On the surface, Holden Caulfield may seem wise, however, upon closer examination of his actions, it becomes apparent that his true nature is very stupid. He told us about his departure from Pencey and we had the chance to travel to New York with him. Throughout the story, we witnessed many of Holden's actions and heard the thoughts going on in his head. The way he calls people "fake" and acts like he's not a fake liar, or how he has very good manners, can give you the impression that he's wise (Salinger 6). But the truth is that he himself is an impostor. Behind his polite manners and intelligent, critical thoughts, Holden is just a silly boy. From Holden's actions throughout the story, you can tell that he didn't think through what he was doing. Holden knew he was failing four subjects and that he needed to “start applying himself,” but he never did (Salinger 6). He rarely tries to succeed and gives up when a situation becomes difficult. Holden ran away from school, even though he knew he had nowhere to go. He was staying in a hotel in New York and spending money frivolously. This shows that he is running away from problems instead of facing them, which is an immature quality. When faced with a choice, he takes the easy way out rather than committing to the more difficult choice. Ultimately, this deprives him of achieving goals that could bring him gratification. He convinces himself and the reader that he is intelligent in the short term, but in the long term he has accomplished nothing and leads a superficial and empty existence. Holden makes many wise statements throughout the story. He states that “people always think everything is true” (Salinger 13). In a way, the person reading the story is one of those "people" that Holden is talking about... middle of paper ... doesn't question whether his plans are realistic or not. The reason he wants to leave is because he wants to run away from all his problems and “crazy stuff” back home (Salinger 3). He thinks they will disappear along with the scared and confused boy he really is if he leaves town. The truth is, they won't. The problems will never go away unless he faces them and resolves them. The message to the reader is actually that Holden's seemingly intelligent and carefree attitude only masks the truth that he is lazy and underachieving. Unfortunately, he doesn't use his intelligence in a positive way because he doesn't face reality. Therefore, his intelligence and intelligence are wasted, and he is neither happy nor content. Works Cited Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Back Bay Books/Little, Brown and Company, 2010. Print