The Catcher In The Rye Analysis

The Catcher in the Rye is a novel containing the maturation of Holden Caulfield and his experience in a mental hospital. The narrative point of view, the style and the genre of the novel The Catcher in the Rye all contribute to the construction of the main character, Holden Caulfied. The narrative point of view in the story is told through a central narrator, also known as a first-person narrator, known as Holden Caulfield. The style used in The Catcher in the Rye is colloquial and includes a great deal of swearing and exaggeration. The Catcher in the Rye is a coming-of-age novel written in the 1950’s. The novel represents the search for a meaningful existence within society. Holden Caulfield’s characterisation was used to highlight and explore different elements of the human experience.
The Catcher in the Rye’s narrative point of view is in first person. The reason for this is because of the use of the first-person pronouns “I” and “We”. By using a central narrator in the novel this allows the reader to read the character, in this case Holden’s, thoughts although this limits the point of view in the novel with respect to experience and thoughts. Holden is believed to be a reliable character but in fact he is unreliable with inaccurate judgement and in often cases lies to himself and by doing this lies to the reader simultaneously. Holden even says, “I 'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. If I 'm on the way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody