The use of irony in The Catcher in the Rye

In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the author uses irony to help the reader understand the main character Holden Caulfield. Irony can be found in multiple times in The Catcher in the Rye, and it is mostly used in relation to Holden. By using irony, the author shows the reader Holden's weaknesses as a character. Throughout the novel, Holden can be seen being nice to people he doesn't really like. Often Holden also mentions that they are a phony as well. An example of this is when he goes on a date with Sally Hayes (Salinger 162). It turns out that Holden doesn't really like Sally. He criticizes her one moment then declares his love for her the next (Salinger 163). When Holden eventually called Sally a phony, I was amused because Holden is the real phony (Salinger 165). He goes around with Sally making her think that he likes her, when in reality he doesn't. Holden is the one putting on the act. I think that Holden knows that he really is a phony around other people, but that he dislikes the part of himself that feels he has to put on a show. The irony of Holden calling other people phonies when he is the phony, give the reader understanding about Holden feels about himself.

Besides gaining insight into Holden, irony is also used in The Catcher in the Rye to emphasize the odd relationship between Phoebe and Holden. Holden is very immature, but Phoebe is not and has a better understanding of the world around her than Holden does. This is ironic because Phoebe is several years younger than Holden and is just a child (Salinger 77). She understands the consequences of Holden getting kicked out of school, when Holden doesn't even himself. When Holden comes to visit her she gets very upset when she finds that he was kicked out of school (Salinger 224). She even understands how her parents will feel and tells Holden several times "Daddy's going to kill you" (Salinger 225). She can see how Holden's actions affect others, and she seems much older and wiser than Holden.

Bibliography: Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and, 1991. Print.