catcher in the rye1
Catcher in the Rye The Language of Cather in the Rye The passage of adolescence has served as the central theme for many novels, but J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, long a staple in academic lesson plans, has captured the spirit of this stage of life in hyper-sensitive form, dramatizing Holden Caulfield's vulgar language and melodramatic reactions. Written as the autobiographical account of a fictional teenage prep school student Holden Caulfield, The Catcher in the Rye deals with material that is socially scandalous for the times (Gwynn, 1958). As an emotional, intelligent, inquisitive, and painfully sensitive young man, Holden puts his inner world to the test through the sexual mores of his peers and elders, the teachings of his education, and his own emerging sense of self. Throughout the years, the language of the story has startled some readers. Salinger's control of Holden's easy, conversational manner makes the introduction of these larger themes appear natural and believable. (Bloom, 1990). At the time of the novel through today, Holden's speech rings true to the colloquial speech of teenagers. Holden, according to many reviews in the Chicago Tribune, the New Yorker, and the New York Times, accurately captures th
Salinger carefully crafted such speech patterns to help us identify Holden's character without lengthy descriptions of such. For example, Holden says "That guy Morrow was about as sensitive as a goddam toilet seat" (Salinger, 1951). He relates poorly to instances other than those from his early youth, and tries in vain to bridge the gap between adolescent and adult worlds with his use of profanity. However, Holden recognizes that he has a limited vocabulary and uncomprehendingly identifies it himself (Salzman, 1991). " In the first instance, he uses the term "nice" which oversimplifies his parents' character, implying he does not wish to disrespect them, yet at the same time he does not praise them. Major Literary Characters: Holden Caulfield. Again, Holden's sporadic use of "sonuvabitch" in his angriest moments alerts the reader to the serious quality of his anger. " From the start the reader picks up Holden's hostility and unwillingness to share his views strictly by his use of language (Salzman, 1991). Rather than successfully rebelling against school or his parents, Holden appears sometimes tortured and pathetic, and sometimes just plain silly. Such reconfirmations include phrases such as ". Holden makes another toilet-like reference when he says "He started handling my paper like it was a turd or something," (Salinger, 1951) when referring to his teacher's expressions and body language while picking up some written work Holden had done. Cambridge, New York; Cambridge University Press, 1990.
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