How to talk to Holden Caulfield

 

Holden Caulfield is the master of “phony”s he will decide who is and isn’t and anyone one who doesn’t agree most certainly is a phony. Throughout this novel, especially as we approached the end, we watched as it became more difficult to talk with Holden, as he considered nearly everyone around him a phony. In class on January 28th we wrote and discussed how we would talk to Holden in these moments as he is rejecting everyone. Would we give him advice, or just let him speak? Would we agree with him no matter what, or would we disagree with the risk of being called a phony? 

Throughout the novel, Holden’s common hatred of phonies comes from the idea that they just follow along with society. It is clear that Holden feels almost estranged from society because it is inherently evil. Holden clearly believes this upper-class society he has been raised in is negative, and wants nothing less than to be far-far from it, out west (taking it easy). So to get on his good side, you must also start to distance yourself from society, or even better be real with him.

In my opinion to talk to Holden and to really get through to him you have to stand up for what you believe in. You can disagree with Holden and we see moments where characters in the novel do, but while you are disagreeing with Holden I believe you have to give him explicit, concise and to-the-point reasons for your stance. I believe that being real with Holden in this way will allow him to see you are not just some phony following society, that you have a brain and your own thoughts, and you might even get him to admit he is wrong, though I doubt it.


Comments

  1. Rishabh PrasanthFebruary 8, 2025 at 12:04 PM

    Cate, you make a great point about how Holden’s view of “phonies” isolates him, making it harder for him to connect with others. Holden's hatred of phonies stems from his estrangement from a society he sees as shallow and corrupt, and he expects others to reject that same societal mindset to get on his good side. I really like your idea that the best way to talk to Holden is by standing firm in your beliefs and giving him clear reasons for your stance. Even though, as you said, it’s unlikely he would admit to being wrong. Ultimately, Holden needs people who won’t just go along with him, and that’s the only way to get through to him.

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  2. Larissa DolcosFebruary 10, 2025 at 5:07 AM

    Hi Cate! This is a great post. I completely agree that for Holden to like you, you really have to be someone that stands up for what he believes in. I think that Holden learned the shortcomings of society at such a young age, which forced him to kind of see everyone around him as a “phony” who pretends to not see all the difficulties. Overall, Holden trusts people who aren’t just flexible with their stance on life.

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  3. Kyle FanFebruary 13, 2025 at 3:23 PM

    Hi Cate! I really like your interpretation of Holden's distaste for phonies elevating as the book goes on, especially how that makes him harder to connect with and understand. I completely agree that being honest and real would be the best way to connect with him, and Holden can even occasionally accept those who disagree with him.

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  4. MitchellFebruary 14, 2025 at 9:23 AM

    This sounds to me like a good approach to Holden: I especially agree that his rejection of his wealth and privilege needs to be validated, along with his casual references to how everyone in America is obsessed with cars and social status. Our guy maybe doesn't get enough credit for his willingness, as a kid born into tremendous privilege, to be so eager to renounce all of that privilege. In none of his escape fantasies does he allude to exploiting his father's wealth or becoming a slacker with a golden safety-net. In all of his fantasies, he gets some menial job and earns just enough to live on. He truly doesn't WANT to attend an Ivy League school, especially (we'd imagine) as a "legacy admission" (how phony can you get?). This might make him seem truly insane to some Uni students, who'd maybe love to be in a position to tell Harvard to take a hike. But when we reflect on how lonely and solitary Holden feels, in his discontents, we need to remember that he is surrounded by other privileged and wealthy prep-school kids, and that he truly does feel like he's the only one at the whole school who can see through the elitism.

    I might harbor some latent prejudices toward the upper classes myself, at times (not personal but structural!), and I admit that I am impressed by Holden's willingness to chuck it all away and fend for himself. He'd really rather live in a society where no one is jealous of your suitcases (the things these prep-school boys worry about!), and where the director of the school is capable of being nice to the parents of the poorer students as well.

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  5. Emmie VargasFebruary 21, 2025 at 9:30 AM

    Hi Cate! I totally agree with your dissection of Holden’s appreciation of certain personality traits and how to speak to him in order to get your point across. His almost immediate dismissal of most individuals not only highlights his avoidance of his issues and urges to deflect from himself and his actions. I think in order to talk to Holden you might need to also agree and stand on his points of how society is “phony” to find the balance between reliability and telling him the reality of his rants on societal order. Holden’s judgement is swift and hard, with him being very stubborn in his ways and only realizing this when someone very dear to his heart (Phoebe) points this out. I think Phoebe’s strategy is like the one you are describing which seems to work even with his stubborn demeanor. Great post!

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