Preposterous Lying In 'Catcher In The Rye'

Boy gone crazy or depressed? Holden is in a deep depression but, does he stay depressed or go crazy? After Holden’s brother (Allie) dies he gets very depressed. Holden wasn 't even able to attend the funeral.

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.

Throughout the novel, Holden progresses to become more aware of his actions. Holden’s process is slowed an adolescent state of mind where his self-absorption doesn’t allows for him to fully see how his actions affect the outcomes he receives. Holden’s pathology consistently brings negative outcomes. Holden occasionally learns to take responsibility of his actions and realizes he must live in the present instead of the past. Holden is able to form meaningful connections with a limited few and use these as a hopeful path for his future.

Like others with the same disorder, Holden often acts impulsively and has difficulty regulating his emotions. In his case, this includes erratically spending money, alcohol over consumption, and irrational anger leading to violence. When Holden informs the reader that “[he’d] spent a king’s ransom in about two lousy weeks… drives [his] parents crazy” (Salinger 107). This same habit is displayed when he meets a group of girls at a club. Even though Holden doesn’t have much to live off of , he “[buys] them all two drinks apiece … [and orders] two more Cokes for [himself]” (Salinger 74).

The Catcher in the Rye is one of the many novels that is banned from schools reading lists. This fact sparked interest in why this brilliant novel even deserves to be put on this list. We must dive deeper in the meaning behind the words and why the author created the characters the way he created them. J.D. Salinger introduces protagonist, Holden Caulfield as a pessimistic teenager who is essentially having a midlife crisis. Holden believes he lives in a world full of phonies and that this fact of the matter makes it impossible for him to grow into who he is destined to be.

The way people live their lives depends on the type of society they live in. Almost everything in life is based on what society considers to be acceptable. In The Truman Show, Truman Burbank is a man who was born into a reality T.V show. From the minute he was born, he was brought into the set of the show, Seahaven Island. His entire life had been filmed and broadcasted to the world.

In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger we read about a young man, Holden Caulfield, freshly kicked out of yet another high school and highly opinionated about his views of society. We learn about his views as he walks around New York around Christmas time, not wanting to face his parents so soon after being kicked out of school. Some of Holden's views on society include; phony people are bad, and there needs to be more protection of the innocence in the world, Holden has the right to worry and want change for each of these topics, yet he worries about them in a level that is completely unhealthy. Holden's views include that phoniness should be eradicated from society. Holden is happy when people don't try to glorify phony people:

The transition between childhood innocence and adulthood exists as a complex path, which often uncovers questions that cannot be answered. J.D. Salinger explores Holden’s transition into adult life and how he copes with modern society’s cruel and unforgiving face. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s traumatic experiences directly explains his immaturity and unhealthy obsession over the preservation of the fragile childhood state; although some instances highlighting Holden’s maturity may suggest otherwise, flashes of these instances do not outweigh his immature ideology and opinions. Holden’s dysfunctional family life stemming from the death of his brother Allie and his inferiority complex clearly explains Holden’s unhealthy obsession

When one reads Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger or Robert Bolt’s A Man for all Seasons, one is confronted with protagonists that cannot initially be described as classical heroes. On further inspection, however, one can determine that these protagonists (Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye and Sir Thomas More in A Man for all Seasons) server as examples of “unconventional” heroes, but heroes all the same. In this essay I will support this statement by briefly explaining what is meant with the idea of a classic hero, explain the type of heroes Holden Caulfield and Thomas More can be classified as respectively, as well as how their actions and words support the classification. The classic hero is a character present in various religions,

Book: The Curious Incident the of the Dog in the Night-Time Author: J.D. Salinger Intro: Hook: Thesis:

Society is simple. One does not get to choose when he/she grows up. Society tells him/her when to grow up. Society reveals to its children, when the proper time is to grow up. Usually, it is too soon before a child is ready.

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.

A Warped Perception An unreliable narrator is a narrator in any story whose perspective is biased or questionable. In Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield can be described as such. The unreliable narrator often focuses on what others do wrong and glide over their own faults. Holden definitely falls into that category.