Examples Of Lies In Catcher In The Rye - 1153 Words

Imagine a person constantly lying to get through the world, lying to themselves just to keep themselves in a relatively good state of mind. But they don’t always realize it. Throughout the novel Catcher in the Rye, Holden, the narrator if the story, is one of those people. Holden will often believe that what he says is honest, but as the story progresses, readers can tell that not all that he mentions is all true. In J.D.Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s lies are to protect himself and others and keep himself out the wrong because he is worried about his own survival. Holden lies is to protect Ernest Morrow when he meets his mother on the train, as well as to protect himself from telling some truths like why his nose was†¦show more content†¦Holden more than likely to do this with other topics he doesn’t â€Å"feel like talking about†. Holden also uses his lies to keep himself out of the wrong like after he and Stradlater got into their quarrel. Holden, probably still in a slightly dazed state and being hit by Stradlater, was looking in the the mirror to see how bad the damage was. â€Å"I had blood all over my mouth and chin and even on my pajamas and bathrobe. It partly scared me and it partly fascinated me. All that blood and all sort of made me look tough. Id only been in about two fights in my life, and I lost both of them. Im not too tough. Im a pacifist, if you want to know the truth.† (Salinger 45). Even as he goes to extremes and calls the blood along his mouth gore and references his past fights, he continues to call himself a pacifist. A pacifist is a person who believes that war and violence is unjustifiable. Considering that Holden had thrown the first punch during Stradlater and his fight; him thinking that he is a pacifist really contradicts his actions. Furthermore, Holden, having been in vited to his former history teacher, Mr. Spencer’s house, he runs to the main gate, which may not have been his wisest decision. â€Å"I ran all the way to the main gate, and then I waited a second till I got my breath. I have no wind, if you want to know the truth. Im quite a heavy smoker, for one thing--that is, I used to be. They made me cutShow MoreRelatedCatcher in the Rye776 Words   |  4 PagesResearch pap. Catcher in the Rye is a book of many themes of many different types of different things. The main character of the book is Holden Caulfield, this guy has major problems. He’s alone and he knows it, he hates everyone and judges them too. Some themes of this story are the sadness, the lies and deceit, and Holden’s youth. Every one of these themes describe Holden in different ways, mostly it describes what he’s like. SADNESS Sadness permeates The Catcher in the Rye. 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