Although Holden is innocent, he is not naive. Society has affected him to the extent that he is aware of the cost of things, but wastes his money on taxis, as he wants to avoid the phoneys on buses. He refers to the value of his coat, his cases, his typewriter and even his pens, but he does not cherish his possessions as he gives his typewriter away and lends his coat to Stradlater. When his gloves were stolen, the only thing he cared about was that he became cold. When he was a child he lost his belongings – so now as a teenager he fails to take his change and hates people who spend time at posh restaurants and popular bars; yet there is a hypocritical side to him which makes him take taxis, go to bars, cinemas and theatres, and stay in hotels.
Holden is both repelled and fascinated by sex. He longs to find what it is all about, and to experience the passion that was hinted by Stradlater and envied by Ackley. He watches from his hotel window in an almost voyeuristic fashion and finds that the reality is unappealing. He finds that Sunny's efforts to entertain him were dirty. Sex, which is so valued by the adult world, Holden finds worthless, and when he is confronted with it, he turns away.
Holden is aware of the importance of social status, he cannot be in the same room as someone who is insecure about their status. Holden seems anxious to keep up with his generation, behaving in an over the top manner with Stradlater, being rude to Ackley and refusing to answer questions. His friends find him immature but this is not surprising as he is two years younger than them.
Society has taken everything from Holden, both of his brother’s presence and his parents´. Stradlater borrows all he owns, his clothes and even his girlfriend. His possessions are stolen at school. Because of all of this, he feels he must reject society. It is not surprising that he feels he must turn to children; after all, they are a symbol of innocence, and they have not rejected him. He says that he would like to be ‘The Catcher in the Rye’, who is a fictional character in a Burns poem, who stops children running off the edge of a cliff whilst playing in rye fields. This analogy epitomises the only future Holden can see for himself. Phoebe is the only person Holden trusts. Her sanity and naturalness restores confidence of society in Holden. Due to his love from Phoebe a complete breakdown by the pond, and from a pointless escape later.
Holden is a loner and he feels isolated. Everyone who he confides in rejects him; few bother to try to understand what motivates him. When he stands up for what he believes him he is knocked down by society. He believes that he is a coward because he is has no one to stick up for him. People don’t listen to what he says; he spends a lot of time thinking about telephoning people, but in the end decides not to; he wakes people up to talk to them, but everyone apart from Phoebe rejects him.
Holden questions life constantly, trying to make sense of its contradictions. Allie's death made him react at first with uncharacteristic violence (smashing windows in the garage with his fist). The ducks, the hunting hat and the Catcher all show of strength and sensitivity. He eventually realises that people, including his own sister, cannot be protected but must face the hazards of life.
Perhaps the most touching of Holden’s characteristics is that although he comes very close to breaking down, seeing himself isolated, and friendless he never shows any bitterness. Human behaviour saddens Holden but does not anger him. Films, which he hates, give him a way of transferring his inward pain into reality, for example by means of a gunfight.
Holden has good characteristics, but he covers up his real feelings under a disguise of ‘coolness’ so he will keep up with his generation. Holden feels he must protect Phoebe so she does not suffer a fate like Allie’s, or so she does not lose her innocence so she, like everyone else, rejects Holden. This is another reason why he attempts to preserve innocence, as he wants to have a friend that does not reject him.
Holden himself is a phoney, he says he hates films but after his row with Sally, he goes to see a movie. He pretends to be an actor throughout the book, and acts out scenes he saw at the movies. He reads a book to get his mind off Mr Spencer and he turns his personal feelings into a scene from a gangster film. Holden turns to the arts and literature when he needs to get away from things.
Holden does not want to become an adult, as he cannot deal with the real world; this is why he wants to be the catcher in the rye. Phoebe is the only one Holden can trust and confide in. Holden has been living a lie and now he is feeling the impact of it. He says that he does not care about his expulsion but deep down it seems that he actually does, but he covers all his emotions up leaving him vulnerable but unable to show it, which is why Holden is an outcast of society.
