**TL;DR: Holden Caulfield is a big fat liar, but aren’t we all** Anyone who has ever studied English at high school knows that [Holden Caulfield hates phonys]( https://gupea.ub.gu.se/handle/2077/24067). In J D Salinger’s _The Catcher in the Rye_ we follow Holden’s angsty romp around New York, throughout which he dismisses almost every character he encounters as a ‘phony’. Readers soon get the gist that this is Holden’s favourite insult, which he uses to condemn inauthenticity, deceit, and hypocrisy in others who pretend to be something they’re not in order to assimilate into society. However, Holden himself is a phony: he hypocritically judges other people for lying, whilst continually lying to them (and perhaps himself). Near the beginning, he carries out plagiarism by writing an English composition for his roommate Ward Stradlater under his name. During his escapade, he creates multiple fake aliases, such as Jim Steel and Rudolf Schmidt. He repeatedly disapproves of others for ignoring their own feelings, but simultaneously refuses to acknowledge his own grief at [the death of his younger brother, Allie]( https://www.jstor.org/stable/24777753), or obsession with Jane Gallagher. To a degree, Holden recognises his propensity for lying, saying “Once I get started, I can go on for hours if I feel like it. No kidding. Hours”. However, Salinger refrains from making Holden entirely self-aware –we get the picture that despite his moments of self-hatred, Holden still considers himself separate from and above the characters he calls phonies, which makes him a massive hypocrite. Salinger does not attempt to present Holden as a flawless character – in the irony of writing Holden as a phony who hates phonies, Salinger raises the question: who is Holden to judge others for being phonies? This raises a more significant and useful question than psychoanalysing fictional characters: who are we to judge Holden for being a phony? As Salinger writes through Holden, “I’m always saying “Glad to’ve met you” to somebody I’m not at _all_ glad I met. If you want to stay alive, you have to say that stuff, though”. We live in a phony world; we all enact and tolerate a little phoniness now and then. Salinger exposes Holden as a phony, but in doing so, forces the reader to reflect upon their own phoniness.

**In consequence of his desire to be different, Holden Caulfield became the epitome of a hypocritical phony.** The entirety of _Catcher in the Rye_ is a mockery to all teens reading it, illustrating how they contribute zero to society and have massive egos. To make Holden relatable, he embodies all the very teen-like traits that he considers to be ‘phony’ including: → Making his voice deeper to cast the [illusion of being older](https://www.cram.com/essay/Holdens-Being-Phony-In-The-Catcher-In/P3MV3J5PNMXYW). → Introduces himself by giving a fake name, i.e. [Rudolf Schmidt](https://mikaylabattistone.weebly.com/catcher-in-the-rye-blog/reasons-why-holden-caulfield-is-a-phony). → Talks to [Ernest Morrow’s](https://freebooksummary.com/hypocrisy-in-catcher-in-the-rye-795) mother like they’re great friends when he actually hates him. Throughout the story, Holden throws the word ‘phony’ around as an umbrella term for anything he finds slightly intimidating, scary, unknown, or new. He uses the term ‘phoniness’ as a sort of shield, [deflecting from his own hypocrisy](https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/c/the-catcher-in-the-rye/character-analysis/holden-caulfield) and resentment. There are a few theories as to why Holden is the quintessential example of what a ‘phony’ is, one being his inability to cope with his brother’s death. Whatever the reasoning may be, it doesn't negate the fact that Holden Caulfield is a phony.