Examples Of Hypocrisy In Catcher In The Rye
Holden and Hypocrisy
The true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity. - Andre Gide
Often times hypocrites do not believe that they are actually being hypocritical, they believe they are telling the truth, their actions however prove otherwise. Everyone lies from time to time, but when someone actually starts believing that their lies are truths, that is when you know there is a real problem. In the book, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, the main character, Holden Caulfield, is continuously deceitful. At first you believe him, but as the book goes on it becomes harder and harder to take anything Holden says or thinks seriously. Since the entire book is told straight from Holden himself, it is hard to make out what is real and what is not. …show more content…
Holden criticizes people who are overtly promiscuous/sexual, because he deeply fears that exposure to sex is extremely dangerous to innocence. For example Holden goes so far as to get into a fight with his roommate, Stradlater, after Holden suspects Stradlater of giving his friend Jane Gallagher “the time” on their date (43). Even though Stradlater probably did not have sex with Jane, the thought of it still drives Holden mad. Holden values innocence extremely, however hypocritically he spends an enormous part of the novel attempting to lose his virginity. Of course in the end, like usual, Holden always ends up shying away from actually having sex. Holden is always having a tough time making decisions or committing to anything; this makes something as serious as deciding to lose his virginity almost impossible for him. Holden’s hypocrisy becomes clearer with each example given, but even after looking at these chosen few it is evident that Holden is a hypocrite. To further prove my point Holden even closes the book with an extremely contradictory
The true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity. - Andre Gide
Often times hypocrites do not believe that they are actually being hypocritical, they believe they are telling the truth, their actions however prove otherwise. Everyone lies from time to time, but when someone actually starts believing that their lies are truths, that is when you know there is a real problem. In the book, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, the main character, Holden Caulfield, is continuously deceitful. At first you believe him, but as the book goes on it becomes harder and harder to take anything Holden says or thinks seriously. Since the entire book is told straight from Holden himself, it is hard to make out what is real and what is not. …show more content…
Holden criticizes people who are overtly promiscuous/sexual, because he deeply fears that exposure to sex is extremely dangerous to innocence. For example Holden goes so far as to get into a fight with his roommate, Stradlater, after Holden suspects Stradlater of giving his friend Jane Gallagher “the time” on their date (43). Even though Stradlater probably did not have sex with Jane, the thought of it still drives Holden mad. Holden values innocence extremely, however hypocritically he spends an enormous part of the novel attempting to lose his virginity. Of course in the end, like usual, Holden always ends up shying away from actually having sex. Holden is always having a tough time making decisions or committing to anything; this makes something as serious as deciding to lose his virginity almost impossible for him. Holden’s hypocrisy becomes clearer with each example given, but even after looking at these chosen few it is evident that Holden is a hypocrite. To further prove my point Holden even closes the book with an extremely contradictory