What Is Holden's Writing Style

J.D. Salinger demonstrates the complexity of adolescence as the transition from childhood to adulthood in his novel, The Catcher in the Rye. The novel is written in colloquial style, which emphasizes a youthful perspective and reflects the rebelliousness of the protagonist, Holden Caulfield. Colloquial writing style was still not yet an accepted convention for a novel at the time when it was published. The story concerns the protagonist spending three days in New York City around Christmas time after he was expelled from Pencey Prep. Holden does not show any positive interest in anything specific. However, he is adamant on his thoughts on the preservation of childhood innocence. At the climactic moment of the novel, Salinger employs the symbolism of the carousel, which represents the cycle of childhood innocence. At the same time, the carousel marks the turning point

The carousel is similar to the rye. It represents childhood innocence. In the beginning of the novel, Holden is preoccupied by the idea of preserving that innocence. However, his final decision on just watching children contradicts his dream to be The Catcher in the Rye. This decision shows that he is not waiting for the catcher for himself anymore; he has just started to fall. Holden realises he does not have to become phony to grow up. He is not the catcher, but the watcher who allows children to make their own choices in the process of growing up. He finally accepts that no one can perfectly preserve the innocence. However, it will never be lost from the world because it goes around in a cycle, just like the carousel. If adults try to intervene, the children’s innocent world would be distorted. Through Holden’s view, Salinger convinces adults not to force children to behave in a certain way. If adults could just watch the children, the children would figure out how to mature by