In Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses the motif if Holden lying to cover up how he really feels. “There are three types of lies -- lies, damn lies, and statistics.” ― Benjamin Disraeli. I chose this quote because this reminds me of Holden. Holden lies for no reason and he doesn’t want people to see his true feelings or know his true thoughts. Holden was on his way to purchase a magazine and someone asked where he was going and he said he was going to the opera, which was a complete lie. Another lie was, when he was having a boring conversation with Old Spencer, so he lied exclaiming that he had to get equipment out of the gym. In the book it corresponds, “I’m the most terrific liar you saw in your life.” (Salinger, 9) He confesses that he lies a lot and he said it was “terrible” but he can’t help himself. Holden was at the sandwich bar eating his breakfast then we begun talking to two nuns. He gives them a ten dollar contribution. In the passage, it exclaims, “Quite bit of money”. (Salinger, 59) He doesn’t have a lot of money but …show more content…
Morrow because he likes to remain mysterious and also because he didn’t want to disappoint Mrs. Morrow telling the truth about her son. Holden was sitting next to a woman on a train, whose son goes to Pency. He was lying throughout the whole conversation saying his name was something else and that her son is a nice guy even though he’s a pain. He claims his name to be, “Rudolf Schmidt” (Salinger, 30) He lied to the lady and made up a name, he really doesn’t allow himself to be himself to get close to people. He tries to say positive things about her son. The stuff he was saying to her about her son had her glued to her seat about the wonderful things about the son even though the things he was saying wasn’t actually true. It corresponds, “He’s a funny guy. A strange guy, in lots of ways.” (Salinger, 31). He lies to her because he didn’t want her to be disappointed in her son even though he dislikes
Since Holden was isolated from his family, in order to not get hurt again he tries to find hypocrisy in people to stop himself from trusting others. Holden feels isolated after being sent to a boarding school that “was full of phonies” by his parents (Salinger 90). Salinger’s message to the audience with this quote is that when
In the novel Holden is what you would call an unreliable narrator. The definition of unreliable is - a person or thing that cannot be counted on or trusted. You cannot trust Holden if you know that he lies all the time. Since the reader knows that he is a habitual liar you may never know the difference from when he is telling the truth or when he is telling another one of his stories. Holden goes in and out of mental lapses throughout the novel that affected his mind and psychological state greatly.
He also exhibits honesty; as a child, he chopped a cherry tree by accident but confessed and told the truth when asked by his father. Now, let’s view at Holden and see how he fits in when compared to one of the most known hero of the United States. Holden lacks honesty as he confesses to the reader how, he’s the “most terrific liar” (16). Another clear example is when Holden talks to Ernie’s mother at the train station. From when they first met, Holden already lied by telling her that his name was Rudolf Schmidt, an obvious phony lie.
Holden often talked about how phony people in his life were, however, he was also a phony, which made him a hypocrite. Holden would often mention things he hated that someone did, but sooner or later Holden was guilty of doing the exact same thing. In chapter one Holden is hypocritical towards his older brother, D.B. He says “Now he’s out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute.”(Salinger
...’s habitual lying relates back to times where he is hypocritical about his environment being full of phonies. Salinger provides these small details of deceitfulness in order to further advance Holden’s character and the work as a whole.
He erratically spends money, abuses alcohol, and displays irrational anger, leading to violence. Holden “[spends] a king’s ransom in about two lousy weeks” (Salinger 107). In a like manner, he meets a group of girls at a club, and “[buys] them all two drinks apiece … [and orders] two more Cokes for [himself]” (Salinger 74). Holden does not have much to live off of while in New York. Yet, he spends all he has on things that do not at all benefit him. The consequences of spending all of his money on trivial things do not prevent his behavior. Holden’s impulsive, careless handling of money knowing that he needs money for essentials in such a way that can only be described as
After spending some time at Mr. Spencer, his history teacher's house and getting lectured regarding his poor efforts in school, Holden fabricates a story to leave his teacher’s house without seeming rude. On his way to his dormitory at Pencey, Holden claims that he is an exceptional liar, and would lie even about the most insignificant facts, such as where he is going. He then goes into detail about whom his dormitory is named after, and how much of a phony the man is.
The Catcher in the Rye Holden Gets Influenced Everyone gets influenced by someone, even heroes do. The Catcher in the Rye, a novel written by J. D. Salinger, talks about Holden Caulfield, a 16 year old boy that is trying to live through his problems. Holden tries to learn from his experiences as well as from the ones of others. He goes through many hard times, but he always takes them as a chance to imagine how it could have ended if he had done something about them or what cold had happened if he was not so “yellow”.
that he is trying to hide his true identity. He does not want people to know who he really is or that he was kicked out of his fourth school. Holden is always using fake names and tries speaking in a tone to persuade someone to think a cretin way. He does this when he talks to women. While he is talking to the psychiatrist he explains peoples reactions to his lies like they really believe him, when it is very possible that he is a horrible liar and they are looking at him with a “what are you talking a bout?” expression. Holden often lies to the point where he is lying to him self.
...Holden is saying that he enjoys lying; he gets a sort of kick out of it. He is an unreliable narrator, especially when he says things like “She was like a hundred years old” which is obviously a false statement and an exaggeration. Holden has altered into this type of character; a character that lies plenty of times which is shown in the novel through diction.
“Those who spend their time looking for the faults in others, usually spend no time to correct their own” (Janak). This quote by Art Janak perfectly resembles Holden’s interactions with every human in the novel The Catcher of the Rye. Holden is an untrustworthy hypocritical character in this novel. Holden deceives many people and then criticizes them of being phony. In The Catcher of the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses Self-Serving Bias and irony in order to show how Holden often criticizes others as an excuse to avoid human interaction.
Holden Caulfield, the teenage protagonist of Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger, struggles with having to enter the adult world. Holden leaves school early and stays in New York by himself until he is ready to return home. Holden wants to be individual, yet he also wants to fit in and not grow up. The author uses symbolism to represent Holden’s internal struggle.
Holden would tell people lies just so they could not become closer to the real Holden. Holden tells lies on numerous occasions to gain. Holden pathetically tells Mrs. Morrow, "I have to have a tiny operation. it isn't very serious. " I have this tiny little tumor on my brain" (58).
Honesty/Dishonesty: pg 16, “So when I told old Spencer I had to go to the gym to get my equipment and stuff, that was a sheer lie. I don’t even keep my goddam equipment in the gym.” (Holden) Holden tends to lie a lot to everybody he talks to. Even though his lies are awful, as said earlier in the chapter, he still manages to make them believable and gets past it.
Holden is “the most terrific liar you ever saw,” when it comes to people wanting to assist him in finding his way in life.... ... middle of paper ... ... Holden’s inability to have faith in anyone has led him to witness everyone as “the phoniest (people he) ever met” (13-14) in his life. Sadly, Holden’s depression leaves him with psychological problems that are not easily dealt with alone.