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Rhetorical Analysis Of The Catcher In The Rye

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Throughout the novel, J.D. Salinger uses slang as a method of style to not only show the time period when this book was written, but also the intelligence of Holden and his accompanying characters. In chapter two, Holden’s slang is especially evident when describing Mr. Spencer and the way he lives his everyday life. This chapter also depicts Holden’s feelings about Mr. Spencer and shows that Mr. Spencer is the only known father figure around Holden at this time and Holden just continues to disappoint and push Mr. Spencer further away. The author uses this passage and passages like it to further develop the characterization of Holden and show how he views the world and its inhabitants. This style is evident in the paragraph “They each had …show more content…

This immaturity is evident on page 24, “Nobody won,” he said……..he was always telling me I was a goddam kid because I was sixteen and he was eighteen.” This style is used by Salinger to further develop the school setting and show that these kids still haven't matured. This also puts the reader in a playful mindset and creates a not-so-serious tone of the book and enables the reader to relax and enjoy the book better. Salinger then uses profanity to show how these boys value girls on page 49 ““Who's your date?" I asked him. "Fitzgerald?" "Hell, no! I told ya. I'm through with that pig.""Yeah? Give her to me, boy. No kidding. She's my type.”” This also shows the time period as well when women weren’t as valued as they are …show more content…

adulthood. Holden constantly acts childish when leaving schools, wasting money, starting arguments, and flunking his classes. When he is sent off to different schools, he is also being forced into adulthood. He is all alone far away from his family, and it is up to him to make decisions for himself. “It was too late to call for a cab…..everyone was in the sack.” This shows that Holden has no guidance and that he is left to fend for himself and make his own decisions. The way that Holden has been raised has forced him to grow up quickly from a child to an

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In the novel, Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist Holden is forced to face with the reality of growing up though he is trying to hold on to his innocence of childhood. Salinger uses many rhetorical strategies to reveal how Holden deals with being faced with the adult word. Whenever Holden is verbally confronted with not facing his adult problems he always denies it, he gets very defensive in his words. “ Yes I do.

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In this paragraph, the audience hears Holden’s negative immutable perspective about his school Pencey as he seems to not like the school at all, much less the people in it. The author uses words like “splendid” and “clear-thinking” to really express holden’s strong opinion about the guys at Pencey and how they don’t meet the expectations that the school holds. In the beginning of the book the reader is introduced to Mr. Spencer who is one of Holden’s teacher’s. Mr. Spencer comes out as a nice teacher whose only intention is to help Holden and guide him through the misfit of society as he realizes that Holden needs a hand to hold. Salinger writes, “Game, my ass.

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In the Spencer passage from “Catcher in the Rye” by JD Salinger, it is demonstrated that Holden has an aversion of adults through repetition of certain words to create distinction and motifs to signify what Holden constantly thinks about, giving insight to his interests. Holden shows his disinterest of adults by creating a clear distinction of him and Mr. Spencer by continually calling him “old.” This repetition of “old” demonstrates that Holden thinks that they are very different parts of their life: “Old Spencer had this very sad, ratty old bathrobe that he was probably born in. I don’t much like to see old guys in their pajamas and bathrobes anyway.” This quote highlights that Mr. Spencer is too old to care about his appearance, which is the opposite for Holden who is critiquing the outfit.

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A popular belief held by a number of literary critics is that Holden’s parents send him away to expensive schools such as Pencey, because they cannot handle his emotional unsettled he is. He shows his confusion, anger and hurt feelings after Alfie’s death and how he cannot contain his grief. Holden doesn’t understand his own feelings and we learn through; “I slept in the garage the night he died, and broke all the goddamn windows with my fist…” Holden’s violent reaction to his brother’s death reveals his frustration and inability to make sense of the injustice of his brother’s illness. By sending Holden to boarding school, his parents aim to provide him with a safe and stimulating environment, away from the constant reminder of Alfie’s death, however Holden fails to understand the rules of boarding life and

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