Rhetorical Analysis Of The Catcher In The Rye

In his classic coming of age novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger crafts a memorable story by connecting with the readers on a personal level, tapping into their emotions. Salinger creates a pathos appeal through an informal tone, with a heavy usage of colloquial terms and a first person point of view, and the syntactical structure he chose, giving a stream of consciousness effect, in order to convey the message of his story on a more personal level that resonates deeply with the reader. The Catcher in the Rye was published in 1951, by the American author J. D. Salinger. Salinger served in World War II, and his experience in the war along with the post-World War II society in the United States contributed to his perspective when writing

Where a formal tone lends itself to a certain amount of detachment on the reader’s part, an informal tone allows the reader to feel closer to the narrator and his story. The use of first person and the casual addressing of the reader immediately makes the reader feel connected to the story by directly involving the reader in the events taking place. From the first line of the story, “If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is…” to the last few, “Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody,” the narrator includes the reader in the story. By imparting his wisdom and making judgements and comments meant for the reader, the reader is engaged in the story, as if they are experiencing it along with Holden, rather than merely observing the

The usage of slang, curse words, and casual sayings in not only the dialogue but the narrative as well gives the book a conversational feel, as the language throughout it mirrors that used everyday speech. Holden repeatedly uses adjectives like “phony” or “crumby,” and phrases such as “horsing around” and “gives me the bang.” These phrases not only make text seem more relatable, but also more genuine. Exaggeration is another device frequently used in Holden’s narrative, especially in reference to quantities an amounts, as used when Holden says Ossenburger “made a speech that lasted about ten hours,” and often remarking that something “just about killed me.” While clearly exaggerations, these comments enhance the casual nature of the narration, by showing a clear distinction between this story and the more precise nature of a formal text. Furthermore, Holden’s liberal use of obscenities, often functioning as an unnecessary adjective, gives the impression that Holden is not holding back in his