis III

Mr. Davidson

English 1, 1

13 October 2020

AMDG

The Shift

Planet Earth, six septillion kilograms of rock with 7.8 billion people on it. One of those

people is you. You were brought into this world,learned how to speak, walk, eat, and all the

things that humans do in order to live. Part of living though, is aging. J.D. Salinger’s The

Catcher in the Rye is a comprehensive tale of the transition from infancy to adolescence, and the

resistance some can have to it. The novel follows seventeen-year-old Holden Caulfield, whose

two-day journey through New York City explores his difficult departure from childhood and the

first steps towards adulthood. Holden’s character is one of compromising ethics. He calls

members of society “phonies” because they are people who smile fake smiles and laugh fake

laughs, but then he will also lie to avoid pain or disappointment. Holden will lie in an attempt to

make his life better, even though he criticizes those who do the same. Despite his best intentions

and his clear disdain for those who do so, Holden Caulfield is a phony.

As the narrator and main character of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield gives us

a glimpse into the world through his eyes. Through his intelligence and sensitivity, he finds the

hypocrisy and ugliness of the world. In Holden’s world, he could be 7 feet and built like a

gladiator, but in reality, he is 6 feet 2 1/2 inches, partially gray-haired, and woefully skinny.

Holden describes himself as “I was sixteen then, and I'm seventeen now, and sometimes I act like

I'm about thirteen. It's really ironical, because I'm six foot two and a half and I have gray hair. I
 Abundis 2

really do. The one side of my head--the right side-- is full of millions of gray hairs. I've had them

ever since I was a kid. And yet I still act sometimes like I was only about twelve.― Sometimes I

act a lot older than I am--I really do--but people never notice it. (Salinger 5) Holden tries to

protect himself from the pain and disappointment of the adult world. This gives way for many of

Holden’s own actions and thoughts to be slightly strewn from the truth. The world in Holden’s

eyes is oftentimes extremely different than what someone else might see. Holden knows that he

is telling a story to an audience who might not know the full picture. And throughout the novel,

readers are shown the unreliability of Holden's narration, which gives them insight into things

that Holden does not wish to openly disclose. Holden will lie to shield himself from his own

pain, and this makes him a phony.

Holden’s personality and character have many layers. It’s like an onion. Because, on the

outside, Holden portrays a person who is mature and has relationships with women, drinks,

smokes, and all the lot. Holden says, “I'm quite a heavy smoker, for one thing--that is, I used to

be. They made me cut it out. Another thing, I grew six and a half inches last year. That's also

how I practically got t.b. and came out here for all these goddam checkups and stuff. I'm pretty

healthy, though. (Salinger 3) But if readers peel that back, they are left with a child, the exact

opposite of what Holden tries to be. And this makes perfect sense: Everyone, at one point or

another, has tried to be someone they are not. Perhaps to fit in or escape a disappointing reality.

That is exactly what Holden tries to do. In an attempt to escape the pain of his past Holden tries

to become someone who he is not, in order to deny that any of his pain exists. Like most

teenagers and all those journeying through adolescence, the feeling of solidarity is present

throughout the navigation of the ways and rules of life. Holden has been through so much in his

life already that he tries to believe that he is in a world without pain and any of the issues
 Abundis 3

everyone faces, yet he goes about his life, constantly making it worse while still believing that

everything is fine. This almost constant lapse of reality and dwelling in denial makes Holden a

phony.

The novel displays Holden criticizing and judging those who are “phony”. He thinks that

these are people who are boring, but curiously not people who are insecure. Holden instead

applies this term to those who are too conventional, or too typical. He says, “If you sat around

there long enough and heard all the phonies applauding and all, you got to hate everybody in the

world, I swear you did” (Salinger 76). Not only does this fuel Holden’s distaste for the world

around him, but it also gives readers insight into what Holden really doesn’t like about himself.

Holden constantly puts people into molds and stereotypes. But as a result, this has caused him to

become extremely isolated from others, so he thirsts for intimacy from strangers. Hypocrisy is

one of the main things Holden hates about himself. Holden says, “I’m the most terrific liar you

ever saw in your life. It’s awful.” (Salinger 16) This shows Holden has enough of a conscience

that he can recognize when something is not right, but not enough of a conscience that he will

stop himself from lying. Holden’s hypocrisy also shows up in relationships with girls. He is

extremely inconsistent with his thoughts and emotions. One minute he will be near

nymphomania, and the next he will just want to talk with a prostitute in his bedroom. He says,

“In my mind, I’m probably the biggest sex maniac you ever saw. Sometimes I can think of very

crumby stuff I wouldn’t mind doing if the opportunity came up. I can even see how it might be

quite a lot of fun, in a crumby way. . . . The thing is, though, I don’t like the idea. It stinks, if you

analyze it.” (Salinger 65) Holden tries to act like he is pure and honest but he constantly lies even

though he criticizes “phony” members of society for doing so. It is because of this hypocrisy

that Holden is a phony.

 Abundis 4

Throughout this essay, it has been argued that Holden, while wanting to not be, is in fact

a phony. He wants to cling to his subconscious morals while still lying to try to somehow better

his life. Holden wants to keep his innocence and not become an adult. Holden is trying to hold on

to something besides his youth. A caul is a defective membrane that covers the head of a fetus

during birth. The “caul” in Holden’s name could represent the inability of a child to fully see and

understand the adult world. The “field” in his name has a more obvious symbolism: Holden does

not want to grow up. He wants to be that catcher in the rye, the one that protects children, but

most importantly himself from the pain and disappointment of the adult world. Holden wants to

stay in that rye field and never come to terms with reality and does not want to leave the

darkness of his adolescent world. But Holden’s innocence is mistaken, what he really wants to

keep is his blindness, so he doesn’t have to face his own reality. And Holden will do almost

anything to keep that blindness. He will lie, deceive, and cheat himself and those around him,

undoubtedly making Holden Caulfield a phony. But it must be stressed that this person in

question is nothing more than words on a page and thoughts in mind. But among the 7.8 billion

people on this planet, there are the real Holden Caulfields. Individuals who, like Holden, are

trying to make sense of the world that they live in. Whether that world is New York, Hong Kong,

London, the slums of Mumbai or the high rises of Dubai, there is someone who is putting on a

brave face and acting like they know it all. Someone who needs a push in the right direction.

Whether that push is a little nudge or a football tackle, is up to you.