Catcher in the Rye: Main Character Conflicts.
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is a teenage boy whose conscience and personality somewhat conflict with the social and moral values of his society. In the novel, he over-reacts to many everyday problems by over analyzing situations, placing blame and passing judgment. Through conflicts such as arrogance, sexual ignorance, and compulsive lying, Holden realizes that he does not fit into the basic standards of society.
One of Holden's problems is his tendency to lie about everything even when unnecessary. "I am the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life" (16) was how he explained himself. "If I"m on my way to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I"m going, I"m liable to say I"m going to the opera" (16). This is just one example of a lie that is unnecessary. This problem of Holden's makes it very hard for him to be a dependable person and in his society, dependability is highly valued.
Holden is very insecure with himself and the way he comes across to others. He puts up a "tough guy" front in order to hide his true feeling of fear from others; for example, the incident with Maurice the pimp and Sunny the Prostitute. Holden is uncomfortable with having a prostitute but he tries to act normal about it. When Maurice asks him if he's "innarested in a little tail t"night?"(91), he feels uncomfortable but he still gets the prostitute. He then tries to act tough when Maurice is asking for five more dollars for the prostitute and as the prostitute takes five more dollars from his wallet he starts to cry (103). This shows how he is insecure about his actions and this is looked down upon in a society that values honesty and integrity.
Holden's biggest conflict with society is that he always views people as "phony". Holden thinks that the majority of the people in the world are putting on an act to impress others. One example of this is his roommate at Pencey, Ward Stradlater.