Catcher in the Rye

             In The Catcher In the Rye, Holden's view of phoniness contradicts itself but his view of himself as superior to others will not allow him to recognize that he contradicts himself. He can find phoniness in just about everyone he meets. When he notices that someone is being "phony," he makes sure he is not like that. Holden either makes an excuse if he does act like that, or saying that he is in no way like that person. Holden believes that the adult world is made up of phonies; that children are the only ones who are innocent. He believes that by remaining innocent, he will not have to become an adult and become phony.
             According to Holden, the adult world is full of phoniness. Holden can look at adults and pick out their flaws that they are trying to cover up. He sees this and decides he wants no part of being an adult. However, when Holden is around older men and women, he tries to act like he is older. When he is talking to Mrs. Morrow on the train, he says, "Would you care for a cocktail? We can go in the club car. All right?" Holden knows that drinking an alcoholic beverage is an adult thing to do. He then goes on to sate with pride about his older looks. "and I have quite a bit of grey hair." Holden seems to be caught up in the idea of drinking to fit in and look important. Even though if he saw someone else doing it, he would call them a phony right away, Holden feels like it is the correct thing to do when one is out and on their own.
             When Holden is at Ernie's, he makes a big deal out of how boring other peoples" conversations are. Everyone he sees he says that they are having the most boring time. Yet Holden is sits by himself with nobody to talk to. He seems to forget that he is not having the time of his life either. At the end of the novel, he complains about the foul language written on the walls where the children can see it. "Somebody had written "Fuck you" on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy.