Language Catcher in the Rye

An author’s use of diction and syntax can dictate the meaning of a text as a whole. In The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, Salinger uses these literary devices to establish the message in his novel. Salinger tells Holden Caulfield’s story in three days, showing the struggle of the desire to grow up but failure to act upon this maturity. One page from each of these days exemplifies the literary devices to shape the theme of the novel. Salinger’s use of diction and syntax aids his message of the preservation of innocence in a world that forces its children to grow up.

Yardley suggest that J.D. Salinger was unsuccessful in his syntax and diction in The Catcher in the Rye to weaken the praises of people who believe the book is exceptionally good in speaking like a teenager. Yardley says his attempts “only produces an adult’s unwitting parody of teen-speak,” which is a complete understatement. He claims Salinger was oblivious to what teenage language is usually like, using small examples like how Salinger uses “ya know” instead of “y’know.” Salinger was an adult writing in a teenage voice, which creates a lot of complication. He obviously didn’t know how a teenager spoke or acted, which ended up making the book a little bit peculiar. The character Holden Caulfield supposedly behaves like a child, but the way he speaks isn’t very child-like. He drinks alcohol and has grey hair, but he also becomes absorbed into

Literature has always relied on techniques to catch the reader’s attention and format the story, and “the Catcher in the Rye” is no exception. Salinger brought many different writing styles into his novel to make it a bestseller. With his knowledge, Salinger was able to depict the persona of Holden to the reader without directly stating his characteristics. Salinger proves Holden is a lonesome figure who wanted to fit in but struggles to be accepted. The Catcher in the Rye depicts Holden as one who struggles with his sexuality and adulthood and wants to save children from adulthood because of the difficulties that it has brought himself. Salinger greatly expresses Holden through the use of metaphor, imagery, symbolism,

The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by J.D. Salinger. It is narrated by Holden Caulfield, a cynical teenager who recently got expelled from his fourth school. Though Holden is the narrator and main character of the story, the focus of Salinger’s tale is not on Caulfield, but of the world in which we live. The Catcher in the Rye is an insatiable account of the realities we face daily seen through the eyes of a bright young man whose visions of the world are painfully truthful, if not a bit jaded. Salinger’s book is a must-read because its relatable symbolism draws on the reader’s emotions and can easily keep the attention of anyone.

The reader often searches for a glimpse of himself in the characters he is reading about, and this is especially true with the adolescent readers of The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. The author paints a picture of a conflicted youth by emphasizing his idiosyncrasies, and although Caulfield’s traits may seem exaggerated and alien at times, he is a character who is relatable to American youth today. Holden Caulfield has a strong sense of civic duty that is overshadowed only by his suicidal tendencies, is exceedingly sensitive to the evil in the world and prone to angst, yet empathetic to the emotional upheaval other children will experience when entering adulthood.

J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye features a complex narrative surrounding a troubled young student, Holden Caulfield. Difficulties he faces throughout the story force Holden to confront his fears of adulthood and maturation and the responsibilities therein through the difficulties he faces throughout the story. Academic controversy surrounds whether Holden learns from these confrontations and adjust accordingly, maturing throughout the story. While initially this seems rather subjective, a thorough analysis of Holden’s actions throughout the story as well as of the symbolism injected by Salinger makes it quite clear that Holden does undergo a significant maturity arc as the story progresses. Holden’s social development and maturation

This story is told in the first person point of view. The author chose the story to be first person to build a connection with the reader, and to tell stories from their own perspective, since they are more reliable than being told by someone else. First person also allows the reader to create a relationship with the protagonist and get to to know the character by the choices he made and the life experiences he had.

The author of The Catcher In The Rye also uses Holden's speech and language as a method of characterization. Holden narrates the entire plot in a colloquial teenage language filled with profanity which is nothing like what a matured

For the first example of a literary device, Holden Caulfield uses colloquialism to portray his youth and his separation from adulthood. “I’m the one that’s flunking out of the goddam place, and you’re asking me to write you a goddam composition.”(Salinger 16) In this passage, Holden uses colloquialisms, such as “goddam”, instead of more formal adult language. “‘The Catcher in the Rye” is not only a literary work but also an example of teenage slang in the 1950s.”(Zavari 508) Holden's language represents not just his own youth, but the youth of his generation, and J. D. Salinger does this to show their rejection of the phoniness of adulthood.

The novel ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ by J.D Salinger is a coming-of-age story. It follows the short tale of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen year old boy, who throughout his experiences in the novel, changes and becomes more mature and independent. The story essentially has two Holden Caulfields, the one telling the story, and the one that the story is being told about. This essay will look at the differences and similarities between the two Holden’s’.

I also say "Boy!" quite a lot. Partly because I have a lousy vocabulary and partly because I act quite young for my age sometimes”. Salinger chooses“edgy” vernacular for Holden to highlight his childlike tendencies; Holden blames his “lousy vocabulary” in order to ignore how he grasping on to childhood by not maturing the his daily colloquial

In this extract from chapter 2, Salinger uses language to make readers feel sorry for and empathize with Holden during the conversation he has with his history teacher, Spencer. Salinger uses 2nd person narration as an element of language to make the reader emphasize with Holden. For example, Holden repeatedly uses “if you” phrase, which creates a conversation between him and the reader. Therefore, the use of 2nd person narration develops empathy between the reader and Holden as the reader assumes that Holden is directly talking to him/her. Moreover, the use of fragment sentences (syntax) indicates Holden’s immaturity and enthusiasm to make a point.

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/about/terms.html. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/about/terms.html. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR 's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR 's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher