Hypocrisy and Deceit: The Defense of a Wayward Soul

As people grow, they encounter situations that they may not find appealing, ranging from things as simple as getting stuck in horrific traffic or dealing with in-laws to being fired or demoted or even experiencing a major loss, such as the death of a loved one. Every person encounters such situations and, in response, every person has his own individual forms of defense. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a defense mechanism is "a mental process (e.g., repression or projection) initiated, typically unconsciously, to avoid conscious conflict or anxiety." In J.D. Salinger's classic novel The Catcher in the Rye, sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield comes to face several uncomfortable situations in which he turns to deceit and hypocrisy as defense mechanisms.

Holden Caulfield has many downfalls. One of his biggest, not to mention most serious and consequence-inducing downfall is lying. Whenever his motives are questioned, Holden seems to feel the need to defend himself with a lie, and usually, he has tricked himself into thinking that he's being questioned at all, such as when he's on the train with Mrs. Morrow, the mother of a fellow student at Pencey. The moment Mrs. Morrow spies the Pencey Prep sticker on his Gladstone suitcase, Holden has a façade up and ready. When she asks, he tells her his name is Rudolf Schmidt who, in actuality, is "the name of the janitor of [his] dorm," simply because he does not "feel like giving her [his] whole life story" (Salinger 55).

When Holden is in New York, staying in the Edmont Hotel, he acquires the services of a prostitute by means of Maurice, the elevator operator. As the first in a series of lies, Holden tells Maurice that he is twenty-two; then, after the prostitute, Sunny, comes to his room, he repeats this lie. He introduces himself as "Jim Steele" and quickly decides that he would rather make conversation with the girl. When questioned, Holden tells her that he has recently undergone surgery to his "clavichord" and that he does not feel much like himself. Holden second guesses his choices and, when he's called out on it, feels the need to lie to cover himself, rather than being honest. When dealing with "a laconic prostitute in a hurry... [Holden's] is the vision of an innocent" (Behrman 24). Holden lies not only to "dodge awkwardness with other people," but also "to make himself seem more interesting and appealing" (Kerr 71).

Holden uses his own hypocrisy as a coping mechanism. He feels that he lives in a world where phoniness and hypocrisy rule, which is partly true. However, Holden himself seems to be supplying most of this hypocrisy. Holden contradicts himself countless times throughout The Catcher in the Rye, usually in ways involving his morals or actions. In the very beginning, Holden's words and his actions seriously contradict. He tells