Holden Caulfield is so lost in the world, he doesn’t even realize it. He doesn’t really want much. He craves just what every other human craves naturally. It’s a human’s nature to want somebody. To talk to, to care about, and to love. However, even in today’s world, people still struggle to find people who truly care about them. As sad as it sounds, it happens and this is why so many people relate to Holden. What separates Holden from the normal struggling teen is that Holden surrounds himself with phonies and fakes. Despite the illusion, this actually makes Holden’s situation worse. By surrounding himself with fake people, he makes himself feel like there are people who actually care about him, when in reality there’s no one. Fake friends like Carl Luce, fake relationships like Sally, and desperate acts of discussion with prostitutes slowly cripple his mental state.

After Holden left Pencey, he immediately felt more alone. When he wasn’t constantly around people he started to feel a lot more lonely in a great city like New York. After nights full of drinking and over-thinking, he was finally approached by a pimp asking if he wanted to have some fun for the night. Clearly lost in thought and testosterone raging he agrees. When Sunny actually comes around however Holden realizes he doesn’t want someone to have sex with, but just someone to be with. Expecting some kind of compassion, he receives none, and winds up even more upset. Even worse for Holden is when he expects someone who does give him compassion from time to time to be there in his worst hour and isn’t. Holden and Sally had some kind of relationship regardless if Holden didn’t feel all that great about her. So when Holden expected Sally to be there for him when he needed to vent and she shut him down, Holden was devastated. He offered her money, a new life, and to get away from the madness yet she declined and made Holden upset. After he lost Sally, he was running out of people to potentially talk to. He winds up calling people out of desperation. He finally makes contact with someone who he hardly knows; a genius that he knew through a friend. After finally getting together for a few drinks, it becomes noticeable that Carl isn’t interested in Holden’s questions and could care even less about Holden. After a short while he gets up and abruptly gets ready to leave. Holden asks him to stay, but he declines. Holden gets hurt again after again, and complains about his dislike for phonies. However he doesn't realize that Sally was a fake girlfriend, Carl was a fake buddy, and Sunny, being a prostitute, is the epitome of fake. Holden needs to make better decisions on who he makes company with if he wants to be happier.

The Catcher and The Rye(J.D. Salinger)