Catcher in the Rye Essay The Importance of Language

The Importance of Language in The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye has captured the spirit of adolescence, dramatizing Holden Caulfields vulgar language and melodramatic reactions. Written as the autobiographical account of a fictional teenage prep school student named Holden Caulfield, The Catcher in the Rye deals with material that is socially scandalous for the time (Gwynn, 1958). As an emotional, intelligent, and 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 readers. Salingers control of Holdens easy,†¦show more content†¦Another colloquialism can be seen in the last two examples. Holden has a habit of ending his descriptions with tag phrases such as and all or or anything. (Salzman, 1991). Not only does Holden speak like this in the beginning of the novel, but throughout the book, making this pattern a part of his character. One could imagine Holden frequently ending his sentences with and all, and realize it is a character trait of his, since not all teenagers used that phrase. Therefore, the and all tag to Holdens speech served to make his speech authentic and individual. (Salzman, 1991). Salinger intentionally used such speech patterns to individualize Holden but also to make him a believable teenager of the early 1950s. Another example of how Holdens speech helped define his character is his constant need to confirm his own affirmations, as if even he did not quite believe himself. These confirmations include phrases such as ...if you want to know the truth, or ...it really does. Holden repeats the first phrase several times throughout the novel: I have no wind, if you want to know the truth, Im pacifist, if you want to know the truth, and a variation: She had a lot of sex appeal, too, if you really want to know. In each of the above instances, Holden makes a statement and then feels compelled to clarify that is he is not making itShow MoreRelated Importance of Language in The Catcher in the Rye Essay1711 Words   |  7 Pages   Ã‚  Ã‚   The Catcher in the Rye, like many other great works, was met by scornful criticism and unyielding admiration. However, many literary critics also marveled at Salingers use of language, which was used to make Holden Caulfield, the main character, extremely realistic. Such language includes both repetition of phrases and blatant cursing, in order to capture the informal speech of the average, northeastern American adolescent. 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