The Catcher in the Rye | Themes

Hatred of Phonies
"Phonies" is arguably the word most often associated with J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield has a thirst for authentic experience, and the fake behavior and attitudes he finds among other people sicken him. The first time the term occurs is when Holden describes the headmaster of Pencey Prep as a "phony slob." He rejects the school's high-faluting statements about how it molds "splendid, clear-thinking young men" as mere advertising propaganda. Since school is supposed to be Holden's...

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