Holden is not a hypocrite!!

Throughout the whole novel, Holden constantly accuses the adult world for being phony, a term he uses to describe anyone who portrays themselves differently for underlying motives. However, interestingly enough, Holden is very phony. He constantly fakes his name and age in efforts to fit into the adult world. One can easily consider Holden as just a hypocrite or a misanthrope who hates all of society in general, but I think Salinger did this for a reason.

Holden is stuck in an awkward situation where his physical development and age is forcing him to conform into the phony adult world, but he hates phoniness so much that he can’t let go of his child-like character and he strongly desires to preserve his own innocence. This predicament causes a lot of problems for Holden. In efforts to fit into the adult world that he must transition into eventually, Holden practices phoniness. He tests it and experiments with it during his “vacation,” but unfortunately, he hates it. In fact, he is disgusted with himself whenever he does it, and this disgust is evident from the constant depressions that he feels after he practices phoniness. These depressions that he feels after attempting to fit into the adult world cause him to feel rejected by adulthood, and he becomes very reluctant to become an adult. Instead, he cherishes innocence, which is why he is so fond of children, and dreams of never growing up. By making Holden a hypocrite, Salinger shows readers the origins of his confusion and problems.

Additionally, by making it very vulnerable for readers to fall into the trap of considering Holden as a hypocrite, Salinger exemplifies how easy it is to misunderstand Holden and the causes of his problems, like the vast majority of society. Only readers who recognize the reasons for Holden’s hypocritical behavior can have a deep understanding for Holden.