Holden's Ideal

He doesn't need to put up an act or tell any lies: he can be himself entirely. Jane also seems perfect to Holden because he views her as the opposite of a phony. For example, "[he] used to kid her once in a while because she wouldn't take her kings out of the back row" (78), when they would play checkers. It is comforting to Holden that Jane is not afraid to show her small quirks. He knows that when he is with Jane, she always acts like herself, instead of pretending to be someone she is not. Because he upholds these ideal standards, Holden is constantly disappointed by society. .
             Holden's emotional turmoil also stems from his difficulties facing the concept of sex. From the beginning of his story, he explains to the readers that he is "the biggest sex maniac [ever seen]" (Bloom 21). Holden may truly believe that fact, but his actions speak an opposing truth. Whenever Holden is confronted with the chance to loose his virginity, he makes excuses so he does not have to. When given the chance to sleep with a prostitute, Holden explains his reluctance: "The trouble was, I just didn't want to do it. I felt more depressed than sexy, if you want to know the truth. She was depressing" (Salinger 96). This sudden change of heart seems odd because he had been willing to pay money to sleep with her just an hour before. Holden does not want to give himself up to anyone except Jane. Every woman he has had the opportunity to sleep with has seemed mediocre next to Holden's perfect perception of Jane. Instead he makes other excuses to try to cope with the fact that he doesn't have his Jane or a woman comparable to her perfection, making him more depressed. .
             Another factor contributing to Holden's depression is his disgust of phoniness. Holden's crusade against phoniness begins with his teachers, the adults that are meant to be role models. He views his one head master, Mr. Haas, as "the phoniest bastard [he] ever saw in [his] life" (14).