“I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It’s awful. If I’m on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I’m going, I’m liable to say I’m going to the opera. It’s terrible.” (19)
Holden Caulfield was a student at Pencey Preparatory in Agerstown, Pennsylvania until he was dismissed after being warned that if he would not apply himself to the academics, he would be kicked out. Lying is a characteristic of Caulfield that he cannot seem to get rid of, which implies that his thoughts, words, and actions may be lies themselves. When being asked about his life, Caulfield may give one the truth or may give them a lie in order to satisfy himself who deems to be realistic and not a phony. J. D. Salinger’s purpose …show more content…
Hypocritically, Caulfield would confess to lying about his identity as well. For instance, once Caulfield leaves Pencey for good, he takes the train to New York, where he encounters a mother of one of his classmates, Ernest Morrow. In this scene, the excerpt relates to two different lives: Holden’s and Ernest’s. The woman would eventually ask for Caulfield’s name and he retells the audience of saying, “ ‘Rudolf Schmidt,’ I said. I didn’t feel like giving her my whole life story. Rudolf Schmidt was the name of the janitor of our dorm.” (61) As the conversion continues, Caulfield, under the alias of Rudolf Schmidt, sugar coats the topic of how he enjoys Pencey and how Morrow is an accomplished student at Pencey Prep. Morrow, too, might be a phony who asks certain ways with certain crowds. Caulfield says in reaction to a statement told by the woman, “Sensitive. That killed me. That guy Morrow was about as sensitive as a goddam toilet seat.” (62) From this scene and conversation, Salinger provided some contradicting characteristics of people who, just like Caulfield, may be phony. Later on, when Caulfield was in the lobby at the Edmont Hotel, he made a remark that shows how he tries to use reverse-psychology to sound less caring. Earlier in the night, Caulfield’s ex-roommate Stradlater went out on a date with a girl named Jane who used
Holden Caulfield was a student at Pencey Preparatory in Agerstown, Pennsylvania until he was dismissed after being warned that if he would not apply himself to the academics, he would be kicked out. Lying is a characteristic of Caulfield that he cannot seem to get rid of, which implies that his thoughts, words, and actions may be lies themselves. When being asked about his life, Caulfield may give one the truth or may give them a lie in order to satisfy himself who deems to be realistic and not a phony. J. D. Salinger’s purpose …show more content…
Hypocritically, Caulfield would confess to lying about his identity as well. For instance, once Caulfield leaves Pencey for good, he takes the train to New York, where he encounters a mother of one of his classmates, Ernest Morrow. In this scene, the excerpt relates to two different lives: Holden’s and Ernest’s. The woman would eventually ask for Caulfield’s name and he retells the audience of saying, “ ‘Rudolf Schmidt,’ I said. I didn’t feel like giving her my whole life story. Rudolf Schmidt was the name of the janitor of our dorm.” (61) As the conversion continues, Caulfield, under the alias of Rudolf Schmidt, sugar coats the topic of how he enjoys Pencey and how Morrow is an accomplished student at Pencey Prep. Morrow, too, might be a phony who asks certain ways with certain crowds. Caulfield says in reaction to a statement told by the woman, “Sensitive. That killed me. That guy Morrow was about as sensitive as a goddam toilet seat.” (62) From this scene and conversation, Salinger provided some contradicting characteristics of people who, just like Caulfield, may be phony. Later on, when Caulfield was in the lobby at the Edmont Hotel, he made a remark that shows how he tries to use reverse-psychology to sound less caring. Earlier in the night, Caulfield’s ex-roommate Stradlater went out on a date with a girl named Jane who used