Phonies

Throughout the course of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden makes his stance clear on adults.  Holden believes that all adults in this world are phonies. Part of the reason that Holden refuses to grow up is because he does not want to socialize with "those" people. He also does not want to turn into that type of person. He does not want to turn into his brother D.B. who changed for people when he grew up. Holden talked about how D.B.changed from a book writer to a prostitute. Holden stated, "It [D.B.'s book] was about this little kid who wouldn't let anyone look at his goldfish because he'd brought it with his own money. It killed me. Now he's out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute" (Salinger, 4). Later in the novel, Holden also learns that their are even more phonies in this world than the one's that appeal to his eye. Since he was too scared to go home, Holden decided to book a hotel room. While he was there, he happened to look out the window and see a man that "took out all these women's clothes, and put them on" (Salinger, 80). Holden learns that even when people seem normal from their appearance they still can be phonies in disguise, leading him to trust no one.