I. Setting/Mood/Atmosphere
Catcher in the Rye is set in the 1950s. Although it is unspecified the exact location of where Holden is, the reader knows that he is telling the story from an asylum somewhere in the New York/ New England area. Overall, the story he tells only spans three days, Saturday afternoon to Monday afternoon. Ultimately, the mood is determined by the language that Holden Caulfield uses. In Catcher in the Rye, he is very angsty, and shows that very obviously in his diction. Holden curses The mood is very appropriate for the story that Holden is telling, because it matches the teenage dream image, with drinking, romance and complaining.
II. Point of View Catcher in the Rye is told from the eyes of Holden Caulfield. Salinger writes the book as if it is Holden Caulfield is reliving his memories and telling you a story about it (first person). The way that Salinger wrote Catcher in the Rye would be different if it was written with a third person point of view. Generally, stories that are told from a first person perspective are more personal than stories told in other points of view,…show more content… You can tell that he is almost obsessed with falling in “love.” Holden even says: “I was half in love with her by the time we sat down. That’s the thing about girls. Every time they do something pretty, even if they’re not much to look at, or even if they’re sort of stupid, you fall half in love with them...” (Salinger 73). Holden believes all throughout the book that he is somehow a love master, but in reality he demonstrates loneliness. In chapter 9, Holden is on a cab, and craves a real conversation so much that he invites the cab driver to a drink. “‘Well-take me to the Edmont then,’ I said. ‘Would you care to stop on the way and join me for a cocktail? on me. I’m loaded.’” (Salinger 60) Holden tries to love, but being who he is, pushes people away because subconsciously wants to be