Holden Caulfield Is A Good Liar In Catcher In The Rye

Imagine you see one of your favorite people in the world. you want to tell them how you feel, but you can not. Instead of doing something about it, you just tell them something else and pretend your feelings do not matter. now imagine you are like this with everyone you meet. this is the life of Holden Caulfield in J.D. salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. he is a sixteen year old New Yorker who has been to numerous boarding schools for numerous reasons, all tracing back to one. Holden avoids tough conversations and feelings by disuniting himself from people and refraining from expressing his true emotions.
Holden struggles to get out of awkward situations by lying. “I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life” (Salinger 16) he tells the reader in the first few chapters. By having him admit this, it proves that he knows that he does not communicate well, but chooses to do nothing about it. The reader knows this by the fact that he is a pretty good liar, which can …show more content…
Holden has a childhood friend, Jane, who is recently brought to his mind by his roommate, Stradlater. Holden and Jane used to play checkers as kids and she used to always play with her kings in the back row. Holden ties this with innocence and keeping one’s guard up. Stradlater goes on a date with Jane and the boys fight because Holden is worried that Stradlater ‘gave her the time.’ Holden asks, “Did you ask her if she still keeps all her kings in the back row”(42)? He cares so deeply about whether she is still as innocent as when they were kids, but asking about checkers is misleading and it in part to blame for the fighting. Stradlater sees it as most would and does not ask her the question, implying that it is confusing and dumb. Holden then tries to fight physically with Stradlater and leaves Pencey altogether after he loses, therefore, isolating and distancing