Phoniness and Innocence As Depicted in The Catcher in the Ry essays

Phoniness and Innocence As Depicted in The Catcher in the Ry essays In J.D. Salingers novel The Catcher in the Rye one of the main problems that Holden (the books main character has) is dealing with people who dont act truly like themselves. Holden calls these people phonies threw out the book. The book also tells about the adventures of a disturbed 16-year-old boy named Holden Caulfield during the weekend that he has been expelled from yet another boarding school, Pencey Prep. Through Salingers description of Holdens actions, feelings, and opinions to the readers, we begin to see that he holds a very strong contempt for most people and things that exist in the adult world, or phonies as he refers to them. Wherever Holden goes, he is in search of truth and innocence, but always ultimately becomes frustrated by all the phoniness of the world, and no matter how hard he tries, he also can not protect other children from eventually being exposed to the same reality. Throughout his teenage years, Holden is placed in school after school that puts him in contact with phonies after phonies. When the book begins, Holden attends a boarding school called Pencey Prep, which he has recently been expelled from. He is kicked out of Pencey because he is failing four out of five subjects and not applying himself in the least. Holden has been kicked out of many boarding schools before, such as Elkton Hills. He tells us the main problem that he had with Elkton Hills when he says One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies. Thats all. They were coming in the goddamn window (19). It seems that he can never find a school that is not filled with people which he places in the phony category. The reader begins to see the intense dislike that Holden shows toward many things because Pencey Prep. is supposed to be a very good school that molds boys...