Holden's Voice in Catcher in the Rye

They often employ techniques of narrative. In this scene in Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s voice is shown through narrative techniques. He is telling the story of when Phoebe figured out he got kicked out of Pencey. He is able to use the dialogue between him and his sister to develop her characterization and move the plot forward. When she figures it out, Holden is denying it, but she keeps saying “You did. You did” (Salinger 214). In this vignette, Holden is showing us how persistent Phoebe is through her dialogue and what she says. Because of her repetition of this phrase, we see how disappointed she is in Holden. Of course, this isn’t the first time he’s gotten kicked out of a school, and she can’t believe that he got kicked out again. She wants Holden to succeed, and even though she’s so young, we are able to see through this dialogue how mature she is. She asks Holden, “Oh, why did you do it?” (Salinger 217). She can’t believe that he is taking this so lightly and she wants to know why Holden keeps failing his classes and getting kicked out. Holden is telling us this vignette and through the dialogue with Phoebe, he benefits her characterization. Using dialogue to show characterization is a narrative technique, so this shows how Holden’s voice is developed by techniques of narrative. They offer surprising information and observations. Throughout Holden’s vignette, he offers us little details about Phoebe, which helps make his voice more authentic. For example, when describing how mad she was, he says, “ Then she hit me on the leg with her fist. She gets very fisty when she feels like it” (Salinger 214). This is a tiny detail about Phoebe that the reader wouldn’t expect to hear about at this moment. It shows the relationship between Holden and Phoebe. Even though it’s obvious that they’ve known each other for a while because they’re siblings, this shows us how well they know each other and how close they are as siblings. Additionally, Holden says, “If you don’t think that hurts, you’re crazy” (Salinger 214). I think that this further shows what Holden’s relationship with Phoebe is like. Siblings typically get in ‘fights’ like this and I think that this shows us a little background as to how their relations was like that, too. These little details are things that the reader wouldn’t expect to hear about, but Holden is telling them in his vignette, which makes his voice more authentic. They deliver interesting information. When Phoebe first figures out that Holden was kicked out, she’s very mad and Holden keeps denying it. He doesn’t want her to know that he was kicked out, but he says, “If you don’t think she’s smart, you’re mad” (Salinger 213). In this vignette, Holden reveals how smart he thinks Phoebe is. Through this quote, we can see that Holden knows he can’t fool her, even though he tries to fool her anyway. This is interesting to the audience because Holden is going against what he already knows. He says that he knows Phoebe is smart and that she figured it out, but he’s still denying her accusations. It’s interesting to the audience that he’s trying to convince her from what she knows is true. This shows Holden’s voice because the way the vignette is written interests the audience. He tells that audience that Phoebe is smart, but he’s still trying to trick her back into thinking that he wasn’t kicked out. Through this, he is delivering interesting information to the audience about himself.

Blog Post #2

In chapter 16 of Catcher in the Rye, Holden tells a vignette about how he would go to museum a lot with his class when he was in grade school. At the end of the vignette, he says how everything in the museum is always the same no matter how many times you go back. Following this, he says, "Nobody'd be different. The only thing that would be different would be you" (Salinger 158). Holden describes how the only thing that changes every time you go back to the museum is you. In between visits to the museum, you'll experience something that will make you different. This was the whole meaning of his vignette. Some things around you will always stay constant, but you are always experiencing things that change you in some way, even if that change is not major. Holden gives examples of these experiences. It could be as simple as being there with a different group, or as complex as hearing your parents fight. Through this vignette, Holden was trying to show that your surroundings may stay constant, but you won't stay the same. People are always changing and even the tiny little details we experience can cause change.

Catcher in the Rye 9-10

I chose to write about blog option two.

Holden is a very complex character, and this can be seen throughout chapter 10 in Catcher in the Rye. At some points throughout the chapter, Holden seems very caring and compassionate, especially towards his younger sister Phoebe. In contrast, at other points in the chapter, Holden seems very materialistic and stereotypical in regard to how he treats the women at the bar. In just this one chapter, we are able to see two very different sides of Holden.

The chapter opens with Holden talking about how he wants to call his younger sister, Phoebe. When describing her, he says, “You should see her. You never saw a little kid so pretty and smart in your whole life” (Salinger 87). This line is followed by a lengthy and generous description of Phoebe. Holden is showing his compassion and his sentiments towards Phoebe. He believes that she is very pretty and she is one of the smartest kids ever. This shows that Holden really loves her and he is proud of her. He thinks that Phoebe is special and he cares about her, and wants the audience to realize that. He wants the audience to know how great Phoebe is. This makes Holden seem like a more sensitive character because we see how much he cares about his sister.

Later on in the chapter, Holden goes down to the hotel bar and sees three women. In describing these women, Holden comes off as very materialistic. He says, “…there were these three girls around thirty or so. The whole three of them were pretty ugly… she was sort of cute, the blonde one…” (Salinger 90). Holden is talking about the three women at the bar and says that they’re ugly. However, a sentence later, Holden says that one of them is “sort of cute.” The way this is written makes it seem like Holden is settling for the prettiest of the three, who isn’t very pretty. He comes off as materialistic because he is just judging these women off of their looks and settling for the prettiest one. Because it makes his seem materialistic, it takes away from the compassion we saw when he was talking about his sister. He doesn’t seem to care for the feelings of everyone; he only cares about a few people who are close to him. Other than those close to him, he disregards people’s feelings and is very judgmental.

This shows how complex Holden is because he has these contrasting characteristics. Because he’s so complex, we can see that Holden truly is an individual. If Holden was a simple character with only a few distinguished traits, he wouldn’t stand out and he could easily be compared to any other character or person. However, because he’s so complex, he is a distinct individual. He doesn’t just follow what everyone expects him to do. His contrasting characteristics make him unpredictable, allowing him to be an individual. This is supported by the Romantics’ idea of individualism. Each person is allowed to be their own person and they don’t have to conform. Additionally, individualism means prioritizing a youthful experience. Holden shows this by the way he acts towards the women in the hotel. A youthful experience essentially means that you’re doing what you want, which is exactly what Holden does. Holden’s characterization supports the ideals of individualism both in that it shows how he is a complex, distinct individual, and how he is ‘youthful.’