Holdens Definition of "Phoniness" and How He May Be Phony Himself
One of the first things that Holden Caulfield makes clear in The Catcher in the Rye is his hatred for “phonies.” To him, phonies are people that pretend to be someone they're not. Throughout the book, he has a hard time trusting people over small things like going to watch a movie, showcasing their talents, reminiscing about their high school years, or going to an Ivy League, because he sees these things as “performative.” He tends to have very high expectations for people, but as a reader it makes me question: does he even meet his own expectations? Throughout the novel, Holden demonstrated controversial behaviors, where he criticizes people for doing something, and then judges them negatively for not doing it. One example is when Holden condemns people for putting too much effort into their physical appearance and caring too much about how they look. He observes Stradlater from across the room and goes on to talk about how “he always looked good when he was finished fixing hi...