Catcher in the Rye- Phoniness

In the book the Catcher in the Rye, there is one word that seems to be used over and over again and it is phoniness. Holden uses the word phoniness to describe the world around him. Holden uses this word to describe the superficiality, hypocrisy, and the shallowness he experiences. He relates all of this back to the adult world his is so afraid of. The word phoniness is almost like a banner for Holden that represents everything that he sees wrong with the world. Holden does not face his fears, but instead isolates himself from the rest of the world and goes into a cynical exile. I think that Holden is right about some of the phoniness of the world, and I can understand why he may be scared but I do not think he is doing the right thing by isolating himself from the world. At some points in this book Holden interacts with other people, but unfortunately these interactions just confuse him and make him retreat further into isolation. I think that phoniness is one of the best know phrases from the book Catcher in the Rye because it represents what Holden fears most about the adult world. We realize that the world is not as simple as Holden would like it to be, and that although he judges other people we learn that he is not as awesome as he would like us to think he is. One quote from this book explains how Holden sees growing up as falling off a cliff "I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff-I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all." This quote is saying that Holden will catch people and save them from plunging into adulthood, which he believes is equal to death.

Bibliography

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 2001. Print.