CITR #3: Conflicting Personality

As the book progresses, it becomes obvious that Holden has a very conflicting personality. Part of Holden wants to have relationships with people (especially on a sexual level), but as I discussed before, he is very judgmental and rejects the world as phony, retreating into childishness and immaturity.
Holden tries many times to have relationships with people, many of which he tries to take a more adult-like role in. For example, Holden really wants to have a sexual relationship. Holden begins by trying to lose his virginity to a prostitute (and fails). He finds girls very attractive and often thinks about calling one of them up (Jane, Sally, etc.). At one point, he does call Sally up and arranges a date with her. Holden tries to take on a more adult-like role when suggests that he and Sally "drive up to Massachusetts or Vermont,...stay in these cabins until the dough runs out," and when the dough runs out, "get a job....Later on, we could get married or something" (p 132). Holden's relationship with Sally doesn't work out because he's not able to connect with her. He gets fed up with his life because he is surrounded by phonies and wants a change of pace. Sally is completely unable to understand where Holden is coming from. Holden proceeds to call her a "royal pain in the ass" (p 133).
Holden also arranges a meeting with Luce, an old peer at Whooton School, and now a college student. Holden attempts to initiate a relationship with Luce and at the same time get information about girls and sex (as Luce is very "experienced"). Holden is not able to connect with Luce either; he bombards him with immature questions and internally believes Luce is a phony.
One interaction (with other people) that goes pretty well is when Holden meets the nuns. He is able to converse with them. They like him and he likes them. Although his reason for liking them may be based on judgments (he thinks they aren't phonies because they "never went anywhere swanky for lunch" (p 114), he is able to interact with people in the real world, which is an improvement.

I think it is interesting that Holden thinks the adult world is phony, yet tries so hard to be apart of it by not only trying to create adult relationships but by pretending his is much older than he actually is and by conducting adult-like activities (drinking, smoking, etc.).


Kai, on a slightly different note, here is my question: Holden often expresses the fact that he hates moves and plays and especially dislikes actors. Why does he dislike actors so much?