Posted: Jun 27, 2008, 10:38 AM CST
Jose13 wrote:Do you find the guy who dreamt to catch others from falling, right there hidden in the rye fields, justified in his view of people as phonies?
Catcher in the Rye is in a sense a coming of age story in which the main character, Holden Caulfield, comes to terms with the realities of the adult world....that having to deal with and accept the cynicism, deceit, insincerity, etc. that are part of the reality of life....a reality from which we try to protect children, but which they all must learn to understand and accept.
So, yes, I think this view of people as phonies is justified. It is a term used by Holden to express the idea that being a grownup simply means living in a world that is full of deception, that the idealized world that we try to make for children doesn't exit. It is a theme of bitterness and sadness for the human race...why we have to be like that, who knows, but we are.
Salinger, in a sense, shows great naivete and sensitivity in dealing with this subject...and if you know much about Salinger, he pretty much decided not to join in the fray, becoming pretty much a recluse for much of his life.
Holden and the phony: click here to read the entire thread »