Holden Caulfield’s Values (Phonies)
1. In J.D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the main character Holden Caulfield
displays an obsessive dislike for "phonies”. Holden mentions the word “phony” regularly
throughout the course of the novel. Holden thought everyone at Elkton Hills, one of the prep
schools he'd gone to, were all phonies. But the biggest one of all was Mr. Hass, the headmaster
of Elkton Hills. “ For instance, they had this headmaster, Mr. Haas, that was the phoniest
bastard I ever met in my life.”(14). Holden thinks of Mr. Hass as a phony because he always
went around shaking all the parents hands when they drove up to school, he was charming and
always nice with the exception of the parents who were ugly or weird looking. If the parents
appearances did not obtain the approval of Mr.Haas he would simply give them a quick hello
and a “phony” smile. Holden states that observing Mr.Haas like this makes him so depressed
that he goes crazy.
2. During the novel Holden and a girl he knows by the name of Sally Hayes go on a movie date together, there Sally runs into an old friend named George, who she strikes up a
conversation with. Holden regards both Sally and George as phonies, as well as their
conversation. Holden thinks Sally is a phony because she uses words he hates like "Grand”.
When Sally runs into George they proceed to start up a conversation about the show they'd just
seen and Holden thinks their conversation is very phony. He thinks Sally is going overboard
with the way she was talking, for example she was saying that everything was "Marvelous".
Holden then makes this statement about George: "he’s the kind of phony that have to give
themselves room when they answer some body's question". Holden also refers to him as a
pretentious "Strictly Ivy League" guy.
3. Within the first page of the novel, Holden begins to express his feelings towards his
parents and how he considers them
displays an obsessive dislike for "phonies”. Holden mentions the word “phony” regularly
throughout the course of the novel. Holden thought everyone at Elkton Hills, one of the prep
schools he'd gone to, were all phonies. But the biggest one of all was Mr. Hass, the headmaster
of Elkton Hills. “ For instance, they had this headmaster, Mr. Haas, that was the phoniest
bastard I ever met in my life.”(14). Holden thinks of Mr. Hass as a phony because he always
went around shaking all the parents hands when they drove up to school, he was charming and
always nice with the exception of the parents who were ugly or weird looking. If the parents
appearances did not obtain the approval of Mr.Haas he would simply give them a quick hello
and a “phony” smile. Holden states that observing Mr.Haas like this makes him so depressed
that he goes crazy.
2. During the novel Holden and a girl he knows by the name of Sally Hayes go on a movie date together, there Sally runs into an old friend named George, who she strikes up a
conversation with. Holden regards both Sally and George as phonies, as well as their
conversation. Holden thinks Sally is a phony because she uses words he hates like "Grand”.
When Sally runs into George they proceed to start up a conversation about the show they'd just
seen and Holden thinks their conversation is very phony. He thinks Sally is going overboard
with the way she was talking, for example she was saying that everything was "Marvelous".
Holden then makes this statement about George: "he’s the kind of phony that have to give
themselves room when they answer some body's question". Holden also refers to him as a
pretentious "Strictly Ivy League" guy.
3. Within the first page of the novel, Holden begins to express his feelings towards his
parents and how he considers them