Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Phony Adults.
One of the most memorable things about Catcher in the Rye is how Holden classifies most adults as "phony." Why does he do this? What does he mean, and why is the idea of being "phony" or "not phony" important to Holden's story? What does it say about Holden's psychological state that he sees people in these terms? Use some scenes or details from the book to illustrate what you mean (for instance, the scene with Sally, or the scene with the girls in the bar, etc.)
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The way Holden uses phony is when someone conforms with society and is realistic. That is why he mostly calls adults phony because the people that he likes are younger like his sister, Phoebe. They are still young and do not have responsibilities,so they can do what they want and he does not think they are phony. He believes that normal things that you do are phony. For example he says that he does not want to be like his dad who has a desk job and goes golfing all the time because that is phony to him. What his dad does is something that lots of people do. He also says that his brother prostitutes himself in hollywood because he is not writing books like he used to and is now writing for movies. In both situations it is how they can make money, so that they can support themselves and be able to do other things in life that are more enjoyable. In the case of Holden’s brother, D.B. he thinks that because he is writing for the movies that he is not being true to himself by not doing what he liked and writing books. During his date with Sally, she runs into a guy that she met once and they start to talk about what has been going on. This annoys Holden and he thinks that the whole conversation is phony and what they are saying is stupid. They seemed to be having a normal conversation that you have with people, but it bothered him a lot. Holden is someone who does not know what he wants to do in life, so I think that him calling people phony for the way they act is important because it is his way of making himself feel better. In a way Holden Himself is phony because he acts like he is tough and older, but he says that he says that he is a pacifist is not mature in some ways.
ReplyDeleteHolden likes to isolate himself from the rest of the world by classifying most people as a phony. The few people who he doesn't call a phony include himself, Allie, and Phoebe, all of whom are not conformists. Holden likes to dream and believe rather than face a harsh reality. Although Allie's death was imminent Holden wanted to believe that Allie was going to die rather than accept the reality that Allie would pass away. This is why he was so angry when Allie died, not only because his brother died, but also because his dream was shattered. In addition, he wants Phoebe to stay innocent and dream, rather than become a conformist. Also, Holden enjoys creativity. This is why he only does well in English class. In English you can write about whatever you choose and have fun with it. In the other classes there is no argument to be made. There are only facts to memorize, and there is no creativity to use. Holden sees the people who enjoy other subjects as conformists and phonies. Holden liked the way his brother went against the norm and wrote books more than when he conformed with society and decided to write for Hollywood movies, although there was more money to be made in Hollywood. When Holden is on his date with Sally he breaks out talking about how horses are human, a chimpanzee wearing pants on a bicycle, and asks Sally to run away to the peaceful lands of Vermont with him. He says that horses are human because they can be free to run wherever they want. Holden uses a chimpanzee wearing pants on a bicycle as a metaphor for people in society who are forced to follow the paths of others and make a job in a boring cubicle in a boring office building and live with their one family household in the suburbs. And Holden wishes to go to Vermont to escape the phonies in cities and towns around the world and make a life for himself that flows against the established norm. In the end, Holden is making a statement that people should follow their dreams and be believers, not the average conformist.
ReplyDeleteHolden is a critical person. Holden has a vast list of reasons of why he will call someone/something a phony. Some reasons are; the person may think highly of themselves, they may act immodest, they may be a “sell out”, and the list goes on. I feel like he does this because he doesn’t have strong connections with the people in his life. He mentioned at the beginning of the book his parents are “phonies” and his brother D.B lives out In California because he is prostituting himself with his movies. Due to this, I feel it gave him a warped outlook on life and he can’t build relationships up with people. When he meets someone he automatically blocks them out and calls them phony. The thing about the word phony, is it seems to relate to him more at times rather than the people he’s calling phony. On multiple occasions he has described himself as this big genuine guy who isn’t scared of anything and will fight anyone who comes at him. But in reality, when he’s faced with a challenge, he usually doesn’t have the guts to fight back. He, himself, is the actual phony. He is very contradicting with his words and thoughts. He is very self-destructive on the way he goes through life.
ReplyDeleteHolden Caulfield classifies adults who have a regular schedule including a job, family, etc. as phony because they have assimilated into society. Holden is far from the average person, he is very creative and likes to have his own ideas. Hence his love for English and writing. He also believes that you should be able to make your own choices without being influenced by society. Most kids or teenagers still have a great imagination, full of wonderful ideas and dreams for when they grow up. Despite kids being so optimistic they usually end up blending into the typical routine of an adult. This is what Holden would call phony. For the most part Holden only spends time with people he doesn’t identify as phony like Allie, Phoebe, and Jane. However, Allie unfortunately passed away and Holden hasn’t spoke with Jane in years. His obsession with not being phony makes him antisocial with only a few friends. Psychologically Holden is unstable, constantly judging and classifying people. Holden struggles with fitting in because he wants different things than everyone else. For instance, Holden’s conversation with Sally gave a good idea of what Holden wants for his future. He specifically says he doesn’t want to be phony and live in New York with a typical office job. Holden would rather run away to the rural areas of Vermont to settle down. In this scene Holden give analogies about animals. This is how Holden sees most adults, like monkeys with pants on riding bicycles, he also thinks horses are humans. According to Holden, adults personalities are similar to animals. Holden struggles with fitting into society so he separates himself by accusing others of being phony and immature.
ReplyDeleteIn Holden's eyes most of the world are considered phonies. He feels that anyone that has given up and given into what is supposed to be "socially acceptable" is a phony. I think he does this because of how much he doesn't fit in to the social norm. He insults other people through simply calling them basic and it reassures himself that he may not be normal but that is okay because to him normal is fake. Like I said before he refers to everyday citizens as phonies, this has a lot of relevance to the story because he easily gets himself into these odd situations through his resentment of phonies.It shows there is definitely something off with him. Most of us would refer to people he believes are phonies as basic people that fly under our radar and never really stick out. He is clearly very compulsive and wants so bad to be different than everyone else he gets himself in situations where he can get hurt and he hurts others. Like for instance that scene with Sally. As they were talking he realized that what he needed to do in order to not grow old and live a normal life and have a steady job was to follow his impulses. So he began to rant on and pressure Sally to run away with him, for he would rather run away with no money and family then live a basic lifestyle. The way Holden views this world of phonies we live in really shapes his character and shows us that he thinks differently than most of us. He is in a constant state of analyzing the little things and can never really enjoy life because of this.
ReplyDeleteHolden’s mind often defaults people to being phony fairly quickly. Throughout the novel so far, there are very few people that he does not consider a phony, like Allie, Phoebe and Jane. It appears that qualities that involve some type of creativity appeals to Holden. Allie was a very creative before he died he loved reading and literature. Phoebe likes her music and she also performs other artistic activities. Holden’s mind automatically deem people as a phony as soon as he can recognize that person's incapability to be creative. For example, Holden’s old roommate Stradlater, Stradlater was not a creative person by any means. Holden picked that up quickly, and it clearly became visible when Stradlater asked Holden to do his English project in which pretty much required creativity, and when Holden finishes Stradlater scolds Holden for his creativity on the project.
ReplyDeleteHolden’s favorite word throughout the novel has to be phony because he says it every other word. He classifies everyone as phony, especially adults, except for a hand full of people. The term phony to Holden, means weird, fake or not normal. As we see, Holden doesn’t socially fit in with everyone but to him he does and everyone else are phonies. Phony is important to Holden’s story because it reflects the type of person he is. On the outside, Holden portrays himself as a tough guy who can handle anything that is thrown at him. On the inside, he is sensitive. Calling others phonies also shows how Holden doesn’t want to grow up. In the beginning of the novel, he claimed his father as a phony because he had worked in an office. I feel as if Holden doesn’t understand what growing up means.An adult that is doing a great job trying to make a living is a phony in Holden’s eyes. Maybe this is why he doesn’t want to grow up. Another example is when he is on a date with Sally. Sally had spotted an old friend so she went to go talk with him for a minute. In the meantime, Holden repeats himself over and over again in his head that the conversation is phony and Sally’s friend was phony. Holden clearly doesn’t know what a conversation is. Why would he say that their conversation was phony when Holden has conversations like that all the time. Holden and his perception of phony are very strong but very confusing.
ReplyDeleteIn the book, “Catcher in the Rye” the main character Holden Caulfield repeats the word “phony” numerous times throughout the book. It’s almost as if everything to Holden is “phony” or another term for something negative. It seems that he is in some sort of critical mental state that has put him into a perspective so he sees everything in the world as something crumby or lousy. My theory behind this is that because Holden’s brother, D.B., became a writer for hollywood, Holden believed that D.B. was selling himself out. So Holden believes that D.B. was being a “phony” and he realized how many “phonies” there are in the world. So what he really means by saying this is that he is calling them a fake, not sincere, or not real. For example, in the scene with Sally. Sally was talking to an old friend of hers and all Holden could think about was how phony they both were being. This is such a major concept in the book because that is really the base that holds together Holden’s character. The entire book we see through his perspective how he sees the world and how the world sees him, and the fact that it isn’t your stereotypical kid telling the story, makes his character all the more interesting.
ReplyDeleteHolden has an obsession with "phonies", but never quite defines what constitutes a phony. Holden is incredibly antisocial, and seems to peck at every character flaw in nearly everybody he meets. His use of the word "phones" is his way of isolating himself. He believes that they are all conformists, and that he has to go against the machinations of society.The only ones whom he doesn't refer to as phonies are those he is close to, possibly reflecting that "phonies" may only refer to those he has an irrational dislike of. This comes across strongly in his interactions with Sally, as after the incident, he acts as if he didn't like Sally from the beginning, as any possible bond they could've formed was lost. In conclusion, Holden is an antisocial teenager, ho feels as if anybody who follows the rules of society are "phonies", and therefore inferior or not to be trusted.
ReplyDeleteIn the book "The Catcher in the Rye", the main character Holden refers to many people in the book as phony. He uses this word while describing many classmates and adults in the scenes. I think Holden does this because he is either jealous or envious of the people and the life they created for themselves. He usually calls people phony when they seem to have a surplus of money or their family does. An example of this is when Holden refers to the discussion Sally if having with a friend of hers named George. Holden says, “It was the phoniest Conversation you ever heard in you life”.(127) I'm able to conclude that Holden thinks the conversation was phony because he is jealous of the way Sally reacts to seeing George and of how successful he seems. In Holden's mind when something is “not phony” he is talking about someone who is similar to himself and who he can connect to in someway. Though, someone is “phony” to Holden when they are more successful and driven than he is. I think this shows that he does not have a very stable psychological state because he lets his jealousy and rage control his thoughts and actions,whereas he should think about things before he reacts on them.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the book, I believe Holden sees adults as "phony" because he has this idea that every adult either lives a boring life in New York or becomes famous. For example, his older brother is a famous movie producer in Los Angeles and he sees him as phony because of how big he has become. I think Holden wants to do something different with his life and stand out. He thinks so little of himself compared to society but he does dream about having a life where he could be free in. For example, he had a dream of running away with Sally and for once he seems truly happy. He doesn't want to be seen as the same as everyone else when he grows up, he wants to be seen as different and unique. Holden really doesn't call Phoebe and Allie phony, though. I believe he doesn't call them phony because in his mind, he still wants to be a child again. Maybe he did not have the time to be a child while he had the chance and he had to grow up too fast. I also believe that Holden realized that he does not need to walk the path that society has already formed for everyone. He does not have to be the same as everyone. He does not have to become a famous man in the Television Industry or even just get up everyday and go to a boring job. He wants to live in a life that he has created, not one that has previously been created for him, hence the reason why he calls people phony (aka stereotypical).
ReplyDeleteHolden Caulfield, the protagonist in J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye can be considered a hypocrite and a phony. Holden, accuses most adults as phonies; however it is simply because the adults in his life take responsibility and accept their roles. For example, he calls his parents phonies. It is because perhaps he had a lot of trouble moving on from Allie’s death. He can not see that living and following through with personal obligations does not mean that the whole in their hearts had healed. In addition to his parents, Holden also considers his older brother, D.B. a phony. He calls him a prostitute for selling Hollywood scripts for money. In actuality, Holden attending multiple schools makes him phony. He does not take his education seriously, but he criticizes his brother for using his intelligence. Another example, Holden likes Jane, but dates Stradlater. Phony is Holden’s refusal to grow up and accept the loss of his brother and his behavior of critiquing others . In the story, he reads some classic books and authors, but can be quoted as saying, “I’m quite illiterate, but I read a lot”. Holden is unable to reflect and see himself as the real phony.
ReplyDeleteolden finds many people in the story guilty of violating what he thinks is pure and with that he calls them a phony. Loosely, the term phony means someone (or something) that is not acting genuinely, or in a fraudulent way. He has in his head a set of behaviors that he feels are genuine and when people don't act according to them they become, in his head, a phony. I believe this links back to his brother, Allie's, death and the fact that he is approaching adulthood. This is why Holden believes that all adults are phony because of the fact that they take responsibility for their lives, even when things don't go your way, adults have to cope. I think Holden finds it particularly difficult to accept that his parents are able to move on from Allie's death. His parents probably have moved forward, continued to live, to work and to make money. Unfortunately for Holden, he does not realize that life requires the living to go on, even though you bear a deep sadness and loss in your heart. He doesn't want to and physically can't accept the ideals that an adult exhibits when assimilating into society. Chapter 17 is the perfect example of him not accepting that he is becoming an adult physically but he maintains a child-like mentality. When he starts rambling on about moving into a home with Sally and not dragging around a suitcase or playing bridge, it shows that he wants to do something that seems realistic to a child but not something a normal adult would do. By doing this he is separating himself more from society and is actually become more and more of a phony himself as the book goes on.
ReplyDeleteAs we read about Holden throughout the book, we see that he judges people on a regular basis for little things. One of the most we see of his judgments is his calling others "phony". When Sally talks to George, he calls their conversation phony when really he was probably just annoyed, or perhaps jealous. He uses it to hide his true emotions about the person and/ or situation. On the other hand, him saying a lot of things are phony could be him reflecting on himself being phony, because a lo of the time that's exactly what he is. Though he may not realize it but deep down I think he knows that and tries to avoid it by calling other things phony to make it seem like he isn't. As Gianna had also said (which kind of reflects what I was going to say) is that he also sees most adults as phonies because he sees them as either extremely boring or successful, well-known people. there is nothing in between. And as the book goes on he states many other things that show he can't mature into a new and better person, so he becomes more of the phony as the book goes on. He thinks that people can live simply and be able to get by when really, you have to feel sadness, and see the happy times, and work hard but still have good times in life. It's not one long motion, its a big line broken into mini pieces. In conclusion, Holden finds many things phony, but in the end they all reflect his own self and how he is the real phony of the story.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the book Holden calls many people phony's. Holden calls his class mates, his teachers, adults he knows, and even strangers phony's. The definition of phony is not genuine or fraudulent, but Holden uses it to describe anyone who he doesn't come off as pure to him. He often describes people who are well off as phony's. I think he does this because he is jealous of them and wants to make an excuse for why they are successful and not him. There is many cases of Holden calling people phony but one that stuck out to me was at the very beginning of the book. Holden describes his brother as a phony because he is a writer in Hollywood. Holden says that he used to look up to his brother but now hes just prostituting himself to Hollywood. Holden's brother is not really a prostitute but Holden says he does this because he is "selling himself out". In the end Holden calls many people phony which i think is the result of his jealousy of other people's success.
ReplyDeleteThe dictionary defines phony as not real, false or deceiving and, insincere or deceitful. I think Holden's use of this word is a little different than the literal definition. When he uses this word he thinks it is describing the people he’s talking because he truly believes they are fake and insincere. However if you look past Holden’s mind and pay attention to the real world around him you see that he uses to word to describe people he can’t understand. They don’t think like him, he can’t understand the way others think so instead of trying he just calls them phony. He can not comprehend the fact that everyone doesn’t think exactly like him, this tells a lot about his psychological state. Any normal human should be able to comprehend that other people can have different opinions and try to see things from other's point of view. Holden is unable to do this, it shows he isn’t in the same mental state as other normal humans. A great example of this would be in the scene when Holden snaps on Sally. He invites her out and has an okay time, however towards the end of the date he loses it. He gets this idea of running away with Sally and beginning a new life with her. However Sally is hesitant and has valid concerns about Holden's plans. Of course this causes Holden to think Sally is a big phony. He could not understand why or how Sally could think differently than he did. She had extremely reasonable concerns about Holden's big idea, problems anyone in their right mind would think about. Yet Holden isn’t in his right mind and anything different is simply fake.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel, “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, one of the most memorable things is how Holden classifies most adults as “phony.” Holden does this because he does not like the idea of adults. Holden likes to live his life in only one way and that is doing whatever he wants, when he wants. Holden can not live up to the expectation of adulthood. Holden’s character has found himself an own meaning of “phony.” The definition of “phony” is not genuine or fraudulent. Holden's definition of this word has come to be anybody who is conceded, anybody who is hypocritical, anybody who has disgusting habits, or anybody who is “suave” with woman. The list goes on, but Holden has this idea locked in his brain that anybody who is not intelligent, friendly or talented, is phony. This shows Holden’s psychological state in not on good terms and he has something going on that is wrong in his mind. He does not see the good in most people, or does not really give them the chance to show them who they really are. He does not realize that Holden, himself, is a phony.
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