Characterization/ Symbolism/ Innocence “I'll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy. I mean that's all I told D.B. about, and he's my brother and all” Chapter 1, Page 1 Holden uses a nonchalant and informal voice when talking to the reader, indicating he is not a very uptight or serious person. His recantation of events around Christmas time symbolize a possible loss of innocence as the entire holiday is based on the myth of a man clothed in all red, breaking into your house to give you presents, and upto a certain age, most children believe that to be the truth. Characterization/ Innocence “Pencey Prep is this school in …show more content…
This quote also underlines Holden’s innocence as he still has not met that many people outside of his own “bubble.” Characterization/ Syntax “I was flunking four subjects and not applying myself and all. They gave me frequent warning to start applying myself—especially around mid-terms, when my parents came up for a conference with old Thurmer—but I didn't do it. So I got the ax. They give guys the ax quite frequently at Pencey.” Chapter 1, Page 4 Holden continues to use an informal voice when addressing the audience by using words such as “flunking” and “the ax” to highlight his indifference to what is proper. Syntax is used when Holden says “So I got the ax”which is stated in a very short and blunt manner. This might have been used to support Holden’s lack of a bourgeois-like attitude because of his failures at …show more content…
Characterization/ Family “ He [Allie] got leukemia and died when we were up in Maine, on July 18, 1946. You’d have liked him. He was two years younger than I was, but he was about fifty times as intelligent” Chapter 5, Page 43 Holden’s recantation of his younger brother, Allie’s death shows him as still suffering from the loss of his family member. Him failing his classes might be his way of grieving or at least lashing out due to the loss of his brother. Characterization “The next part I don’t remember so hot. All I know is I got up from bed, like I was going down to the can or something, and then I tried to sock him, with all my might….” Chapter 6, Page 49 Holden is characterized as impulsive here as he attempts to attack a boy who weighs twice as much as him and plays sports, just because Holden got into a jealous rage that Jane might have had a sexual interaction with Stradlater on their