Important Quotes from "The Catcher in the Rye"

"I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all."

- J.D. Salinger
The Catcher in the Rye
Chapter 22

In the world of literature their exist many unique writers and storytellers. However, it takes much talent indeed for a writer to develop that same unique style and manner of storytelling. Through practice and patience, some writers simply come to develop their own unique and instantly recognizable style of writing. And, as is the case with most gifts, few writers can command this unique writing style forever. However, perhaps one of the most easily recognizable authors still read with great popularity today is J.D. Salinger. Within his novel, The Catcher in the Rye, one can notice many writing accents and techniques, some of which are subtle and some which are blaringly obvious, that help to give both the writer and the novel a unique style and narrative.

Perhaps the most unique device that leads the reader to identify Salinger's style is the viewpoint from which he writes. Note that Salinger writes directly from the eyes of Holden, the main character of the novel. In the selected passage above, that style can be especially noted. There are many literary devices, which help to identify this unique style. Mainly, the sentence structure of the writing, quite simply, is not written in the style of an adult. Not only are a major portion of the sentences in both the above passages in the novel as a whole run-on sentences, there are also many breaks and sudden changes in ideas. These characteristic switches in both tone and subject matter are as much the signature style of an adolescent as they are of one suffering from some type of emotional condition, as does Holden in his story.

Therein lies the beauty of Salinger's writing. He does not really write as one traditionally writes a coming of age story, instead, The Catcher in the Rye is written simply as a retelling of a series of experiences that have affected the main character at various times during his life. As a result, many examples can be found within the novel that helps to reveal and develop this signature style of writing. Note that word choice is one very important aspect of this telling. Reading through the book, it becomes apparent that the word and adjective choice with which Holden expresses his feelings are somewhat limited. He refers to most matters regarding the adult world as being "phony". This repetition of words can also be seen in the above passage, as many of the phrases used are simply repeated again and again. Interesting to note is that this technique is used repeatedly during certain segments of the novel in order to emphasize certain passages. In the scene in which Holden yells at Sally, his arguments appear to be poorly constructed and randomly put together. This schizophrenic style of writing is just one of the trademarks of Salinger's unique style.

Another instantly recognizable element in Salinger's work is the tone with which he writes his characters speeches. Within The Catcher in the Rye, rarely are Holden's opinions or observations on life and people far from cynical or otherwise uncaring. Holden's progressive descent into loneliness throughout the novel is well documents by Salinger's cynical and obviously teenage tone. The tone of the passage shares this tone in its ideas as to the ideal life of children, and their perilous fall into the world of adults and growing up. Holden's want to stop the innocence of the world from fading is a recurrent theme throughout the novel, and it is again brought up here. The tone that much of the novel shares is simply one more element that identifies the author's unique style.

Another major component of Salinger's work is the symbolism that he includes within his writing. Although there is little symbolism in the above passage, beyond the widely discussed "Catcher in the Rye" poem, there are many other sequences within the novel that contain a wide variety of symbolism and meaning. Note especially the duck pond that Holden often thinks of when remembering his younger brother Allie. Also of interest in terms of symbolism is the history museum that Holden visits. To him, that museum represents an ideal world, a place where things can stay as they have always been, and a place where time is really meaningless. There are many other works by Salinger that contain this same focus on symbolism and hidden meanings. However, within The Catcher in the Rye, the symbolic nature of the work is just one more element that helps to identify the style.

Likewise, it is mainly the speaking style of Holden, both in the above passage and throughout the novel that help to best identify the author's unique style. The Catcher in the Rye is written from the eyes of a sixteen year old, and Salinger does his best to write in that same style. In
the above passage, it becomes very apparent that it is not an adult who is speaking to the reader. Instead, it is a child, albeit an intelligent one, that has little experience expressing his ideas to the outside world and to others around him. The incomplete and run on sentences, the lack of proper grammar, the sometime obvious use of slang and lack of extensive word choice are all elements that can be found in both the above passage and throughout the novel that help to identify the signature style of Salinger.

In the same manner as John Lennon was said to be a spokesman for his generation, so too perhaps, can it be said that Salinger was a spokesman for the youth of the post World War II era. His novels and short stories are unique in that they are written from the very perspective of their main characters and intended audiences. There are few passages, which, if pulled from The Catcher in the Rye, would fail to be recognized by any alert reader. This instantly recognizable style is due in large part to Salinger's creative use of many writing elements, notably sentence structure, word choice, symbolism, and tone. Although Salinger's work may not be the best known among contemporary authors, his style is doubtlessly one of the most unique.

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The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger

Plot Summary

The protagonist of J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye", Holden Caulfield, has become one of the most iconic characters in American Literature. Part of Holden Caulfield's appeal is the way in which he has come to encapsulate and represent the fears, frustrations and thwarted ideals that mark the transition from childhood, through adolescence to adulthood.

Holden narrates the story as a seventeen year old looking back upon events which occurred when he was sixteen. It is apparent that Holden is currently in a psychiatric hospital however he does not seem to have any recognisable condition as opposed to more generally had a breakdown.

Holden begins his story from the day he left the elite private school, Pencey, having been expelled for achieving poor grades and failing to apply himself. He has bought a distinctive red hunting hat in New York. This hat acquires a symbolism throughout the story particularly at the end where the hat passes between Holden and his sister. Pencey is the third school we know of that Holden has left. Holden tells his teacher, Mr. Spencer, that he left the school Elkton Hills by choice because the shallowness he saw there depressed him.

Holden later tells his ten year old sister, Phoebe, about a classmate at Elkton Hills called James Castle who was set upon by a group of older boys who tried to bully him into retracting an offensive remark he had made about one of them. Rather than take the remark back James jumped out of a window and was killed, he was wearing a sweater borrowed from Holden at the time. It is more likely that this traumatic event prompted Holden to choose to leave the school rather than anything more trivial and this is one of the main indications that Holden is an unreliable narrator. Mr. Spencer, attempts to make Holden aware of the seriousness of his situation but he only succeeds in making Holden feel uncomfortable and melancholy. After talking to Mr. Spencer Holden goes to his dormitory room which he shares with a boy called Ward Stradlater and is next door to a room occupied by Robert Ackley. Holden's interactions with these two boys demonstrate how Holden criticises others for things which he does himself.

As the story progresses Holden occasionally acknowledges his own irritating or "phony" behaviour. Holden feels that the things which upset him are confined solely to the adult world and so he feels that the process of growing up is turning him into something which he despises. Stradlater has a date with Holden's childhood sweetheart, Jane Gallagher. Although Holden wants to see Jane and has fond memories of the time they spent together he backs out of going and saying hello to her.

Holden reveals that he had a younger brother Allie who was two years younger than him who died of leukaemia when Holden was thirteen. Holden was extremely traumatised by the death of his brother, on the night Allie died Holden says that he slept in the garage and smashed all the garage windows with his fist, breaking and permanently damaging his hand.

Later that night when Stradlater returns from his date Holden demands to know if he has slept with Jane. When Stradlater evades the question Holden flies into a rage and attacks him but Stradlater easily fights him off and gives Holden a bloody nose. Holden decides to leave Pencey early and stay in a hotel for a few days until he goes home. Despite Holden's indignation at Stradlater's date with Jane he admits that he is very interested in sex. From his hotel room window Holden sees a man in an opposite room dressing himself in women's clothing and in a room above Holden sees a couple spitting drinks into each other's faces. Holden refers to these people as perverts and says that he finds the behaviour distasteful and yet, he confesses, arousing. Holden has an idealised conception of relationships and this clashes not just with the world around him but with himself.

The elevator attendant offers to arrange for a prostitute to come to Holden's room. Holden agrees and he is keen to acquire some experience. When the girl arrives Holden loses his nerve and tries to initiate a conversation with her, eventually he makes an excuse not to sleep with her and
she leaves. The girl returns with the elevator attendant to demand more money and Holden is punched in the stomach during the altercation. Holden feels very depressed and starts to talk to his dead brother Allie, he says he often does this when he feels low.

The next day Holden calls a girl called Sally Hayes and they go on a date. Holden asks Sally to run away with him and ultimately marry him, Sally refuses and Holden insults her before leaving. He claims that he didn't want to go anywhere with Sally anyway but that he was sincere when he asked her. Holden calls a teacher from Elkton hills called Mr. Antolini and goes to spend the night at his home.

Mr. Antolini tells Holden that he thinks he is riding for a terrible, terrible fall and tries to persuade him that if he pursued his studies he would get past the irritations he feels for teachers and fellow pupils when he reaches the knowledge that really inspires him. Mr. Antolini tells Holden that many people have experienced the despair that he feels and that one day Holden might write an account of his thoughts and experiences. Holden falls asleep and wakes up to find Mr. Antolini stroking his head, Holden assumes that the gesture is sexually motivated and hurriedly leaves the house. Whilst Mr. Antolini was over stepping a boundary it is more likely that he was merely being overly affectionate on account of having consumed a lot of alcohol.

Later Holden reconsiders his rash assumption about Mr. Antolini and feels guilty for taking off from his house. Holden sends a note to Phoebe to tell her to meet him before he hitch hikes out West. Phoebe meets Holden wearing his red hunting hat and dragging a suitcase, she is so determined to go with him that Holden agrees to go home instead of leaving. At the end of the book Holden says that he doesn't know if he will be able to pursue his studies and apply himself, it is unclear whether Holden will sink into another cycle of negative thoughts and actions after he leaves the hospital.


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by stefanina hills, published at www.associatedcontent.com

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