The Catcher in the Rye has truly earned it's place among great classic works. J. D.
Salinger created a literary piece that was completely unique. The entire novel was
written in the first person view of the 17-year-old, Holden Caulfield. The majority of the
story is compiled of Holden's rudimentary monologue of 'complexly simple' thoughts, the rest utilizing his relay of previous dialogue. That and the use of unique punctuation,
digressing explanations, and complex characterization, transformed the simple plot into
The novel's dialogue and monologue alike, manage to relay the feel of natural speaking
such as: "I mean you'd be different in some way - I can't explain what I mean."
The contractions; you'd and can't - since they are common in everyday language -
establish a very common and simple tone. Stress on the first syllable of "different,"
reinforces the tone by demonstrating how typically they speak, just as in reality. He
uses dashes for pauses and signaling associative digressions. Instead of signaling
pauses, commas are used mostly where mechanically required, for instance:
"So all of a sudden, I ran like a madman across the street - I damn near got myself
killed doing it, if you want to know the truth - and went in this stationary store and
Holden Caulfield creates a thought provoking point of view. On the surface many of his
thought patterns seem unrelated and straying from the topic. His association of topic
with digression is used almost constantly throughout the novel. However, realizing that
these digressions are very relevant and even crucial to the topic allow the reader to
gain true insight to the character. His statements about his sister's intelligence,
followed by explanations of how well she listens, reveals Holden's associations of
intelligence with being quiet and observant. Another example would be his tension
around the nuns. ...