Holden's True Feelings About The Movies example essay topic

Catcher In The Rye In the novel, The Catcher In The Rye, by J.D. Salinger, phonies play a grand role as one of the major themes of the novel. Webster's Dictionary defines a phony as, "a person who is not what he pretends to be". There are many examples of phonies in the novel, such as Sally Hayes, Stradlater, and even Holden Caulfield. Holden appears to be the biggest phonies of them all. Holden Caulfield is by far the king of all the phonies mentioned in the novel, The Catcher In The Rye, for he lies, is a hypocrite, and adjust his outside image. Being a liar is one form of deceiving the world of what you truly are, and this is one thing that Holden Caulfield isn't even shy about doing, nor admitting to.

He uses lies to deceives his true intentions from those around him, this is shown while leaving Pencey Prep on the train and encountering the mother of Ernest Morrow". It's me [Holden]. I have to have this operation... It isn't very serious.

I have this tiny little tumor on the brain". (Salinger, 58). In reality Holden was not going to New York to have a tumor taken out of his brain, but he was really going on a little vacation from everything. Although it was none of Mrs. Morrow's business to know where Holden was going, he chosen to deceive her of the truth, and received her pity because of the situation he described to her.

He wanted her pity but he knew in order to receive it he would have to change his reality in order to earn it. Holden pretends to be sick, while he was in reality healthy. From that he ends up being a fake ill person. Holden also appears to use lying to protect his phoniness in another way. This is shown when Maurice asked him if he wants a girl sent up to his room".

I was already sort of sorry I'd let the thing start rolling, but it was too late now". (Salinger, 91). Before the final arrangements had been made for a girl to be sent up to Holden's hotel room, he wanted to back out. Instead he kept on going with the arrangements with Maurice. Yet again, Holden Caulfield deceived the world of what he truly thinks, deceives them again of who he is. Holden lies, by not saying anything when he wanted out of the arrangement.

He knew he wanted out, but he was under the notion that it was too late now, at least that was the idea he gave. In both these cases Holden lies, either by not saying anything or not saying the truth. He deceives the world through his lies of what he is in reality. By using his lies he pretends to be something he is not. Further more Holden projects the image of himself being a phony to the world by going against his principles. Holden throughout the novel, shows that he is a hypocrite many different times.

By showing that he is a hypocrite, he demonstrates the true phony he is. This is shown when Holden goes to the movies. Throughout the novel he continuously says that he hates the movies, "If there is one thing I hate, it's the movies". (Salinger, 2). This is a constant opinion of Holden's, but he chooses to attend the movies. This is shown on the last Saturday night Holden spends at Pencey, .".. we'd take the bus into Angers town and have a hamburger and maybe see a lousy movie".

(Salinger, 36). Through these actions, Holden's true feelings about the movies are completely contradicted when he decides to make a plan to go to the pictures. The image Holden presents to the world through those actions is not what he wants them to be. This further gives the world the sense that he is pretending to be something that he is not. This causes the world to view Holden as a phony in the relation of his opinions to the movies. Another way Holden shows that he is a hypocrite is when he meets Lillian and the Navy guy at Ernie's.

"I'm always saying 'Glad to " ve met you' to somebody I'm not at all glad I met. If you want to stay alive you have to say that stuff, though" (Salinger, 87). Although, Holden believes it is drastically important for him to remember to say "glad to have met you", if he truly did not feel that way, he would be able to get away with not saying it at all. He feels socially obligated to say it, showing that he does care about what society tells him to do. This goes against his opinion that what he thinks dictates his actions.

In both these examples, Holden proves that the image the world sees is not the image he thinks of himself. The world will see him pretending to be something he is not, thus making him a phony. Similarly, the image Holden likes to give the world about himself is also phony. The image Holden Caulfield give the world is not usually the correct image. This is shown in two different examples, one being him mislabeling himself, the other being changing his true intentions. In the case of Holden miss labelling himself is demonstrated in Holden believing himself to be a pacifist, "I'm a pacifist" (Salinger, 46).

He does not clearly demonstrate this well in the book. Such as when he and Stradlater had their little confrontation after his date with Jane Gallagher. "All I know is I got up from the bed, like I was going down to the can or something, and then I tried to sock him, with all my might, right smack in the toothbrush, so it would split his god damn throat open". (Salinger, 43).

These are not the normal actions of a pacifist, nor do they meet the definition of a pacifist. Holden still thinks of himself as a pacifist. He is adjusting the verbal message he is giving the world, while his physical message to the world is something else. The second way Holden changes his image is when he lies about his intentions. .".. I'm on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I'm going, I'm liable to say I'm going to the Opera" (Salinger, 16).

It is noticeable that the intentions that Holden has when he lies about buying a magazine, were to give a more classy substance. This gives the impression that Holden wants to increase his class and is insecure with his class. This causes him to pretend that his intentions are more classy then they really are. Thus he is pretending to be something he is not. In both instances Holden appears to think he should be something more then he is, and he tries to demonstrate that to the world. However when his temper flares, he cannot control his true self, thus showing the world what he is at that moment, and the rest of the time he was just a plain phony..