Holden Caulfield Phony Analysis

1) Page 16: Holden explains that his hat represents his individuality. Even though his hat looks “very corny” turned around, he likes that it looks different from the way anyone else would wear

While Holden was in New York for a fencing competition, he purchased a red hunting hat and this hat has come up numerous times during important parts of the story. For example, when Holden was writing about Allie’s baseball mitt and after he left Pencey. Holden wears his hat as a way to show who he really is, even though he is not comfortable wearing it in public , “I put my red hunting hat on, and turned the peak around to the back, the way I liked it,”(Salinger 68). Although Holden feels embarrassed when he wears his hat out in public it is a way for him to feel more confident in his own skin rather than being depressed all the time. The red hunting hat is a symbol shown again and again about who Holden really is as a person. It shows that he likes and enjoys doing unusual things, but at the same time is cautious about where he wears his favorite

Furthermore, both Salinger and Shelley display an effective use of motifs which also assist in demonstrating the theme of innocence and corruption. The most recognized motif used by Salinger is without a doubt Holden’s red hunting hat. Salinger suggests that the hat is a symbol of Holden’s uniqueness and individuality. The hat is a bit strange, which shows Holden’s desire to be different from everyone else, thus isolating himself from others. It is worth noticing that the colour of the hat, red, is the same as that of Allie and Phoebe’s hair. Perhaps Holden associates his hat with the

Holden’s red hat represents his individuality and his interactions with it and Phoebe show how he no longer wants it. Salinger writes, “Then I took my hunting hat out of my coat pocket and gave it to her” (180). This quote not only shows how Holden no longer wants to be different but how he really want to give his sister the chance to be unique and express herself. He has given up on trying to be himself, even by when he is alone. Salinger writes, “The reason I saw her, she had my crazy hunting hat on-you could see that hat about ten miles away” (205). Holden is saying that being unique makes him stand out, but unlike how

The red hunting hat mirrors Holden’s resistance to conformity displaying his inner conflict of loneliness or companionship. Holden’s hat protects him and he feels that it gives him uniqueness as he does not agree with many of society’s standards. Salinger strategically places the hunting hat into situations where Holden feels awkward and uncomfortable. During these situations, Holden “puts [his] red hunting hat on, and [turns] the peak around the back the way [he] likes it” (59). The hat gives Holden the comfort and stability he desires in his life, as well as confident as he thinks that he “[looks] good in it” (21). However, the hat also isolates Holden in a protective bubble, restricting him from taking risks that he is not comfortable with. Holden is trying to get out into the world, yet it seems like the hat is holding him back

To begin with, Holden’s red hunting hat is a symbol for his protection against the world. The first time that he uses his hat to make him feel secure is when his roommate, Stradlater, punches Holden in the face. His initial thought after he is punched, is to find his hat. He most likely thinks of this because his hat provides a sense of comfort for him, similar to a young child and their blanket. “I couldn’t find my my goddam hunting hat anywhere, Finally I found it. It was under the bed. I put it on, and turned the old peak around to the back, the way I liked it, and then I went over and took a look at my stupid face in the mirror (Salinger 45). This evidence demonstrates Holden’s need to feel protected from the world and all his problems, Not only does Holden used his hat to protect himself, he also uses it to try to protect Phoebe, his younger sister. In his attempt to try to shield Phoebe

This theme is a major literary catalyst in the novel and in the life of Holden. The term “Phony” is used 44 times and through Holden’s perspective, the word is used to describe everything he dislikes about people. This, however, is a huge contradiction because he fails to recognize that he is a phony himself. He is hypocritical and doesn’t realize his own ‘phoniness.’ Holden says in chapter 3 he is “the most terrific liar he has ever met.” This is a central contradiction since he spends a great amount of time in the story stating how much he loathes “phonies.” Holden hates it when anyone is insincere and less than truthful with him, but he tells lies throughout the book to almost everyone he encounters. Even though his deceptions aren’t true and often times are unkind and fiendish, he is nothing less than a phony himself. Holden is convinced that everyone is phony mainly because he believes the world is simple and that everyone should be as innocent and honest as children are. “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.” (Chapter 3, sentence one). Holden is an example that the world isn’t as simple as he would like it to be. The fact that he is a liar himself, makes the world he conceptualizes to be

Through Holden’s red hat we see his originality, need for protection, and his innocence which is discovered within the hat. The red hunting hat is an essential element of his, symbolizing uniqueness, as it was a hat no one wore often. [“The way he wore it, he swung the old peak way around to the back—very corny, he'll admit, but he liked it that way. He looked good in it that way.”] (3.3) He is aware that the hat is unusual but doesn't mind because he feels like it makes him stand out , he takes it off when in hotel lobbies, when going to the bar, and most other public places. The hat connects

In the novel The Catcher In The Rye, by J.D Salinger, Holden’s hunting hat plays an essential role in Holden’s adventure. Holden's red hunting hat comes up at various times in moments when holden needs it to feel secure on his own terms. Throughout the book, Holden is faced with many challenges only he can fix, but also ones that he created. At the end of the book, Holden has learned to not rely on his hunting hat as much as he did at the beginning of the book. Holden’s escape from his world and his protection from adulthood were no longer necessary.

Everyone has certain beliefs that they believe make up a good person, In the story Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger the main character, Holden, is very depressed. He was kicked out of school and was left to wander around New York with no purpose. While in New York the audience got a chance to look inside of his thoughts. After reading this book three beliefs that Holden values a lot are innocence, sincerity and respect.

According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary a phony is defined as, “not genuine or real”. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye the word phony is identified with the protagonist of the novel, Holden Caulfield. Holden Caulfield is the fictional character created by J.D. Salinger to not only be the protagonist of his novel but to also be the narrator as well. He is described as a troubled teen who has a continuous streak of being dismissed from all the schools he has attended. Throughout the journey of one of Holden’s escapes everyone is faced with the fact that Holden believes that everyone is a phony. In The Catcher in the Rye Holden’s meaning of a phony is defined, the differences of phoniness within childhood and adulthood, Holden’s

I saw it in the window of this sports store when we got out of the subway, just after I noticed I’d lost all the goddam foils” (17). Almost right after buying the hat and losing the foils Holden uses it to hide from his mistakes. Holden’s hunting hat makes him unique from others, making him, in a sense, separated from other people. He is also insecure about his hat and won’t really wear it around some people. Holden shows this when he says, “I took my old hunting hat out of my pocket while I walked, and put it on. I knew I wouldn’t meet anybody that knew me…” (122). Holden likes being different, but he also desires to be like others. He enjoys trying to connect with other people, but every encounter seems to go poorly for him. The red hunting hat connects to the novel as a whole because it symbolizes Holden’s inner struggle for both companionship and isolation.

One of the literary devices in this novel is symbolism. Holden’s red hunting hat is the symbolic feature that alienates him from society. Ackley tells Holden “Up home we wear a hat like that to shoot deer in, for Chrissake… That’s a deer shooting hat” (Salinger 30), meaning Holden’s hat is only worn while hunting. Holden does not seem to care much for Ackley’s opinion and he wears it anyways. This shows Holden’s individuality and his uncommon desire compared

Do you know any phonies in your life, or ever just spotted one, without even talking to them. In the “Catcher in the Rye” Holden knows many phonies and even spotted some of them out. He even have Phonies in his family and have phony friends. Holden hates phonies with a passion, because they are so fake and lie about the stuff they have or they way they act to certain people. Holden can spot all these phonies, but the truth is he’s just a phony himself.

Phoniness is a trait that people adapt to over a period of time, whether it’s reacting in agreement to something they dislike, or hanging out with people that you don’t want to be with, people are constantly being fake or “phony.” People are taught to be phony to help the world go around, from actors and advertisement, to the bartender at a nightclub, phoniness is everywhere. Being phony is a way of living in that your actions change from one’s usual reactions. People may just want to be nice, but if inside they don’t feel like it, being phony is the way they act and they . In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, the meaning of the word “phony” develops throughout the novel as Salinger illustrates new characters, along with the actions that they display while being around Holden Caulfield. By being “phony” is how one could get on Holden’s bad side in the novel. Holden is an irresponsible teenager who can’t help but lie and get kicked out of schools in the 1940’s. Since freshman year, he’s been expelled from four boarding schools and he is only a junior in high school. Being as negative as he is, he is rejected by almost anyone he interacts with, besides his family. To be “phony” in Holden’s terms, one is regarded as somebody who acts in a way to be liked by a certain crowd of people. Throughout the novel, Holden develops a meaning to the word “phony” by illustrating how people act and how he feels about them.