Don't trust Holden Caulfield

    Holden is obsessed with not being "phony". He gets ticked off anytime he catches a whiff of phoniness, but he takes it so far that he feels surrounded by phonies. To not be a phony in Holden's eye leaves almost no room for being part of the adult world.
    One thing that annoyed me is when Holden criticized Ernie for being too good at the piano. The way he described it, Ernie really did sound like a prick, but the idea that I didn't like was when he said "If I were a piano player, I'd play it in the goddam closet" (84). He rejects the idea of being good at something to get attention from other people. As a pianist, I enjoy playing for myself as well, but I also like sharing what I've learned with my friends, and I don't like his view on that. It isn't wrong to want others to see what you've accomplished. Holden also dislikes the actors in the Lunts for being show-offy, saying, "If you do something too good, then, after a while, if you don't watch it, you start showing off. And then you're not as good any more". I think one thing about show-offs that upsets Holden is that he lacks a specialized skill or defining trait, and so he feels insecure about that. 
    Holden has found the worst angle to view the world from, and when you take what he says as the absolute truth, you are forced to agree with him. As the reader, we look at the world through Holden's lens, but if you step back and think about the situation yourself, everything feels less phony. Holden is used to criticizing people for doing just about anything, saying things like, "It kills me when people do this"; "This kind of person's always trying to do that". I think Holden is insecure about not fitting in and not knowing his own place in society, and he's blaming everyone else for his confusion. Phoebe notices Holden's lack of interest, and accuses him of not liking anything. He can only think of James Castle and Allie, and the two nuns he met just the other day. These three examples are connected but I don't feel like getting into that here. The main thing here is, Holden doesn't understand himself or the world around him, and he's still very much going through his coming of age process. So as a narrator and a role model, Holden Caulfield is not reliable.

Comments

  1. TaehanFebruary 1, 2023 at 5:44 PM

    "I think one thing about show-offs that upsets Holden is that he lacks a specialized skill or defining trait, and so he feels insecure about that. "

    I really like this point that you made. I think you could also say that his judgements on other peoples' talents and abilities affect Holden's boldness as well. We constantly see Holden unable to voice is 'inner voice' and always putting on a mask for people around him, and I think part of that may be because he is afraid to face the judgement that he puts on people. In this way I think your right that his voice is also a reflection of his own insecurities and lack of confidence.

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  2. Priya HFebruary 1, 2023 at 9:53 PM

    I found your point about Holden feeling insecure about lacking a talent of his own interesting. It's true that we don't get much of a sense of what Holden is good at--he's failing all his classes, etc. However, when we saw his essay, it did seem like he has a talent for writing, and he was captain of the fencing team, meaning that he probably was pretty skilled. I think part of the reason why we feel that he lacks these defining traits is because of that quote you mentioned ("I would play it in the closet"), as Holden must truly believe this and doesn't even show off his talents to the reader!

    I agree that Holden's broad generalizations and criticism should be taken with a grain of salt. For one, his bravado about "knowing everything" is for sure exaggerated--he's only sixteen! I like your point that his own insecurities and inability to fit in reflect on why he criticizes everything; it's almost like he's justifying his alienation by saying that he's above everyone else. I do find a lot of his criticisms pretty valid and interesting, but some are quite extreme and even a little hypocritical.

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  3. EleanorFebruary 2, 2023 at 9:30 PM

    I like how you argued that his criticism could be due to a lack of talent himself. Additionally, I think it could be difficult for Holden to put himself into Ernie's shoes and realize that he may have other motives to share his music. Holden doesn't seem to have any shareable talent so it could be hard for him to accurately relate to Ernie.

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  4. Andrea LiFebruary 3, 2023 at 8:12 AM

    I like your point about Holden's worldview skewing his reliability as a narrator; his constant inclusion of us as readers in his relentless criticism and confident "trust me" recounting of events makes it easy to completely take Holden's side in everything. Thus, it is important to to critically consider what is being told to us. Still, I don't think Holden's unreliability is a fault, but rather one of the best parts of reading Catcher in the Rye. The narration feels very realistic of an unfiltered thought process and genuine rambling, rather than a carefully crafted front that we tend to put on when writing more formally. Because of that, I don't think it is fair to completely condemn Holden for being so honest about his thoughts. He has chosen to confide the worst, more ugliest sides to his character to the reader, especially as he is going through deep crisis and grief, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have talents (English and writing!) or potential to grow.

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  5. Kelby SvendsenFebruary 3, 2023 at 11:21 AM

    I think in many cases it is worth distinguishing the sellouts and those who put their heart into something they're passionate about. But often times when Holden starts to criticize someone it feels like he never even gives them a chance. He makes up his mind the second he sees or hears something never invests himself or gives anything a second chance. Also, Holden, coming from a place of privelege, doesn't seem to understand that some people whether they want to or not, have to showcase their talents in order to survive. For many people standing out or being showoffy is their means of income and survival, so I think its unfair and unreasonable to criticize those who have dedicated their lives to mastering something and then are expected to hide it from the world.

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  6. Olivia ThompsonFebruary 16, 2023 at 1:13 PM

    I feel like Holden's negative takes on other people may just be a reflection of his own dislike for adults and growing up. Possibly, seeing other people making careers or being successful at something reminds him that one day he too will have to grow up and do that. I definitely agree that this is a result of his confusion while growing up. I also think that in his depressed state of mind, he finds a lot of negative in the beautiful things in life, because it's hard for him to find good in a life without Allie.

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  7. EliMarch 8, 2023 at 12:04 PM

    I agree with other commenters that Holden isn't really able to empathize or even put himself in other's shoes. Both with how he doesn't treat someone like Jane as someone who has agency as well as how he judges others who are trying to help him like his history teacher. His obsession with not being a phony causes an internal rift between himself and people like D.B and Ernie, which in turn feeds into him not being able to relate to others.

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  8. Yelim KimMarch 10, 2023 at 9:55 AM

    Hey, I totally understand your discussion of how Holden's comment about Ernie is annoying (and initially I also felt indignant about his comment on playing in the closet), but now I think I understand Holden's views as well. As we saw in the Bell Jar, pursuing a certain skill to chase fame and external validation from others can lead someone (like Esther) to lose their real passion in it and start to degrade in their performance. Maybe Holden was suggesting that too much fame can blind someone from the core meaning of performing a skill at the fundamental level? (But I do acknowledge the fact that Holden is hypersensitive/critical of everything).

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  9. Jaewoon JungMarch 13, 2023 at 1:52 PM

    I am in agreement with this post. A lot of his anger towards people in general isn't always well justified. Like his Stradlater, it often seems as if he is jealous or insecure about his lack of defining traits. He also tends to make a lot of generalizations and assumptions about peoples intent leading him into these situations often.

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