Sunday, February 18, 2018

Why does Holden call Stradlater a secret slob?

What he means by this is that, although Stradlater gives the outward impression of being a well-groomed young man, in actual fact he's a bit of a slob. It's just that, unlike Ackley, he's so much better at hiding it.
To the outside world, Stradlater comes across as immaculately dressed, with high standards of personal hygiene. But Holden witnesses a different side to Stradlater at first hand; he sees that Stradlater makes no effort to keep his razor or his toiletries clean. In Holden's eyes, this is what makes him a slob.
But because Stradlater appears attractive to everyone who meets him, his slovenliness remains largely a secret. No one would ever think in a million years that he'd behave like such a slob in the confines of the bathroom. The gap between the secret slob Stradlater and his public persona of a well-dressed young man about town is one of the many things that, according to Holden, makes him such a grade A phony.

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