A shallow analysis of Holden from The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, may lead to the conclusion that Holden is a misanthrope and a hypocrite. Despite the fact that he shows and possesses the qualities of a misanthrope and a hypocrite, I think that there is a deeper meaning behind his phony façade.
There is a deeper reason as to why Holden hates people so much. He has been hurt by various incidents in the past such as the death of his brother, Allie. Allie’s death has an extremely large impact on Holden. It influences him throughout the whole novel. He was unable to cope with the death of his close family member, and as a result, he isolates himself from other people. This kind of behavior makes him appear like a misanthrope. In addition, when Mr. Antolili touches Holden’s head while he is sleeping, Holden runs out of Mr. Antolini’s house and says that “that kind of stuff’s happened to me about twenty times since I was a kid. I can’t stand it” (Salinger 193). This quotation shows how Holden has had horrible childhood memories. I think that those memories affect his personality and the way he interacts with people in the book.
Throughout the whole novel, Holden continuously criticizes people of being “phony” even though he is a phony himself. This is a representation of his hypocrisy. A deeper look into this hypocrisy can reveal that Holden is desperately in need of companionship. He always claims that he wants to call Jane Gallagher, but he never actually does call her. This in itself is hypocritical because he says one thing but does something else. He is crying out for companionship, but his outer hypocrisy and misanthrope self are shadowing his inner
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