Holden Caulfield Phony Analysis

In the novel, A Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield feels unhappy due to the phonies which create his own misery. Wherever Holden goes, he is surrounded by people who he has trouble coping with and relating to. The ones he encounters that do not act genuine or sincere send him spiralling into an abyss of isolation and hatred towards the world. Holden has left many schools such as Whooton school and Elkton Hills because of his views on the people there being phony. He cannot prosper in an environment where people are not acting genuine and real, but fake and full of themselves. One incident of this is when Holden is talking to Mr. Spencer in his dorm, who is his history teacher. They are discussing his past school drop outs and Mr. Spencer …show more content…
He despises people who act phony with big egos, and that try to get a reaction from the rest of society. This struggle is also expressed throughout many instances while he is in New York City. When Holden is at Ernie’s bar, he sees Ernie playing the piano in front of a huge crowd. He describes Ernie as being a phony and humble guy who was a terrific piano player. Later Holden exclaims, “If I were a piano player, I’d play it in the goddam closet”(84). His reaction towards Ernie’s ego and personality exhibits his annoyance for big-shots who try to impress others with their talents. Holden is not a big fan of the drama that Ernie creates during his performance, as well as the morons who go wild for his music. He states that he would want to play in a closet because of how simple and peaceful it would be, and away from a dramatic crowd of phonies. These crowds create commotion which does not appeal to Holden, as well as depression and a feeling annoyance. One last example of the isolation and peace that Holden seeks is when he is describing his future home out west in a cabin. He describes how he would let Phoebe and D.B. visit him once in awhile when he turns thirty five. Holden states, “I’d have this rule that nobody could do anything phony when they visited me”(205). By saying this, Holden is declaring how he would live in peace from the phoniness of the world, and even his family could not act phony around him. He desires to be isolated from his problems which would create peace and prosperity for him. Regardless of his fantasies, Holden keeps one thing in mind which is very important which is his family. Dealing with all of his struggles Holden still visits Phoebe and thinks about his parents as well as his D.B. his