Examples Of Phonies In Catcher In The Rye

In The Catcher in the Rye, the main character Holden intensely hates “phonies.” He refers to this word numerous times to describe many characters. Holden tends to call people who follow societal rules phonies. These people tend to be adults or teenagers who have grown up. When Lillian Simmons, a ex-girlfriend of Holden’s older brother, greets Holden with,”’How marvelous to see you!”’(96, Salinger), Holden immediately calls Lillian a phony. Lillian was trying to be polite, just as most people would, but to Holden, she was being fake. There are very few people Holden thinks highly of. He only thinks highly of Phoebe, Allie, and Jane. Phoebe, Holden’s little sister, is only ten years old and Allie, Holden’s brother, died of leukemia at the