Holden Caufield

        Throughout our many discussions in class we have talked about what type of person Holden is or if he's phony or not. In my opinion I don't think he's phony or if he is there isn't enough evidence yet to prove this. I can recall a question from a group work activity in which it asks in what ways is Holden phony? My group basically said that we didn't think he was a phony because he lies to himself but does not conform to what society wants or expects of him. The people that he considers to be phony are phony because they change to become something that they are not. Like in the case of Stradlater. Holden says that he is a secret slob but he portrays to be of this very clean, fresh handsome guy. He somewhat puts on this front to satisfy society. Society being the other guys. Others may think that Holden is phony primarily because he has qualities similar to those he call phony in that what he considers to be phony he in turn does himself. But this doesn't make him phony because he does things for different reasons. Reasons to him that are his so called principles. So in reality he isn't phony because he stays true to himself, and what he beliefs to be right.
         When I mentioned that he lies to himself I mean that we only know what he tells us, and alot of the stuff he says is only his train of thought. He doesn't do a lot of what he is actually thinking. And then also he paints these images in our head of how lousy his childhood was that is not so in reality. Another instance in which I think he lies to himself is when it comes to his age. When he went to the club in the hotel he asks for a Scotch and the waiter knows he isn't old enough and asks for verification of his age. But he seems to allow us and himself to believe that he looks older than he really is because of his gray hairs. But this does not necessarily make him phony because we find out that he does some things for the sake of survival in this lonesome and depressing world.