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Lawrencia Moten Mrs.Heninger English 1- d block October -29- 2012 Catcher In The Rye Essay

Holden THE PHONY In the book The Catcher in the rye by JD Salinger, the main character Holden Caulfield tells readers how he hates phoniness, but Holden isn’t immune to phoniness him self. Holden lied to Mrs. Morrow, waiters in nightclubs, and he lied to his old friend Luce from Whooton School. As Holden grows up he realizes he does not practice what he preaches. Holden lies all the time but one of the main times that stood out to me was when he lied to Mrs. Morrow when she notices the Pency sticker on his suitcase she asks some personal questions such as if he likes Pency or not. Instead of answering fully he starts to explain about her son Ernest’s behavior, and about his name. When Holden simply lies about his name, he state’s ”My name is Rudolf Schmidt I told her that because I didn’t feel like giving her my whole life story”(71). This is an example of how Holden lies for no apparent reason, Holden lies simply because he feels like it. Also he gives himself a title of “the most terrific liar”(22) he tells us that he is a liar because he needs to escape Holden lies because he does not feel like his real life is worth talking about, Holden has a low self-esteem so he doesn’t think highly of himself. Holden is a compulsive liar. Holden also lied in the story is when he lies about his age to the waiters he does this when Holden is asked for verification of his age, and Holden replies with “I gave him a very cold stare, like he’d insulted the heel out of me and I asked him, do I look like Im under twenty-one”(92). Holden is always trying to act like something that he is not. Holden does this because he is finally realizing that the world is full of adults,and soon he’s going to be considered one of them. Holden is being forced to grow up to fast and he feeling lost in life form the beginning of the book Holden expresses how he feels

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