Saturday, April 25, 2009
hello, my name is phony.
phonies. when i think about how holden describes those around him, the only word that comes to mind is 'phonies.' each chapter we've read has some mention of this word, and while i can understand holden's point of view, i wonder why this description is so evident. is this just holden emphasizing his dislike for 'fake' people? could there be something in his past that triggered this hatred? or, does j.d. salinger want readers to see these 'phonies' as a symbolic meaning? it seems as if the people who are labeled as 'phonies' all have a common goal; to achieve success. however, the key fact, is that they change themselves to do so. each person, whether it's stradlater or old haas, puts on a front in front of those who 'matter' so that they get farther in life. perhaps this is why holden feels so against them... maybe holden believes that you should be able to achieve something in life by being yourself? i think that he just wants people to stop being what they're not, or hiding their true selves; in other words, he's tired of seeing people that scream, "hello, my name is phony."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This may sound like a stretch to some, but at times, I get the feeling that Holden is not the rebel so many of us think him to be. I sometimes get the feeling Holden wants to conform and be a 'phony' like others around him. He criticizes Stradlater for being 'mad about himself,' yet acts quite in love with himself in front of the women at the bar. He complains about people who treat relationships as something unimportant, yet calls up random women to lure to having cocktails. I think this is where Holden's struggle lies...he sees the world around him and does not want to become a 'phony'- however, he's finding it difficult to age in our society without becoming 'phony.' Is he right??? Is our world 'phony???'
ReplyDelete