The Young Catcher in the Rye tells the odyssey of a teenager who criticizes the post-World War II society, occupied by empty and meaningless objectives. Throughout the novel, Holden labels everyone as "fake". However, if everyone is fake, does this include Holden? Because the first-person point of view severely limits the type of information they receive and choose to provide, readers must reinterpret the information Holden provides us. Instead of focusing on plot development, Salinger focuses on character development. Because the plot is uneventful (a boy drops out of school and wanders New York for a couple of days), Holden's judgments and experiences make up the bulk of the novel. Therefore, Bennett recommends “paying attention to how Salinger represents Holden's character, language, and worldview” (Bennett). However, Holden the narrator provides conflicting information. Due to Holden's inconsistent descriptions and insights, Salinger provides readers with various interpretations of the novel. As shown through Holden's interpretations of various characters such as his parents, DB and Allie, Salinger deliberately constructs the novel so that its true meaning is never revealed. Throughout the novel, Holden shows us his experiences and tries to persuade us to accept his point of view, which according to him is true. However, his perception is initially challenged by the description of Holden's family. Holden's parents are mostly absent from the novel, known mostly through Holden's ramblings. Holden presents Mr. Caulfield as a busy corporate lawyer who "makes a lot of money and plays golf and bridge and buys cars and drinks martinis and seems like a hotshot" (Salinger 172). Holden obviously thinks his father is a... middle of paper... Den's unreliable narrations make readers doubt Holden's views on many people, especially his parents, DB and Allie. Since there are many inconsistencies, there are infinite interpretations of the novel. Ultimately, the question of whether people are fake or not will never be answered. Works Cited Bennett, Robert. “Overview of The Catcher in the Rye.” EXPLORING novels. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Discovering the collection. Storm. Blue Mountain High School. January 5, 2014 .Bly, Robert. The Society of Brothers. Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley Pub., 1996. Print.Mitchell, Susan K. “To Tell You the Truth.” EXPLORING novels. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Discovering the collection. Storm. Blue Mountain High School. January 4, 2014. Salinger, J.D. The Young Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and, 1991. Print.