Discusses the Importance of Truth in "The Catcher in the Rye" | Discusses the Importance of Truth in "The Catcher in the Rye"

From the very beginning of the novel, Holden decides what you want to hear, and what he's going to tell you. He refuses to talk about his parents' past because 'that stuff bores me', and his parents 'would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them.'(page 1) Throughout the novel, he avoids telling the truth about anything too "personal" or "boring." This suggests he thinks nothing of being economical with the truth for his own convenience. He certainly seems eager to decide for himself how much he's going to tell you. 'I'm not going to tell you my whole goddamn autobiography or anything. I'll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me.'(page 1) He also informs us that he hasn't told his own brother anymore than that. From this introduction, it may seem that...
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