Holden is extremely self-absorbed and seems to believe he is the only teenager in the history of teenagers who is going through emotional pain, discomfort, and alienation. He appears to believe he is wiser than most people since he is beginning to realize how corrupt society is and how unfair life is. He projects his disillusionment onto everyone else, viewing people in a black-and-white lens: people are either innocent and good or nasty, out to get Holden. That there is an in-between, a gray area, never occurs to Holden.
Holden is also irresponsible. He skips classes, gets into fights, and ventures into the city without telling his parents. He also gets sick during his time out in the cold. He does not think his actions though.
One could argue that Holden needs to fix his negative perception of society and his awkward approach to interacting with other people. Holden considers the majority of people he meets to be phonies and believes that most people are selfish, inconsiderate, and superficial. Holden also has trust issues and is only close to his younger sister Phoebe. Holden should also remedy his immature personality and know when, where, and how to act appropriately. Holden is also relatively inconsiderate of other people's feelings and does not know when to shut his mouth. Holden starts a fight with his roommate at the beginning of the novel, offends Sally Hayes, and even upsets Phoebe when he gets frustrated. Holden also needs to work on being more responsible. Holden fails most of his classes, loses the fencing team's equipment, and spends all of his money. Holden also desperately needs to fix his outlook on the world and learn to see the positives in life. Holden needs focus less on the ulterior motives of other people, which will ease his anxiety and negative view of others.
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