theravers

Austin Esposito and Kelsey O'Brien

1. How does the symbol/motif come up in the novel, and how does it impact what is going on? What happens immediately preceding or immediately following a mention or discussion of this idea or thing?  The motif is brought up in the novel when it is referring to the boys at Holden’s school, his family’s friends, his brother’s ex girlfriend’s Navy officer boyfriend, the ivy league guys, the people at the theater, and the people at the swanky hotel in the city. Holden is not fond of phonies and always thinks to himself about how they are fake and annoying. He cannot stand phonies, and constantly keeps associating himself with them. “Anyway, when he finished, and everyone was clapping their heads off, old Ernie turned around on his stool and gave this very phony, humble bow. Like as if he was a helluva humble guy, besides being a terrific piano player. It was very phony- I mean him being such a snob and all.” Page 84 Upon meeting someone, Holden always judges a person on whether they are a phony or not. He tries to avoid phonies because they push his buttons and make him depressed; this is why he was glad to leave Pencey.

· 2. What is the mood when this idea or thing is brought up? Would you associate this with times when Holden is content? frightened? frantic? confused? Is this mood consistent with every incidence of this motif? When he sees phony people or feels the person is meeting is phony he gets in a very angry and upset mood cause phonies just fake people get him upset, he says that many people are phonies. He talks about his roommate being a big phony he says “If you really knew him he, was a slob in person and that he tries to act all cool with the girls he meets.” Also about his principle he talks about how he just smiles in person to the parents but when its just him and the kids he is a real jerk. When all this stuff happens he is really Frantic and Confused. He pretty much does this every time he meets somebody.

3. Is Holden alone when this motif/symbol occurs? If not, with whom is he interacting? How would you characterize that interaction? Does this motif occur both when he is alone and when he is with other people? Is there a connection to be made?  Holden encounters many phonies throughout the novel. He judges people based on whether they are phonies or not. He is faced with many phones at Pencey. His roommate, Stradlater, was a phony. He appeared put together on the outside but he was secretly a slob. This killed Holden because no one knew the real him. He sees ivy league when he is out at the bars and also refers to them as phonies. He overhears a conversation between an Ivy League guy and his girlfriends he starts to slide his hand up her leg while they were having a conversation. He knew that all that he really didn’t want to talk and was being extremely fake just to please her and then to get some action. “”How marvelous to see you! Old Lillian Simmons said. Strictly a phony. “How’s your big brother?” That’s all she wanted to know.” Page 86

4. What does this motif/symbol tell you about Holden, in a “big picture” way - Does this suggest anything about his personality? His weaknesses or strengths? His sense of himself? It shows that in a way he has a very low self-esteem because he just keeps saying that everyone is a phony when in a way he is because the way he lies all the time and when he meets new people he gives himself a new name. So it seems his weakness is himself, the way he tries to hide himself by trying to make everyone else seem like they are worse then he is him. But his strengths has to be his ability to lie about the things he does but all in all he does it to make the fake people are worse than he is.

5. Tie it all together: Did any pattern emerge? Pick out other words or ideas used in conjunction with this motif. Look back on your investigation and come up with a single sentence that sums up what you’ve discovered. Holden keeps judging others and thinks of them as phonies, but what he does not realize is that he himself is a phony too.

Catcher in the Rye Essay Outline I. Introduction a. From the dorms at Pencey to the streets of New York City, Holden has crossed many phonies that he has a strong opinion about;. b. Throughout the novel, Holden is faced with many “phonies”, but the whole time he accuses people of being phony, he himself is a phony. i. The principal of Pencey is a phony because he plans everything out perfectly so that he can get the approval of the wealthy families. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">ii.Holden’s roommate Stradlater pretends to be someone different from what he truly is to try to win over girls. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">iii. Everyone Holden runs into during his weekend in the city seems to be a “phony” and bothers Holden in certain ways.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Body One (Avenue one/Main reason 1) linked with THESIS STATEMENT <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Holden refers to the principal of Pencey as a phony. He is not very fond of him and doesn’t like the way he acts and treats the parents at the school. It bothers Holden how the principal just puts on an act for all the parents. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> a. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The First thing he says is “He just puts on a smile for the parents that so that when they leave they think he is all nice." Holden is saying that he is just pretending to be all nice so that parents and all the other family members like him so that when he is mean to the kids the parents won’t believe him.” <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">b. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">He also says “ Before the parents come he gives us steak so that when the parents ask what we had yesterday we could say we had steak. He just does to sound like he actually gives us real food.” He is showing that he is phony by trying to make the parents think he is a great guy for giving the kids steak when he hardly even cares.” <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> c. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The last thing he says is “ That when he is giving a speech and he acts like he is the best person there. I hate people like that.” Holden is saying that he is a person that just judges people so fast and thinks that he is better than them but the ironic thing is that is what Holden does to everyone else.”

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Body Two (Avenue one/Main reason 2) linked with THESIS STATEMENT <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Stradlater is a phony according to Holden. He considers him a phony due to the fact that he is a secret slob. To the world it seems as if he is a well-kept person but Holden knows that he is actually quite the opposite. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">a. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> “Stradlater was more of a secret slob. He always looked all right, Stradlater, but for instance, you should’ve seen the razor he shaved himself with.” (Salinger 27) Stradlater always likes to show girls the good-looking guy he is but he keeps his gross habit hidden so they are more attracted to him.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">b. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> “But he was mostly the kind of handsome guy that if your parents saw his picture in the year book, they’d right away say, “Who’s this boy?”” (Salinger 27) He thought of Stradlater as being the typical perfect son and student. Holden knew that Stradlater was an overrated guy because he had gotten to know him due to the fact that they had been roommates for quite some time.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">c. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> “The reason he fixed himself up to look good was because he was madly in love with himself.” (Salinger 27) Holden couldn’t stand phonies because he was forced to be around them all the time at the fany schools he went to. Stradlater is a perfect example of the typical phony guys that attend those kind of schools. He is conceited, full of himself, obnoxious, and wealthy. All the things that make up the kind of people that Holden despises so much.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Body Three (Avenue one/Main reason 3) linked with THESIS STATEMENT <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Holden seems to have this notion that almost everyone he runs into are completely phony and fake. He thinks that they are all the same and he despises the way they act and present themselves. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">a. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> “All those Ivy League bastards look alike. My father wants me to go to Yale, or maybe Princeton, but I swear I wouldn’t go to one of those Ivy League colleges, if I was dying, for Christ’s sake.” (Salinger 85) Holden does not like the way the Ivy League guys act because he thinks they are fake and corny and all basically appear to be the same exact person

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">b. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> “Anyway, when he finished, and everyone was clapping their heads off, old Ernie turned around on his stool and gave this very phony, humble bow. Like as if he was a helluva humble guy, besides being a terrific piano player. It was very phony- I mean him being such a snob and all.” (Salinger 84) Holden thinks its ridiculous how fake Ernie is. Well, yes, he is a talented musician but certainly milks it for all its worth and pretends to be humble about it which really ticks Holden off.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">c. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> “”How marvelous to see you! Old Lillian Simmons said. Strictly a phony. “How’s your big brother?” That’s all she wanted to know.” He knows that she is lying when she says how happy she is to see him. He hates when people overdo things and are fake and this is why Holden is so bothered by Lillian.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">c. Conclusion <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">a. While Holden is busy criticizing everyone about being a phony, what he doesn’t realize is that he is a phony himself. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">1. Holden accuses the Principal of being a phony because he lies to people to try to make the wealthy families like him. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">2. Holden lies about his age all the time to try to pick up girls and to get alcohol. Holden and the principal are alike in the way that they lie to get someone to think of them in a certain way. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> ii. Stradlater is a secret slob and comes off as a put together person when in fact he is the complete opposite. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">1. Stradlater hides his mess and makes himself look nice when he goes out. Holden does the same thing with his emotions. He is emotionally unstable ever since the loss of his brother and he covers up the pain and pretends as if nothing is wrong. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> iii. Holden is convinced everyone he runs into in the city is a phony. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">1. Holden soon starts to call everyone a phony because he knows deep down that he is exactly what he hates about all these people. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> iv. It’s ironic how he points out the flaws of others when he himself has the same flaws plus others that are sure to outweigh everyone else’s that he accuses of being a phony.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">ROUGH DRAFT <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">From the dorms at Pencey to the streets of New York City, Holden has crossed many phonies that he has a strong opinion about.. The elders at Pencey are phonies because of their corny nature and their over willingness to please the wealthy families. Holden’s classmates all pretend to be someone different from what they truly are to come off all tough and to win over girls. Everyone Holden runs into during his weekend in the city seems to be a “phony” and bothers Holden in certain ways. Throughout the novel, Holden is faced with many “phonies”, but the whole time he accuses people of being phony, he himself is a phony.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Holden refers to the principal of Pencey and to Old Spencer as phonies. He is not very fond of them and doesn’t like the way they act like they know so much more than him and what is best for him. He hates their corny speeches about how he should give more effort in school; he felt as if they were a waste of time. The principal is only concerned about winning over the parents. He wants them to think he is a nice and caring man so that maybe the parents will donate more money to the school since most of the boys that attend originate from wealthy families. “He just puts on a smile for the parents that so that when they leave they think he is all nice." Holden puts on a fake personality for others so they have a certain idea about who he is as well. He lied to Ernest’s mother when he met her on the train. He lied to her about who he was and about her son so that her idea of her son differed from the truth. The principal also gives off a vibe that he thinks that he is better than everyone else. “ That when he is giving a speech and he acts like he is the best person there. I hate people like that.” Holden thinks he is a person that just judges people so fast and thinks that he is better than them but the ironic thing is that is what Holden does to everyone else. Holden always judges people before he never even meets them; he draws conclusions about people by the way that they look and how they talk before he even knows their name. Old Spencer is a phony because he gives Holden a speech about how he should truly care and try more in school. “I’d lie to put some sense in that head of yours, boy. I’m trying to help you. I’m trying to help you, if I can.” Holden knows that Old Spencer is trying to make him realize that he has lots of potential but he also know that his speech is just a whole bunch of blabber. Holden goes off on rants himself and talks too much as well. Holden jumps to conclusions about people and never really gives them a chance. In the long run, because of this, Holden misses out on a lot of beneficial things throughout the novel.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Holden stays in his dorm room most of the time while at school. He spends most his time interacting with both Stradlater and Ackley while in his dorm. Although he tolerates them both, they still drive him crazy and he considers both of them phonies. Stradlater is a “phony” because he is a secret slob. “Stradlater was more of a secret slob. He always looked all right, Stradlater, but for instance, you should’ve seen the razor he shaved himself with.” (Salinger 27) Stradlater always likes to show girls the good-looking guy he is but he keeps his gross habit hidden so they are more attracted to him. Holden is like Stradlater here because he lies to girls about this age so that they are more attracted to him. In addition, Stradlater comes off perfect and it bothers Holden because he knows how Stradlater really is as apposed to how he comes off to other people. “But he was mostly the kind of handsome guy that if your parents saw his picture in the year book, they’d right away say, “Who’s this boy?”” (Salinger 27) He thought of Stradlater as being the typical perfect son and student. Holden knew that Stradlater wasn’t all that he came off to be because he had gotten to know him due to the fact that they had been roommates for quite some time. Holden, himself, is a wealthy boy and would fall under the same stereotype as Stradlater. In general they have similar characteristics, and by judging Stradlater, he is in turn judging himself. Ackley also pushed Holden’s buttons because he was disgusting and always lied about things. Ackley would talk about the times that he had sexual intercourse but Holden knew that he was not being honest. Holden knew this because each time Ackley would tell him the story, the plot would change. “He’d already told me about it about five hundred times. Every time he told it, it was different. One minute he’d be giving it to her in his cousin’s Buick, the next minute he’d be giving it to her under some boardwalk. It was a lot of crap, naturally. He was a virgin if I ever saw one.” (Salinger 37) The ironic thing about Holden judging Ackley for lying about this is that Holden lies about basically everything. He lies even about the smallest things that don’t matter, just for amusement. His double standards for both Stradlater and Ackley contradict his own actions.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Holden seems to have this notion that almost everyone he runs into is completely phony and fake. He thinks that they are all the same and he despises the way they act and present themselves. Holden despises the way the Ivy League guys present themselves because they come off as being fake and corny. They talk the same, dress the same, and all basically appear to be the same exact person. “All those Ivy League bastards look alike. My father wants me to go to Yale, or maybe Princeton, but I swear I wouldn’t go to one of those Ivy League colleges, if I was dying, for Christ’s sake.” (Salinger 85) Holden doesn’t realize that he is just like all of the Ivy League Guys. He lies and pretends to be someone rather than he really is, just as the Icy Leaguers conform to be the “ideal” student. It really bothers Holden when Ernie, the pianist, bows like he was a humble guy. Ernie knew how talented he was and it ticked Holden off that he was so phony. “Anyway, when he finished, and everyone was clapping their heads off, old Ernie turned around on his stool and gave this very phony, humble bow. Like as if he was a helluva humble guy, besides being a terrific piano player. It was very phony- I mean him being such a snob and all.” (Salinger 84) The only reason that Holden is judging Ernie’s attention is because Holden does not receive any of his own. This leaves Holden looking down on the way that Ernie acts when he is finished with his piece. As soon as Holden hears Lillian’s voice, he wished that he could avoid her because he knew that she would pretend to care about seeing him. “”How marvelous to see you! Old Lillian Simmons said. Strictly a phony. “How’s your big brother?” That’s all she wanted to know.” Previously, Holden has pretended to be excited to see someone when he really wasn’t. He is being a hypocrite because he just picks apart every person he meets to find unflattering characteristics about them.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">While Holden is busy criticizing everyone about being a phony, what he doesn’t realize is that he is a phony himself. Holden accuses the Old Spencer and the Principal of being phonies because they lie to get a leg up on the competition and to win the support of wealthy families. Holden lies about his age all the time to try to pick up girls and to get alcohol. Holden and the adults at Pencey are alike in the way that they lie to get someone to think of them in a certain way. Stradlater and Ackley both change who they are so that strangers view them a certain way. Stradlater hides his mess and makes himself look nice when he goes out. Holden does the same thing with his emotions. He is emotionally unstable ever since the loss of his brother and he covers up the pain and pretends as if nothing is wrong. Holden is convinced everyone he runs into in the city is a phony. Holden soon starts to call everyone a phony because he knows deep down that he is exactly what he hates about all these people. It’s ironic how he points out the flaws of others when he himself has the same flaws plus others that are sure to outweigh everyone else’s that he accuses of being a phony.