List some of the people and actions Holden sees as phony, and then discuss how he is phony himself in The Catcher in the Rye.

Caulfield of
 is critical of many things and nearly everyone with whom he has contact,
including himself. However, he dearly loves his little sister, , as well as his deceased
brother, .

The phoniness of others

Pencey Preparatory School, where Holden has been expelled,
has advertised the school as having a polo team, but Holden states he has seen no horses there.
In the advertisements, there is a line that reads, "Since 1888 we have been molding boys
into splendid and clear-thinking young men." Holden contends that the school does no more
"molding" than any other school. Indeed, Holden, Stradlater, and Ackley do not seem to
meet the standard promised by the school's advertising (Ch. 1).

Holden's
brother D. B. was once an original writer, but Holden considers him
a phony since he has gone to Hollywood, where he is "being a prostitute." That is, he
has sacrificed his artistic talents for writing screenplays (Ch. 1).

Holden's
roommate, Stradlater, seems to look neat, but Holden declares he is
"a secret slob." Holden says Stradlater "looked all right," but his razor
was rusty with hairs and "crap" on it. Also, Stradlater has Holden write an essay for
him and plans to turn it in as his (Ch. 4).

A classmate named
 is described by his mother as "a very sensitive boy."
However, Holden comments, "That guy Morrow was about as sensitive as atoilet seat"
(Ch. 8).

Holden's phoniness

Holden
confesses to the reader that he is "the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life"
(Ch. 3).

He complains about Ackley's being in his room too long, but he stays
in Ackley's room and sleeps for hours in his roommate's bed (Ch. 7).

Holden
praises some of the faculty although he has earlier criticized them. He calls them
phonies because they "act like" teachers, meaning their demeanor is different in the
classroom than when they engage in a private conversation (e.g., ). 

Holden's phoniness (continued)

When Holden
meets Ernest Morrow's mother, Holden falsifies his name, telling her he is Rudolf Schmidt, the
name of the school's janitor. After  says that Ernest loves the school, Holden praises her son,
even though he regards Ernest with disdain:

Then I started
shooting the crap around a little bit... "He adapts himself very well to things. He really
does. I mean he really knows how to adapt himself." (Ch.8)

However, earlier in , Holden describes Eric in derogatory terms, calling him "the
biggest bastard that ever went to Pencey."

As the conversation
continues, Holden tells Mrs. Morrow that he is on the train home because he must have an
operation for a brain tumor. Then, when Mrs. Morrow invites him to visit, Holden says he is
going to South America with his grandmother. (Ch.8)

In another aspect of his
life, Holden is also hypocritical. He is upset with Stradlater for his cheap sexual exploits,
believing that people should not engage in sexual activity unless they care for each other
deeply and have respect for one another. However, he tries hard to lose his virginity, even
agreeing at a hotel to pay for a prostitute. Yet he also claims to value
innocence.