A Phony Family Essay Example For Students

A Phony Family Essay Mark Jason S. SoMarch 1999Each and every action the children performed in school and in any place is a reflection of the quality of life they have in their own homes. Parents have a responsibility of taking care of their children and parents have the influence and impact that creates the primary personality of an individual. This influence can mold a certain individual into a responsible citizen or a rebellious delinquent as perceived in J.D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye. The protagonist, Holden Caulfield, interacts with many people throughout novel, but probably none have as much impact on him as certain members of his immediate family. The ways Holden acts around or reacts to the various members of his family give the reader a direct view of Holdens philosophy surrounding each member and would likely explain his actions in the story. Holden makes reference to the word phony forty-four separate times throughout the novel (Corbett, 1997). Each time he seems to be referring to the subject of this metaphor as someone who discriminates against others, is a hypocrite about something, or has manifestations of conformity (Corbett, 1997). Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden describes and interacts with various members of his family. The way he talks about or to each gives you some idea of whether he thinks they are phony or normal. From the very first page of the novel, Holden begins to refer to his parents as distant and generalizes both his father a nd mother frequently throughout his chronicle. Holdens father is a lawyer and therefore he considers him phony because he views his fathers occupation unswervingly as a parallel of his fathers personality. Lawyers are all right, I guess but it doesnt appeal to me, I said. I mean theyre all right if they go around saving innocent guys lives all the time, and like that, but you dont do that kind of stuff if youre a lawyer. All you do is make a lot of dough and play golf and play bridge and buy cars and drink Martinis and look like a hot-shot. How would you know you werent being a phony? The trouble is, you wouldnt' (Salinger, 1945). When Holden describes his mom, he always seems to do so with a sense of compassion yet also with a jeering tone. Holden makes his mom sound predictable and insincere. These phony qualities are shown in two different examples when Holden is hiding in the closet of D.B.s room as his mom walks in to tuck in Phoebe: Hello! I heard old Phoebe say. I couldnt sl eep. Did you have a good time? Marvelous, my mother said, but you could tell she didnt mean it. She doesnt enjoy herself much when she goes out. Good night. Go to sleep now. I have a splitting headache, my mother said. She gets headaches quite frequently. She really does (Salinger, 1945). The first two examples are excellent illustrations of how Holden classifies people as phonies. However, when it comes to Holdens older brother, D.B., more analysis is needed to derive Holdens true feelings about his brother. Holden seems to respect his older brother somewhat but cannot tolerate the imposed false image brought on by D.B.s career choice as a screen-play writer. For example, this sense of respect is shown when D.B. takes Holden and Phoebe to see Hamlet: He treated us to lunch first, and then he took us. Hed already seen it, and the way he talked about it at lunch, I was anxious as hell to see it, too (Salinger 1945). Holden feels that all movies and shows are false, absurdly exaggerat ed portrayals of reality and subsequently because his brother takes part in these perversions of realism, he is a phony. The way that Holden interacts with his sister, Phoebe, and the way Allies death still affects Holden are two direct examples of the effects sibling relationships create. The relationships people share with siblings are often the longest lasting they will ever have (Crispell, 1992). This idea, multiplied with the fact that Allie and Phoebe are young and innocent, is perhaps why Holden has respect for his younger siblings and considers .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab , .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab .postImageUrl , .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab , .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab:hover , .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab:visited , .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab:active { border:0!important; } .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab:active , .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u8496f2bb808d798c39f704cb487f58ab:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Bloodcurdling Spirit Of Humanity: Feeding Off Essay