Since its publication in 1951, J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye has been a topic of much controversy. In most instances, critics tackle the moral issues presented in the book and how these issues are dealt with. Salinger's portrayal of society is enlightening, yet depressing. He uses Holden Caulfield's psychological battles as the basis for this portrayal. Holden's complete self-destruction over the period of a few days forces one to contemplate society as a whole.
             The Catcher in the Rye is considered to be a coming of age novel, yet Holden is an extremely unlikely protagonist for such a novel because his main goal is to resist the process of growing up altogether. He does not understand complexity and is frightened because he is guilty of the sins he accuses others of. Rather than admitting he is afraid of the changes that growing up will induce, he only expresses it when he is extremely confused. When he talks about sex, for example. "Sex is something I just don't understand, I swear I don't" (Salinger 63). To avoid situations such as these, Holden invents a childhood world where everything is black and white, while the adult world is full of lies and "phoniness" (Salinger 72). His misconceptions of the world allow him to hide from the things he does not understand in a curtain of cynicism.
             Phoniness serves as Holden's main source for isolation. He needs to connect with those around him and feel loved, but he is afraid to do so. He uses phoniness as a means of making others not as worthy as he is, so that he does not have to interact with them. By doing this he avoids situations which he does not understand or which make him uncomfortable. Holden mainly believes that adults are phonies, so much so that they can not even see their own phoniness, and that children are innocent. Though his observations are shallow, they are sometimes accurate. Holden immediately recognizes phoniness is o...