The Catcher in the Rye
Phoniness There are many different themes in The Catcher in the Rye. One of them is the theme of phoniness. Holden feels that almost every person that he knows is phony. When people act differently around some people, and another way towards others, Holden believes this to be phony or fake. If you say different things around some people and different things to another group of people, then you are phony. Also, if you act differently if you are by yourself than if you around other people, then you are phony. One thing that Holden finds phony is that some people acts one way toward one group of people and an another way toward another. Like Thurmer, the headmaster of Pency.