HaCKeRz KrOnIcKLeZ 3/HaCKeRz_KrOnIcKLeZ.iso/anarchy/essays/schoolsucks/rye1.txt

Text File | 1996-04-27 | 8KB | 131 lines

Catcher in the Rye
Holden and His "Phony" Family

        The protagonist, Holden Caulfield, interacts with many people
throughout J.D. SalingerÆs novel The Catcher in the Rye, but probably
none have as much impact on him as certain members of his immediate
family.  The ways Holden acts around or reacts to the various members of
his family give the reader a direct view of HoldenÆs philosophy
surrounding each member.  How do HoldenÆs different opinions of his
family compare and do his views constitute enough merit to be deemed
truth?
        Holden makes reference to the word "phony" forty-four separate times
throughout the novel (Corbett 68-73).  Each time he seems to be
referring to the subject of this metaphor as -- someone who
discriminates against others, is a hypocrite about something, or has
manifestations of conformity (Corbett 71).  Throughout The Catcher in
the Rye, Holden describes and interacts with various members of his
family.  The way he talks about or to each gives you some idea of
whether he thinks they are "phony" or normal.  A few of his accounts
make it more obvious than others to discover how he classifies each
family member.
        From the very first page of the novel, Holden begins to refer to his
parents as distant and generalizes both his father and mother frequently
throughout his chronicle.  One example is:  "àmy parents would have
about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything personal about them.
TheyÆre quite touchy about anything like that, especially my father.
TheyÆre nice and all û IÆm not saying that û but theyÆre also touchy as
hell" (Salinger 1).  HoldenÆs father is a lawyer and therefore he
considers him "phony" because he views his fatherÆs occupation
unswervingly as a parallel of his fatherÆs personality.  For example,
when Holden is talking to Phoebe about what he wants to be when he grows
up, he cannot answer her question and proceeds to give her his opinion
about their fatherÆs occupation..

        æLawyers are all right, I guess û but it doesnÆt appeal to me,Æ         I
said.  æI mean theyÆre all right if they go around saving       innocent
guysÆ lives all the time, and like that, but you donÆt  do that kind of
stuff if youÆre a lawyer.  All you do is make a         lot of dough and play
golf and play bridge and buy cars and   drink Martinis and look like a
hot-shot.  How would you know you       werenÆt being a phony?  The trouble
is, you wouldnÆtÆ (Salinger     172).

When Holden describes his mom, he always seems to do so with a sense of
compassion yet also with a jeering tone.  Holden makes his mom sound
predictable and insincere.  These phony qualities are shown in two
different examples when Holden is hiding in the closet of D.B.Æs room as
his mom walks in to tuck in Phoebe:

        æHello!Æ I heard old Phoebe say.  æI couldnÆt sleep.  Did you   have a
good time?Æ
        æMarvelous,Æ my mother said, but you could tell she didnÆt mean         it.
She doesnÆt enjoy herself much when she goes out.
        àÆGood night.  Go to sleep now.  I have a splitting headache,Æ  my
mother said.  She gets headaches quite frequently.  She         really does
(Salinger 177-178).

The first two examples are excellent illustrations of how Holden
classifies people as phonies.  However, when it comes to HoldenÆs older
brother, D.B., more analysis is needed to derive HoldenÆs true feelings
about his brother.  Holden seems to respect his older brother somewhat
but cannot tolerate the imposed false image brought on by D.B.Æs career
choice as a screen-play writer.  For example, this sense of respect is
shown when D.B. takes Holden and Phoebe to see Hamlet:  "He treated us
to lunch first, and then he took us.  HeÆd already seen it, and the way
he talked about it at lunch, I was anxious as hell to see it, too"
(Salinger 117).  Holden feels that all movies and shows are false,
absurdly exaggerated  portrayals of reality and subsequently because his
brother takes part in these perversions of realism, he is a "phony."
HeÆs in Hollywood.  ThatÆs isnÆt too far from this crumby place, and he
comes over and visits me practically every week endàHeÆs got a lot of
dough, now.  He didnÆt use to.  He used to be just a regular writer,
when he was home  (Salinger 1).  Now heÆs out in Hollywood, D.B., being
a prostitute.  If thereÆs one thing I hate, itÆs the movies.  DonÆt even
mention them to me  (Salinger 2).
The way that Holden interacts with his sister, Phoebe, and the way
AllieÆs death still affects Holden are two direct examples of the
effects sibling relationships create.  The relationships people share
with siblings are often the longest-lasting they will ever have
(Crispell 1).  This idea, multiplied with the fact that Allie and Phoebe
are young and innocent, is perhaps why Holden has respect for his
younger siblings and considers them the only wholesome members of his
family.  Whenever Holden seems depressed (which is quite often) he tends
to turn to his younger siblings for comfort and support.  Even though
Allie is no longer available for actual physical comfort, thinking of
him makes Holden feel better.  These ideas are shown in numerous
examples throughout the novel.  When Holden checks into the hotel and,
while starting to feel depressed, the first person he wants to call is
Phoebe but he decides not to because it is so late.  "But I certainly
wouldnÆt have minded shooting the old crap with Phoebe for a while"
(Salinger 67).  HoldenÆs thoughts of Allie are shown with the fact that
Holden wrote StradlaterÆs composition on "Old AllieÆs baseball mitt"
(Salinger 38-39).  When Holden is talking to Phoebe about what he likes
is a third example of his close younger sibling relations.

        æYou canÆt even think of one thing.Æ
        æYes, I can.  Yes, I can.Æ
        æWell, do it, then.Æ
        æI like Allie,Æ I said. æAnd I like doing what IÆm doing right  now.
Sitting here with you, and talking, and thinking about  stuffÆ
(Salinger 171).

        From HoldenÆs account, it is obvious that he views the older members of
his family as phonies and the younger members as icons of truth and
innocence.  Yet trying to completely analyze how Holden truly thinks and
feels about each member of his family is a task that may not even be
entirely possible.  Holden is the storyteller in SalingerÆs novel.
Therefore, to what extent can his version be trusted or deemed as fact?
This idea is addressed through CorbettÆs elucidation:
  "Holden is himself a phony.  He is an inveterate liar; he frequently
masquerades as someone he is not; he fulminates against foibles of which
he himself is guilty; he frequently vents his spleen about his friends,
despite the fact that he seems to be advocating the need for charity"
(71).
        If Holden is a liar and a phony, perhaps his portrayal of each family
member is totally false. However, his consistent and repetitive accounts
at least give the reader some idea of how an adolescent boy, facing the
common experiences and troubles of daily life, views each member of his
family.



Works Cited

        Corbett, Edward P.J.  "Raise High the Barriers, Censors."  America, the
National Catholic Weekly Review 7 Jan. 1961.  Rpt. in If You Really Want
to Know: A "Catcher" Casebook.  Ed. Malcolm M. Marsden. Chicago: Scott,
Foresman, 1963.  68-73.
        Crispell, Diane.  "The Sibling Syndrome."  American Demographics.  Aug.
1996.  Online.  7 Oct. 1996.  Available
http://www.marketingtools.com/Publications/AD/96_AD/9608_AD/9608AF01.htm
        Salinger, J.D.  The Catcher in the Rye.  Boston: Little, Brown, 1991.