A Catcher in the Rye

             In J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, Holden is a character in denial. He greatly dislikes phonies, and even though he too carries the characteristics of a phony, he refuses to admit to himself that he is a phony as well as the rest of them. In Holden's point of view, phonies are those people who lack innocence, have already matured, and metaphorically speaking, phonies are those people who have fallen off the cliff of childhood. Although Holden shows much dislike for phonies, in reality, he is a phony himself.
             Throughout the novel, Holden uses the word "phony" numerous times. As the novel begins to progress, the reader can finally understand the actual meaning of the word itself. "Phoniness is the generic term that Holden uses to cover all manifestations of cant, hypocrisy and speciosity" (Corbett 178). By observing the way Holden uses the word "phony", the reader can see that in each situation the word is used, it is, in some way, connected with society, adults, places and the variety of lifestyles. For example, Holden is constantly surrounded by adults and it "just kills" him. He won't show it most of the time, but he will keep it to himself that the person he is dealing with at the moment is a phony. The situation usually makes him feel uncomfortable and he would even sacrifice his good time to get out of the situation. A good example of this would be when Holden is sitting at a bar alone, and suddenly is encountered by Lillian Simmons, his older brother's ex girlfriend.
             "After I'd told her I had to meet somebody, I didn't have any goddam choice except to leave. I couldn't even stick around to hear old Ernie play something halfway decent. But I certainly wasn't going to sit down at a table with old Lillian Simmons and that Navy guy and be bored to death" (Salinger 87).
             In short, the central theme of Holden's portrayal of adu
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