Nekov, Joan- Christian
9/7
The self-knowledge
In J.D. Salinger' novel The Catcher in The Rye we get known with the life of one sixteen
years old teenager. Holden tells us about his problems, his attitude about different things in his
world, about his point of view. In his story he mentioned some of the things which he hates or
likes. He tells us about the movies for example and how much he hates them. He thinks that the
movies are a symbol of phonies, that they make the people to lie themselves and not to tell what
they really think and want, that they make them hide their real face . Often Holden says, " I
figured that anybody who hates the movies as much as I do, I'd be a phony if i let them stick me
in a movie short " (77). With this quote he shows us his opinion about the movies and the people
who go to films, but also the truth about why he pretends that he hates them. Holden says that
movies are a symbol of phony people. Holden's attitude about Hollywood and the movies comes
from the fact that he hates movies and phonies, and watching a movie is a symbol of showing
that you are phony without your own opinion about things. He wants to suggest that movies
symbolize one phony world, without anything real in it.
In the J.D.Salinger's novel Catcher in the Rye we meet one point of view about our present
world. Through Holden personality we observe the attitude of one teenager about the things from
his daily round. One of his main topic is the problem about the fake people and the way how they
are showing it to us. He tells us about his older brother D.B who is living and working in
Hollywood. Holden objected, "Now he's out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute... If there's
one thing I hate, it's the movies" (2). Here, in the beginning of Holden's story we get known with
his opinion about one person who has become a phony and the thing which has changed him.
Although he loves his brother, he tells that D.B has become a prostitute since he had gone in
Hollywood. In his opinion people who live in Hollywood are fake without their own point about
the different things, that these are people who go there with the idea of one better, but not real
world. Holden proof us that the people change, become fake and selfish, that they forget who
they really are. Holden's attitude about the movies symbolizes one of the things who develops
the imagination of the people and makes them live in a dream.
Movies are not only a symbol of the phony world, but also about the real essence of
Holden's personality. During his all story, he talks about how much he hates movies, but also he
often mention about how he went to a movie with his younger sister Phoebe. Holden says, " If
you take her to a pretty good movie, she knows it's a pretty good movie... I've taken her to see it
about ten times"(67) . Through this quote we can see the real Holden's attitude about the movies
and what they represent in him. Although he says that he despises the movies he says that there
are pretty good movies and he often goes to watch them with his sister and his brother. This
shows us the truth about Holden. He does not want to acknowledge his real reflection which
makes him phony. His fake attitude about the movies and Hollywood is an weak try to look
different from the others, and it symbolizes his real personality. Moreover Holden is in a period
of searching his place on the world. The movies and Hollywood are ways which he uses to find
and proof his opinion and character.
Holden is a sixteen years old teenager who has many problems in his school and family. He
is a lonesome guy who is trying to find who he really is. With telling us his point of view about
different things in the life he describes us his personality. However, the movies is one of his
main topic which simbolizes his attitude about the others and about himself. He relates the words
"movies" and "Hollywood" with the word "phony". Also in the same way he says that he hates
movies, but on the other hand he tells us how he has gone to movies many times. Also one time
he adds... I figured that anybody that hates the movies as much as I do, I'd be a phony if I let
them stick me in a movie short" (77) . Here in this quote we again see the contrast in his
thoughts. With this quote we clearly can understand Holden's point of view about movies and the
world at all. The movies and Hollywood are symbol of the real Holden personality and his fear to
acknowledge himself.
In J.D. Salinger' s novel The Catcher in The Rye we see what a real phony means and how
he tries to find his place on the earth. "I figured that anybody who hates the movies as much as I
do, I'd be a phony if i let them stick me in a movie." (77) Through these main topics in the novel,
the movies,Hollywood, and Holden's attitude about them, we see the real meaning of the phony
person. These three topics are symbols of the fakeness in this teenager's character. Holden is a
young man who is looking for his true essence. With Holden's personality J.D. Salinger shows us
the road whose every person should pass to reach his self-knowledge without having fear about
the opinion of the other people and to admit his desires, thoughts, and mistakes.