The Catcher in the Rye Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Catcher in the Rye - Essay Example But if we look closer, we'll come to understand his negative outlook and bitterness toward life shows his fears and frustrations in life. At a young age, he had experienced the cruel side of life when his brother died and when he witnessed what he calls phoniness of the world. In one phony situation, Holden described his former headmaster, Mr.Haas as the phoniest bastard he ever met. "On Sundays, for instance, old Haas went around shaking hands with everybody's parents when they drove up to school. He'd be charming as hell and all. Except if some boy had a little old funny-looking parents" (Salinger, 14; ch. 2). Holden's experience of hypocrisy makes him view adults as superficial, insincere and guilty of a lot of things that's why he always quit school or gets expelled. His attitude is caused by his disappointment of the people surrounding him. In his encounter with the nuns, Holden displays his dismay of the irony of life but at the same time show his good heart. The line "I hate it if I'm eating bacon and eggs or something and somebody else is only eating toast and coffee. They let me give ten bucks as a contribution" (Salinger, 110; ch. 15).