Catcher in the Rye


Holden spends the time he narrates criticizing and correcting others, pointing out all that is wrong and abnormal in everything while ignoring his own faults. All he thinks about is how corrupt and phony the world is. His views of everything are warped and counterfeit since he is the same as the people he blames.
Holden has no right to accuse the populace of hypocrisy because he dropped out of three schools with poor grades and is always full of deception. He also wears a red hunting hat and is very fussy as to how and where he wears it. Sometimes he even wears it in front of others. He should not judge people so indifferently. People have diverse ways of doing things. He wears the hat because he wants to be unique from everyone else, and he acts differently depending on whether he has his hat on or if someone else is around.
Throughout the novel, Holden is acting like a philosopher and a cynic at the same time. He not only doubts everyone but he also doubts himself. He is confused on which path to take, to stay childish with his warped judgments or move on to adult life with its challenges. Near the end of the novel, he discovers the truth about himself but cannot think of a remedy right away. Though he resolves to go back to school in the fall, he tells little about his past and even less about his future. We read his thoughts and find them confusing and devoid of logic and full of antagonistic views; the more he questions, the less answers he gets. His psychological problems are not noticeable right away, and he suffers from depression and loneliness, thinking no one really cares for him. They just pretend to care, and he cannot decide what to do with himself. He is always turning himself down or changing his mind. His life is an example of the transition from the easy innocence of childhood to the multifaceted and superficial adult life. Holden's fear, like many others, is the apprehension of change from everyday life. Until he learns to accept it, he will be stuck on the edge of the cliff, on the verge of a life that he only pretends to have.