The Catcher in The Rye - Writing Style

Writing Style

The Catcher in the Rye is written in a subjective style from the point of view of its protagonist, Holden Caulfield, following his exact thought processes. There is flow in the seemingly disjointed ideas and episodes; for example, as Holden sits in a chair in his dorm, minor events such as picking up a book or looking at a table, unfold into discussions about experiences.

Critical reviews agree that the novel accurately reflected the teenage colloquial speech of the time. Words and phrases that frequently appear include:

• "Phony": Superficial, hypocritical, and pretentious
• "That killed me": I found that hilarious or astonishing
• "Flit": Homosexual
• "Flitty": Homosexual behavior
• Wuddya: (the ya slang) vernacular rendering, idiomatic
• "Crumby": Inadequate, insufficient, and/or disappointing