Holden keeps saying how he hates phonies or fakes...however, in my opinion Holden is a fake...in the book he is writing all his inner feelings and acting like he is emotionally stable when in reality, he has become dangerously depressed with his life and feels like the world is against him...people who are fake act one way then the way they are feeling inside...holden is so contradictory!!! Tila may be a fake but so is Holden hehe
Also while Holden may feel that he is a foil to Ackley and keeps saying how Ackley is isolated...but Holden is just as unsocial as he is..they BOTH don't go to the football game
All in all, Holden is fearful of himself and is in denial of his situation..his hunting hat is used as a cover to protect him from the people around him...his inner opinions of people are a way to keep him from interaction with peers adn the people he knows...he is afraid of the world and if he could open his eyes and become more comfertable, he wouldn't feel and overall conflict against the world...his appearance to the world makes him seem off, but people would be more accepting of his unique personality if he didn't seem so overall afraid...Holden interests me though and i also feel that he is a lot like Espiranza was at the beginning of the book in house on mango street...she didn't feel that she could flourish and neither does Holden
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I agree with Audrey on a lot of what she says,but disagree on a few minor things. I completely agree that Holden is contradictory and is just as fake and "ugly" as the people he likes to judge. But, when you say that he is afraid of interacting with the world, i disagree because he has made it pretty clear that he loves and wants to spend as much time as possible with his dead brother (Ali) and his sister Phoebe. This shows that he clearly has a love for certain people, that follow his train of thoughts and understand him. In this way, i feel he is very judgemental and unfair. He loved Phoebe and Ali so much, because they seemed to understand him, and they were not "fake" at least according to him. Yet, anyone who lives differently then Holden (such as his brother, Ackley, and Stratlater) he acts completely snobbish and as if he wants nothing to do with the person. So, in refernce to your point, i agree that Holden is fake, but not because he hates everyone. it is more because he hates anybody not exactly like himself. this negative trait can only become worse off as he meets new and differnt people as the book progresses. As far as your comparing Esperanza and Holden, i completely disagree for one major reason. Esperanza was born under tough conditions and in a challenging neiborhood where she had a time becoming successful. Relative to her, Holden has the world in his hands. He is going to a rich prep school, a solid family, and a direct path towards success. He chooses not to work hard, and to dismiss people and this gets him into trouble. Esperanza, on the other hand, must overcome barriers that are not her fault. Though i know foils are only suppose to be main characters, i feel that Stratlater is more of a foil to Ackley. The reason i say this, is because they are polar opposites. I believe that Salinger includes these two characters to show how hard of a time Holden has interacting with anyone. Ackley and Stratlater are so different, and you would think, Holden would be drawn to at least one of them. yet he constatnly barades both of their actions, showing his own bad points. Holden doesn't like the rough attitude of Ackley but also resents Stratlater's more typical and calm approach to life.
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