Holden's Trust Issues in Catcher in the Rye

In the novel Catcher in the Rye by JD. Salinger, his character Holden greets the readers with the line, “If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you‘ll probably want to know is where l was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.

“ Holden is a good person, capable of loving, and not always being so bashful as demonstrated in this quote. “I felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the way old Phoebe kept going around and around . . . It was just that she looked so damn nice, the way she kept going around and around, in her blue coat and all.” Unfortunately, he still has some issues with judging people and trusting people, but with a little help he could improve and be a better person.

One of Holden‘s problems is that he judges and analyzes everything The first thing Holden does when he sees someone or something is comment on it, saying what’s wrong with it or that it is “phony”. “Grand. There’s a word I really hate It’s a phony. I could puke every time I hear it.” When he discusses his time at Pencey he believes that teachers helping students is “phony” and that the teachers don’t actually care.Holden also comments negatively on almost everything he sees or the people he interacts with.

Get quality help now

Writer Lyla

Verified

Proficient in: Culture

5 (876)

“ Have been using her for a while and please believe when I tell you, she never fail. Thanks Writer Lyla you are indeed awesome ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

He describes his roommate as following, “He was sort of a nasty guy.” He also describes a girl that was his friend on the bus as having a big nose with he finger nails bitten down all the way. If Holden can fix these problems he would have a better chance at becoming a better person.

Another problem of Holden’s is it appears he can’t trust people, In chapter twenty Holden asks a hostess to give Ernie a message and later says, “People never give your message to anybody.” His lack of trust probably stems from him not having too many friends. “I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It’s awful. If I’m on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I’m going, I’m liable to say I’m going to the opera. It’s terrible.” More evidence that he can‘t trust people is he will lie to them, not only on small stuff but big stuff After leaving his school he told a lady on a train that he had a tumor and was getting surgery. Learning to trust others will strengthen his chance at becoming a better person. If Holden were to change his ways he could be successful and become a better person. if he stopped judging others and started judging himself he might see a difference.

Rather than saying stuff about people being “phony” or “gross” he could say that about himself, In the novel he claims that he is pretty good with getting girls yet he hired a prostitute which didn’t work out and he also made a girlfriend cry. If Holden were to be honest and trust people with what he was doing he might makes some friends. If he made friends they could consult and help him and possibly even break his habits of calling people phonies and analyzing them If he were to put these simple suggestions in to effect his attitude would be better and he would have great success in school and into adulthood, All in all I think Holden is a flawed kid with the potential to grow into a normal loving adult. If he followed my suggestions and seeks help it would open up many doors for him If he continues to see a doctor his success rate for completing school and marrying Jane could be a reality.