Hypocritical Holden
Hypocrisy is found in all of us. Many of us have things about ourselves
that we don’t want to share with others, and try to hide; perhaps we are trying
to hide our hypocrisy. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger expresses
through Holden Caulfield that hypocrisy results from not being able to connect
with others. Although Holden accuses others of being phony, in reality, Holden
is a phony himself and as a result of his hypocrisy, he is unable to connect
with others, suggesting that to connect with others one must be able to accept
other people’s flaws.
Holden defines others as phonies because he is critical and has a negative
outlook on the world and the people in it. When Holden makes observations of
other people he often defines them as phony. For example, when Holden goes
to the movies he observes a lady sitting next to him who is crying during the
movie, “The part that got me was, there was a lady sitting next to me that cried
all through the goddam picture. The phonier it got, the more she cried… she
had this little kid with her that was bored as hell and had to go to the
bathroom but she wouldn’t take him… You take somebody that cries their
goddam eyes out over phony stuff in the movies, and nine times out of ten
they’re mean bastards at heart. I’m not kidding” (181). Holden thinks that the
woman crying is a phony because she is emotional about a movie which is
fake, yet she does not feel bad for the kid who is sitting next to her in real life,
who has to go to the bathroom. A woman crying at a movie is what Holden
observes and defines as phony behavior.
Holden’s negative outlook on the world and the people in it just pushes
Holden farther and farther away from people. He is isolating himself. In
addition, Holden thinks some words or phrases are phony. When Holden is
talking on the phone with a girl he knows, Sally, who says
that we don’t want to share with others, and try to hide; perhaps we are trying
to hide our hypocrisy. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger expresses
through Holden Caulfield that hypocrisy results from not being able to connect
with others. Although Holden accuses others of being phony, in reality, Holden
is a phony himself and as a result of his hypocrisy, he is unable to connect
with others, suggesting that to connect with others one must be able to accept
other people’s flaws.
Holden defines others as phonies because he is critical and has a negative
outlook on the world and the people in it. When Holden makes observations of
other people he often defines them as phony. For example, when Holden goes
to the movies he observes a lady sitting next to him who is crying during the
movie, “The part that got me was, there was a lady sitting next to me that cried
all through the goddam picture. The phonier it got, the more she cried… she
had this little kid with her that was bored as hell and had to go to the
bathroom but she wouldn’t take him… You take somebody that cries their
goddam eyes out over phony stuff in the movies, and nine times out of ten
they’re mean bastards at heart. I’m not kidding” (181). Holden thinks that the
woman crying is a phony because she is emotional about a movie which is
fake, yet she does not feel bad for the kid who is sitting next to her in real life,
who has to go to the bathroom. A woman crying at a movie is what Holden
observes and defines as phony behavior.
Holden’s negative outlook on the world and the people in it just pushes
Holden farther and farther away from people. He is isolating himself. In
addition, Holden thinks some words or phrases are phony. When Holden is
talking on the phone with a girl he knows, Sally, who says