Repression and Lies in Catcher in the Rye

• my research paper was titled " The unreliable narrator: repression and lies in The Catcher in the Rye" but I had to make changes.

Voiceover

Presenter(s)

Lily Jackson

Abstract or Description

This research paper will analyze and find correlations between Holden Caulfield's ( Catcher in the Rye) predisposition to lie to strangers, friends, and himself and his repressed homosexual urges. By conducting research about the developing adolescent brain and the psychology behind lying, I have devised several questions relating to Holden’s compulsive need to lie about small things. Research has already been conducted about Holden’s presumed homosexuality therefore I will be further examining how his repression of said homosexual urges has affected him as an emerging adult and how repression can lead to compulsive lying. This research will also delve deeper into a backward “Snowball effect” where Holden lies to himself about a much larger thing and in turn, leads him to lie about small things. In order to answer my questions, I will use direct examples for Catcher in the Rye and from outside sources such as peer-reviewed research papers covering the psychology behind liars, defense mechanisms, and repression.

 In a broader sense, does the repression of a large thing cause people to lie about small things?