Examples Of Irony In Catcher In The Rye

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There is plenty of irony that can be witnessed while reading “The Catcher in the Rye”. For example, Holden the main character of the novel claims that everyone is a phony, in according to him means someone who fakes who they really are from the inside. Meanwhile the middle of the book, irony is created as Holden becomes a phony himself by going out with a girl he doesn’t really like named Sally. He even lies to her that he really loves her and also tries to be seductive a lot. Another example is when Holden tries to lose his virginity with a prostitute named Sunny. When the time came for him to have his way for her, he eventually chickens out of the situation and at the end Sunny walks out on him. Finally, Holden tries to keep himself as a teenager yet deep down he knows that he’s coming closer to adulthood. Despite his …show more content…
He has the concept that all adults are phonies yet at the same time doesn’t acknowledge that his actions make him look like one as well. The protagonist of the novel introduces many characters whom he’s tried to discuss his feelings with, but ultimately fails to do so since he tries to shift his problems into his way. Holden struggles with trying to make himself stop reaching adulthood yet behaves in a way where he is older than he really is. At the same time, however, he tries to protect the innocence of the young and himself as for every moment Holden becomes adult-like, he shrivels down to a childish manner. He stumbles upon becoming childish when it comes to the adult-world because he thinks of what children are taken away of once they reach adulthood. The balance between the adult-world and the innocence of children is what Holden tries to reach out for, in which irony is the way the novel manages to project its morals to the reader. The concept of “phoniness” is something the protagonist feels is what shapes the society we live