How Does Holden Use The Word Phony In Catcher In The Rye

Holden Caulfield loves to call people phonies. In fact, he uses the word phony 35 times throughout the book, The Catcher in the Rye. A phony, by definition, means not genuine, or fraudulent, however, Holden’s version of it is much different. Holden uses the word phony so much in order to help himself understand the world and people around him. He has to put everyone into a category of personalities, and phony is one of those categories.

This word is a strong indication of how Holden feels about the adult world. He feels as though adults are phony, superficial, and shallow; he has called almost everyone that he has come into contact with, a phony. However “phony” is not just repetitive, but it is also a central theme of the novel because he feels as though every adult is a phony and the adults do not notice their own phoniness. On the contrary, it is ironic that he views himself as the epitome of virtue surrounded by phonies, but in fact, Holden is actually a phony himself, by being a compulsive liar and refusing to face the

Holden is a phony because he lies all the time, to everyone. If he was not a phony he would be more honest and always tell the truth. Holden even admits to lying “I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It’s awful” (Pg 16) Holden is self-aware of him lying, he should know he is a phony.

Holden defines phony as hypocrites, condescending people, liars, and conceited people. He left Elkton Hills because he didn’t like being surrounded by a bunch of phonies. Holden mentions Mr. Haas, the headmaster at Elkton Hills, as “the phonies bastard I ever met in my life,” (Salinger 13). Holden explained that Mr. Haas would go around shaking parents hands on Sundays, but when he sees a very strange person, he would shake their hands and leave to talk to other people. Holden calls Mr. Haas phony because he judges people on how they look. Although he calls others a phony, Holden’s a phony himself because he lies about himself and others. If Holden doesn’t like phonies, then he doesn’t accept himself. He wants to change, so he has to lie in order to not tell the

First, I will show Holden’s phoniness by looking at his hypocritical tendencies. Holden has accused others of being a phony on several occasions. “ I can just see the big phony bastard shifting into first gear and asking Jesus to send a few more stiffs.” ( Salinger 20) and “ One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded

Addison Means Mr.Burroughs Honors English II-5 18 September 2017 Holden Caulfield uses the word “phony” to avoid his personal insecurities and adulthood. The word “phony” is used sporadically throughout The Catcher in the Rye by the main character Holden Caulfield. The Catcher in the Rye was published by J.D. Salinger in 1951.

     In life there comes a time when everyone thinks that they are surrounded by phoniness. This often happens during the teen years when the person is trying to find a sense of direction. Holden Caulfield, a 16-year-old teen-ager is trying to find his sense of direction in J.D. Salinger's, "The Catcher In The Rye." Holden has recently been expelled from Pency Prep for failing four out of his five classes. He decides to start his Christmas recess early and head out to New York. While in New York Holden faces new experiences, tough times and a world of "phony." Holden is surrounded by phoniness because that is the word he uses to identify everything in the world that

He recognizes that children are not phonies, they say what they want, do what they want, and do not care what others think. However, he sees that adults are the exact opposite. Their world, the phony world, is something he has no interest in being part of. As a result, Holden distances himself from maturing, consequently preventing any meaningful interaction from occurring for the duration of the novel. Holden uses phoniness to define himself subconsciously. When he labels everyone around him as phony he gives himself an excuse to alienate himself from others.

Phoniness is what makes people and the society in the real world more complex through doing actions such as pretending and lying. The real worlds society makes unspeakable rules and laws that shape people to do things, including things they would prefer not to do. In Catcher in the rye, Salinger reveals that phoniness exists in society and the adult world because it saves people from conflicts and they need and/or want to fit in with society and its needs. Through the novel above, phoniness is shown to exist in human society because it saves people from trouble and avoids conflict such as sparing feelings. In Chapter 8, Holden travels on a train and meets Ernie's Mother.

Dramatic irony is the most dominant type of irony used throughout The Catcher in the Rye. While Holden continually labels everyone and everything as a phony based on his credentials, the reader depicts Holden as the actual phony. He hangs out and acts very nicely to “phonies” which, under his definition, would classify Holden as a phony himself. Based on this, the reader can better classify Holden’s hypocritical character. This irony example is the basis for many other examples of irony in the novel.

“There's a word I really hate. It's a phony. I could puke every time I hear it” (Salinger 5). Considering the amount of times Holden Caulfield uses the word to describe something or someone, he must hate the whole world. The words phony, pervert, and screwball are recurring concepts, or motifs, in “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger. They are used many times to describe all sorts of people, places, and objects. Although he might sound like he is just being unpleasant, these words describe how he sees the world and why he ends up getting treatment. The way people expresses themselves reflects what they feel on the inside. The words phony, pervert, and screwball all interplay into

The relationship between Holden and the "phonies" shows how Holden despise the society at first. Whenever he meets people he thinks they are "phony" he would criticize them. For instance during the intermission of the play, the conversation between Sally and George

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.

Phony is defined as a fake or an ingenuine person, this word was used most often by no other than Holden Caulfield, the most recognizable teenager in American literature. To truly understand who Holden Caulfield is, we must take a trip back in time to the 50s. The 1950s was a decade of prosperity and conformity, life in the 50s was simply peaceful. However, in the summer of 1951, J.D Salinger published a book entitled “The Catcher in the Rye”, the main protagonist of the novel, Holden Caulfield, described the 1950s as a disgusting and phony era. Holden himself is depicted as a teenager disillusioned by the adult world. Holden finds the hypocrisy of the adult world to be almost intolerable, with this mindset, he alienates himself from the society and he soon realized that he wants to become a “catcher in the rye”, which is to be a guardian of children, protecting them from the ugliness of adulthood and the process of maturity. The fuel that drove Holden to become who he is today was that of his childhood sibling loss, after the tragedy, Holden became desperate and infuriated. Almost 70 years later, Holden Caulfield still resonates in American culture, this leaves reviews questioning, why was the novel so meaningful and popular? Salinger’s universal idea of alienation and phoniness gave rise to the novel, never has anyone seen such a controversial book, but no one realized that Salinger’s message is pointed toward the faults of the American society.

Holden does not seem connected to his environment and as the novel progresses, we begin to perceive that being phony is Holden’s way of protecting himself against other negative judgements and opinions. The truth