Catcher In The Rye - Phony

Catcher in the Rye - Essay

The theme of phoniness, illustrated by J.D. Salinger is the key of a better understanding the story line as a whole. Phony or fake more often than not means not real and is mostly referred to some religions by non believers or sometimes even to people. J.D. Salinger has used the term "phony" in a very common manor. By the interpretation of common manor, many of the people at that time period suited to the style of Holden Caulfield's dialogues through J.D. Salinger. Salinger's view of phoniness may or may not even share a bond with most of the readers' experiences, because this theme is confronted in at least some kind of form or action in the life of all people on a daily bases. The way Salinger has set up his story is also to explain the significance of phoniness, to help understand the story more closely.

Holden has said to himself "If I'm on a train at night, I can usually even read one of those dumb magazines without puking. You know. One of those stories with a lot of phony, lean-jawed guys named David in it, and a lot phony girls named Linda or Marcia that are always lighting all the god-damn Davids' pipes for them"(53). The main idea of Salinger's way of thinking is to express his own thoughts about how he views society by using the theme of phoniness through Holden Caulfield. Later Holden says "it was very phony - I mean him being a big snob and all" (84) of the piano player in the restaurant. Yet again right behind this theme of phoniness, it is also followed by some hatred because when he actually describes the mood and the atmosphere to the psychoanalyst the reader could even sense that Holden is very bothered and troubled of the piano player.

Now with all of this information, J.D. Salinger has genially filled in the gaps of why Holden dislikes society. Without this theme Salinger could have never really pulled off why Holden has abhorrence on the society. The main reason of why Holden dislikes society is because most of the reason he does not understand them, but prominently he has a vague image of the world as it is. So these memories have clustered in his mind. Now, Holden wants to even try and erase his mind of the thoughts of the people he cannot trust. To Holden, especially, to trust someone means to understand someone. The only people Holden can, or used to trust are Allie, Phoebe and his brother D.B. So the way J.D. Salinger has illustrated his book of how Holden thinks is that Holden rejects everyone who is phony or fake. So the definition of phony, to Holden is some one that he distrusts. Holden thinks Mr. Antolini is a phony because he just cannot seem to understand him. Also he thinks that the Show-off piano player was phony because he can't understand what exactly he was playing so Holden cannot trust him, therefore the piano player is a phony.

The memories that have clustered in his mind were all of the sins such as, sex, money and violence. All that Holden can understand of the, World thus far are only these three things. He even says towards the end of the novel "You can't ever