Catcher in Rye: Point of View

A detailed Summary of Catcher in Rye: Point of View

The World Through Holden Caulfield's Eyes

When writing a novel, the author has the option of using the first or third person narrative. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.K. Salinger creates Holden Caulfield in the first person. As we go from one adventure to the next, we see everything that happens from Holden's point of view. This helps to make him a sympathetic character.

Throughout the novel, Holden Caulfield has a constant inner monologue which reflects on everything that's going on in his life. By listening to this monologue, we have an unobstructed view into his mind and the way it works. This is demonstrated when he tells us how people want him to act his age. "...I get bored sometimes when people tell me to act my age. Sometimes I act a lot older than I am-I really do-but people never notice it. People never notice anything." (9) This particular bit of personal wisdom Holden shares with us greatly helps us in identifying with his character. The concept of a child criticizing adults for their behavior is common in reality but it literature is often expressed with the idea of "that's the way I thought before I became wise." Rarely is the situation seen from the perspective of the wayward but eloquent adolescent

These private thoughts he shares with the reader show us what an insightful, intelligent, good human being Holden Caulfield is and work to establish his place as a sympathetic character. Still, as talented as Holden is at looking into things and isolating their true significance, he is equally adept in the fields of hypocrisy and self deception. He calls everyone a "goddamn phony" while he's the one who's a compulsive liar. In addition, he tends to yell when he talks to people and is completely unaware of it, as seen in his dialogues with Sally Hayes and Carl Luce. Furthermore, he is unable to make the connection between the dream he has of catching children at the edge of a cliff with his own fear of growing up. He's too naive to see how he's preventing his still child-like self from entering the confusing, depressing, and sometimes dangerous realm of adulthood. But even these negative qualities are useful in that they compound his complexity. Like us, Holden is imperfect and ultimately even more deserving of sympathy.

. In other words, he reveals the perversity of adult thought for all to see, something with which fellow adolescents can easily identify. Sometimes Holden, using his inner monologue, analyzes a hypothetical situation. While he's walking in the city without his gloves, he ponders what he would do if he found the boy w

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Approximate Word count = 912
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English