FREE ESSAY ON LANGUAGE USAGE IN THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

LANGUAGE USAGE IN THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

The passage of adolescence has long served as the central theme for many novels, but The
Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, has captured the energy of this period of life by
dramatizing Holden Caulfield's somewhat obscene language and emotional reactions. The
Catcher in the Rye deals with an intelligent yet confused teenage boy struggling to see
the genuineness in society. During his experiences, Holden tends to use easy, natural,
but controversial language to help get his point across in an effective manner. As a
result, the themes and messages Salinger attempts to get across appear more natural and
believable, as if one was talking to Holden himself.
Although seemingly inappropriate for society, the language used in throughout the novel
is very appropriate for the character. At the time of the novel through today, Holden's
speech rings true to the colloquial speech of teenagers, which includes both simple
description and cursing. For example, Holden says, Quite amusing and all. (Pg. 83),
referring to the taxi driver. This oversimplifies the taxi driver, implying that Holden
does not necessarily want to praise or demean the man. Also, Holden states that he will
not tell his whole goddamn autobiography or anything. (Pg. 1), which indicates Holden's
hostility right from the start of the novel. The reader can easily pick up on Holden's
stubbornness and views simply from his language, which can help in defining the
character. Holden tends to use choice phrases to end his sentences, such as and all and
or anything throughout the novel. Using these phrases, it can be said that these speech
patterns are character traits since not everyone uses them. Also, Holden tend to use the
phrase if you want to know the truth at the conclusion of many of his sentences. He feels
compelled to verify his statements and prove that he is not lying, which may indicate a
lot of his character. Because Holden failed out of a lot of schools and does not have any
close friendships, he attempts to solidify some form of communication by verifying to the
readers that he is, in fact, telling the truth. The speech patterns help individualize
Holden and made his speech seem more authentic while making his dialogue conform to the
contemporary society of the 1940's.
The setting and theme in The Catcher in the Rye revolve around a teenage viewpoint.
Therefore, non-grammatical and profane language is again appropriate in the monologues
and dialogues throughout the novel. During this time period, teenagers first start to
rebel against authority figures and express themselves more freely. Holden's language
reflects upon these newfound values in that he curses and rarely uses proper English. At
the time of the novel until today, light cursing is considered 'contemporary' and even
somewhat acceptable in society. Holden seems to find it as an outlet to release his
frustration, seeing as his experiences change, his language does as well. When he is
enraged and caught up in the current situation, sunuvabitch and bastard find their way
into his vocabulary quite frequently. However, when he simply addresses the readers as
the narrator, Holden rarely slips into this extreme form of swearing. Salinger conducted
these speech patterns so the reader can tell the extent and quality of Holden's anger,
offering further insight into his character without lengthy word descriptions, in order
to help identify which types of situations make him the angriest. 
As a whole, the vernacular speech we see from Holden Caulfield is very necessary in order
for Salinger to present his ideas in an efficient manner. With his speech mannerisms, the
reader is able to define Holden as a character much more easily than had the novel been
written in proper English. The reader can identify where Holden feels compelled to curse
in certain situations and how these circumstances affect him emotionally. Holden can be
identified as a character who is unsure of himself, noting the constant using of if you
want to know the truth, yet puts on a cocky front, making him as phony as the characters
he discriminates against. 
The Catcher in the Rye, however, depends on this language, for the novel would not be as
effective without it. Readers would not be able to identify Holden's character very
quickly, if at all, in that they would not see which situations upset Holden more than
others. Also, the teenage perspective of the story would be lost, in that teenagers tend
to use their choice phrases and light cursing. This would eventually turn the book into a
mundane piece of literature that would not be half as interesting to read as it is
currently, even though it is somewhat controversial. 
Throughout the novel, some controversial language takes place and some argue as to
whether or not it is really necessary. The language, though, is extremely necessary in
order for The Catcher in the Rye to be as effective and get its point across. The
language, non-grammatical and obscene, is appropriate for the time and the theme of the
novel, not to mention the main character. Despite past and present disputes over whether
or not this language should be presented, all can agree that Holden's language defines
him as a character and the situations that he encounters.