Holden Ackley Character Analysis

“She’s super annoying.” “He is literally the dumbest person I know.” “She’s a fake.” The problem with most of these high-school judgments regarding other people is that they lack evidence, and rely on others’ preconceived notions, that may not be accurate. I admit, even I may judge a person solely based on what I hear from my friends or just because I do not like him, without any actual concrete proof of his actions. But not Holden. Even though Holden is judgmental and critical, often calling people phony or unintelligent, he “never lets anything stand by itself.” Holden doesn’t care if he’s criticizing his best friend or worst enemy, as long as he has the appropriate evidence to back it up. That is the key to his authority. Holden is able
It’s easy to call them annoying, rude, mean, or foolish, just because you don’t like them, but not many will believe you because you’re biased. For Holden, Ackley is one of those people who Holden “wasn’t too crazy about” (19). Ackley “could get on [Holden’s] nerves sometimes,” because “he always put [Holden’s picture] in the wrong place…on purpose,” “always [told] Holden [he] was a goddam kid,” and “didn’t care if [Holden had] packed something or not and had it way in the top of the closet” (22-23). Holden did not just make a claim, he also provided examples to illustrate what he said, based on his own experiences. Holden doesn’t just belittle Ackley because Holden doesn’t like him, Holden has actual proof of Ackley’s actions. He shows, not tells, much “like a novelist” to paint Ackley’s
Stradlater “thinks he’s a real hot-shot...[and everyone’s] crazy about [him],” so he is “always asking [Holden] to do him a favor” because he thinks that “[Holden’s] just dying to do [him] a favor” (27-28). Holden “sees through [Stradlater’s facade] quickly...clearly...[and] unforgivingly” (Menand) and is not so easily influenced by others’ opinions of Stradlater as the “handsomest guy in the Western hemisphere” (27). Living in such close proximity to Stradlater, Holden has seen the true Stradlater, the one that is only interested in “very sexy stuff” and “madly in love with himself” (32, 27). Because we see Stradlater through Holden’s eyes, we, in turn, see Stradlater for a womanizing, superficial, conceited, phony. We wholeheartedly believe Holden because for everything he states about Stradlater, he shows it. Holden doesn’t care that Stradlater “[isn’t] too bad,” which is almost a compliment to Holden, because it’s what Stradlater does and thinks that determines Holden’s view about