Language Features in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Language Features in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Language features in The Catcher in the Rye explore J.D. Salinger's unique narrative style, focusing on the protagonist Holden Caulfield. The analysis highlights the use of first-person narration, anti-traditional language, and stream of consciousness techniques that reflect Holden's inner turmoil and societal critique. This study is valuable for literature students and fans of classic American novels, providing insights into the themes of alienation and authenticity. The paper discusses the impact of Holden's colloquial language and slang, revealing deeper meanings behind his character and experiences.

Key Points

  • Analyzes the first-person narrative technique used by Holden Caulfield.
  • Explores the anti-traditional language features in Salinger's writing.
  • Examines the use of stream of consciousness to depict Holden's thoughts.
  • Highlights the significance of vulgar language and slang in character development.
  • Discusses the societal critique presented through Holden's experiences.
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Journal of Literature and Art Studies, August 2015, Vol. 5, No. 8, 601-605
doi: 10.17265/2159-5836/2015.08.004
Language Features in The Catcher in the Rye
JING Jing
Changchun University, Changchun, China
The Catcher in the Rye was the first novel by Jerome David Salinger, published in 1951. The book is considered as
one of American literature classics in the 20th century and releases six million copies in various versions in the
world. This paper mainly introduces how Salinger uses the first person technique through the novel, the
anti-tradition language features and it also introduces the usage of stream of consciousness in the novel.
Keywords: the first person technique, language feature, the anti-tradition feature
Introduction
Jerome David Salinger (1919–2010) is a very popular American author. He had not published any work in
34 years until 1999 when he published his new novel Harper Watts. He produced a lot of novels, short stories,
and novellas, among which the most prominent is The Catcher in the Rye, which has been outstanding at three
aspects: anti-tradition, first person technique, and stream of consciousness.
Shortly after its publication, writing for The New York Times, Nash K. Burger called it “an unusually
brilliant novel” (Burger, 1951), while James Stern wrote an admiring review of the book in a voice imitating
Holden’s. Up to the 21st century, The Catcher in the Rye has become a classic of contemporary American
literature and has been selected as one of the hundred best English novels between 1993 and 2005.
Over a long time, criticism is centered on the novel on the moral degeneration, nihilism, sex description,
and excessive use of vulgar language, etc. An angry parent applies statistics to the foul language in the novel:
There are 237 “Goddamn”, 58 “bastard”, 31“Chris sake”, and 6 “fuck”. In the 1970s, several American high
school teachers were forced to resign because of teaching The Catcher in the Rye. But time is the most
impartial judge. Up to the 21st century, this book has becom famous all over the whole world and the total sales
of all versions of the book have been up to 65 million copies.
Nowadays, the language style has become a characteristic of the novel. Many scholars study The Catcher
in the Rye’s language features and artistic style around the world. This novel has a significant status in
American literature. This thesis aims at revealing its language features: anti-tradition, the first person technique,
and stream of consciousness.
Anti-Tradition
Language is a chronicler of the times. The Catcher in the Rye is not only a successful description of the
status of the United States after the World War II and the mental state of the American youth, but also
accurately and vividly record the language habits of the American youth. American critic Donald once said:
We can see the language of The Catcher in the Rye is informal and colloquial art show of American teenagers. It has
JING Jing, Master, Lecturer, School of Foreign Languages, Changchun University
DAVID PUBLISHING
D
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typical, common features and individuality; it is vulgar, slang and lack of accuracy, with imitation marks, without losing
the creativity. (Donald, 1953, p. 53)
Firstly, the vulgar or crude words can be seen in any situations in the novel. Holden’s mouth was closed
with “damn”, “goddamn”, and “hell”, for example, when he mentioned that he was fond of the red cap, he used
“goddamn hunting cap” and called his luggage was “my goddamn bags”.
In daily life, for the people and things which Holden did not like, he could not but to scorn. In the middle
of the second chapter, Holden used such words to describe the principal of the original school:
They were coming in the goddamn window. For instance, they had this headmaster, Mr. Haas that was the phoniest
bastard I ever met in my life. Ten times worse than old Thurmer. He’d be charming as hell and all. Except if some boy had
little old funny-looking parents. You should’ve seen the way he did with my roommate’s parents. I mean if a boy’s mother
was sort of fat or corny-looking or something, and if somebody’s father was one of those guys that wear those suits with
very big shoulders corny black-and-white shoes, then old Hans would just shake hands with them and give them a phony
smile and then he’d go talk, for maybe a half an hour, with somebody else’s parents. (Salinger, 1951, p. 15)
Holden said that the window was “damn” and former school Principal Mr. Haas was “the most
hypocritical bastard in the life”; and Mr. Haas was buttering up people just like a whore and so on.
On the surface, the vulgar words that protagonist Holden used were informal, colloquial, and rude, but if
think carefully, we can see the author Salinger dealt with the language in fine and innovation. On one hand,
Holden lived in a corrupt, depraved, and hypocritical society, he was unconsciously and inevitably tainted with
some bad habits such as smoking, drinking, lying, and talking about sex, etc. But he had to do so in order to
integrate into such a society. On the other hand, he felt depressed and he expressed his dissatisfaction with the
society in the crude words to unleash his inner bitterness. He looked down the phony adult society, which was
full of pursuing money, right and emotional alienation interpersonal. Holden expressed his disgust for society
through abusive language to alleviate the grievances of mind.
Secondly, the author used a lot of slang words. Holden used a large number of “old”, for instance, he
called his little sister as “old Phoebe”; called the elevator who forced to blackmail him, and he hated not to
shoot six times as “old Maurice”; called his history teacher as “old Spencer” who he both had sympathy and
disgust; and as “my old heart”, “the old hunting hat” and so on. Holden had reverse psychology and he had
some innovation ideas but a little cynicism. So the fuzzy slang was consistent with his identity and his
character.
Thirdly, attachment language appeared in the novel, as “and all”, “or something”, and “or anything”. For
example, “she won’t even talk or anything”; “I thought I was going to choke to death or something”; and “Then
I finished buttoning my coal and all”. This expression was ambiguous, as if there was still something to say but
did not want to say more words. It abandoned the traditional expression such as “and so on”, “and the like”, and
“etc.”. In the twelfth chapter, there was a text described the pianist in the bar:
He’s a terrific snob and he won’t hardly even talk to you unless you are a big shot or a celebrity or something, but he
can really play the piano. He’s so good he’s almost corny, in fact. I don’t exactly know what I mean by that, but I mean it.
(Salinger, 1951, p. 92)
This was the protagonist’s hated to the corrupt society and holds indifferent and cynical attitude. Society
was full of chaos and false, in turn, Holden used the vague and uncertain language to express his inner thoughts
and emotions. There was some other attachment, like “I really don’t”, “I admitted it”, and “no kidding” were
LANGUAGE FEATURES IN THE CATCHER IN THE RYE
603
widely used in the novel. What Holden wanted to convey to the readers was that what he once said was reliable
to a certain extent by using these words, because this society was full of a large number of false acts.
Meanwhile the hero also used the exaggerated language to strength his tone. When Holden returned home,
he told his father such a description: “You can hit my father over the head with a chair and he won’t wake up”;
“That kills me”; “I take a long, long time to stop” (Salinger, 1951, p. 171). Holden uses hyped and exaggerating
words to make others believe him, even though the world was phony and the youth was trying to seek a pure
place.
Repeating language also used widely in the novel, such as “phony” and “depressed” occurred 42 times and
32 times respectively. In the seventeenth chapter, when Holden and Sally went to the movies, what he
experienced let him mention the word “phony” several times: “You never saw so many phonies in all your life”
and “It was the phoniest conversation you ever heard in your life”.
In a word, language style in The Catcher in the Rye has its unique artistic charm and strong influence. It
becomes an indispensable carrier for us to understand the theme of the whole novel. Reading the ideas that
conveys by the novel and feeling the language’s unique and charm, you will find that there are more things
waiting us to discover, to interpret in The Catcher in the Rye.
The First Person Technique
The protagonist Holden in The Catcher in the Rye was a sixteen-year-old boy in high school. He had many
bad habits-smoking, drinking, fighting, and lying, and he was a downright problem child. However, such a bad
student, Salinger made him become a model image of everybody’s understanding, compassion, and love or
even sought after by many young adolescents. Meanwhile, Holden also led adults to think and explore deep
social reasons behind this problem child. Why did he have such a big literary effect? Salinger skillfully used the
first person narrative to achieve the effects.
Traditionally, the narrative perspective of a text is often simply divided into first person, second person, or
third person. However, no matter what narrated from the perspective of “I” or “he, she, it”, it is narrated from
the perspective of the narrator in essence. The only difference lies in the narrator’s different angles.
In the novel, Holden was the hero and the narrator of the story. The whole story was narrated by Holden
that was to say and readers could only understand the plots in the story through the eyes of Holden. Salinger
made the seventeen-year-old Holden as the narrator of the story and Holden was the narrator “I”. In the story,
Holden recalled three-day story before the winter vacation of the Christmas Eve one year ago. The
sixteen-year-old Holden was “I”. Such arrangement was very skillful. “The recalled Holden” experienced
mental and physical torture in three days and his spirit was gradually collapsed and later he was admitted to a
mental hospital. “The narrator Holden” received treatment for a year, but no one knew when he told the story
whether his spirit was normal or not. Therefore, it was difficult to separate “the recalled Holden” and “the
narrator Holden” from the narrative voice or the narrative vision. It meant that it would be freer for Salinger
either from the narrative voice or the narrative vision. The novel made readers feel smooth and fluid.
The first person narration allows readers to understand the deep motivation and reasons why Holden had
bad habits. It fully demonstrated Holden’s pain, disappointment, longing, and fear for the adolescent emotion in
subconscious. It made readers know that Holden was an honest, good-natured, and attentive boy. It allowed the
characters in the novel to narrate their own stories and gave readers more space to think and could evoke
readers’ imagination and association.
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FAQs of Language Features in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

What are the main themes in The Catcher in the Rye?
The Catcher in the Rye explores themes of alienation, identity, and the loss of innocence. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, grapples with feelings of isolation in a world he perceives as phony. His journey through New York City reflects his struggle to connect with others and find authenticity in relationships. The novel ultimately critiques societal norms and the challenges of growing up.
How does Salinger use language to convey Holden's character?
Salinger employs informal and colloquial language to reflect Holden's youth and rebellion against societal expectations. The frequent use of slang and vulgarity illustrates Holden's disdain for the adult world, while also making his voice relatable to readers. This language choice enhances the authenticity of Holden's character, allowing readers to engage with his emotional struggles and perspectives.
What narrative techniques are prominent in The Catcher in the Rye?
The Catcher in the Rye prominently features first-person narration and stream of consciousness. This narrative style allows readers to experience Holden's thoughts and feelings directly, creating an intimate connection with his character. The use of stream of consciousness reveals his inner conflicts and fragmented thoughts, emphasizing his psychological turmoil and the chaotic nature of his experiences.
What role does the setting play in Holden's story?
The setting of New York City serves as a backdrop for Holden's exploration of alienation and identity. As he navigates various locations, from bars to schools, the city reflects his internal struggles and feelings of disconnection. The bustling environment contrasts with Holden's desire for solitude and understanding, highlighting his conflict between seeking connection and feeling isolated.
How does Holden's character evolve throughout the novel?
Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield undergoes a subtle evolution as he confronts his feelings of grief and loss. Initially, he exhibits a cynical and rebellious attitude, rejecting adult society. However, as the story progresses, moments of vulnerability reveal his longing for connection and understanding. This evolution culminates in his realization of the importance of relationships, particularly with his sister Phoebe, who represents innocence and hope.

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