The Narration of Catcher

In class, I was quite surprised when everyone concurred that Holden was writing about his own experiences over the few days after he left Pencey. The whole time, I was thinking that he was dictating it to someone else. I think that both approaches have their own meanings. If Holden himself were the author, the book really is a direct message from him to the reader. He's presenting his story so that it would resonate best with his ideal audience: other kids who might not know where they are in life. He also has more control over the product, and can more easily manipulate the story and its language to better convey the message that he's trying to send.

If he dictated the story to some dude, which was I was thinking, the story suddenly becomes more authentic. Holden doesn't have the ability to doctor the story to his own ends. Another effect would be that Holden isn't talking to us, the reader--he's talking to someone else, who he might have reason to trust. This setup would also explain the speech-like tone of the writing in the book, since Holden would have actually been saying the words.

I'm not sure if this is important, or if I missed something, but I just found this pretty interesting.

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 17, 2019 at 8:32 PM

    Thanks for sharing your reading, the former never occured to me. Personally I think a lot about his reliability as a narrator. If he is writing to us then it's tough to trust him as we see him develop and grapple with Allie's death

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  2. La DiaphaneFebruary 18, 2019 at 4:32 PM

    That's an interesting way to think about it. It would definitely explain the colloquial tone of Holden's narration. I don't know how I feel about the idea of someone else sitting in on the story though - I feel like it's better thought of as a personal confidence between "friends".

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  3. MitchellFebruary 19, 2019 at 10:35 AM

    I've heard this idea suggested before--the chatty, conversational style of narration, the direct address to a listening "you" might suggest an oral narrative in a particular situation (he's "out here taking it easy" talking to a psychoanalyst about the "madman stuff" he's just been through). It's a compelling way to think about the style and voice, as well as a possible frame narrative, and it's a good way to account for the "talky" quality of the writing. But I balk at the idea that Holden would confide in and trust an analyst so fully. The sense of the reader as a friend and confidant is so strong, and it's hard for me to imagine a professional (an adult!) getting this kind of trust from Holden--it's far easier to imagine him "lying his ass off" in answer to an analyst's questions.

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  4. AkashMarch 8, 2019 at 5:51 PM

    I didn't read the book like that but it kind of seems reasonable. I initially wondered why Holden's tone was so authoritative yet friendly, and your reading provides an explanation for that.

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  5. HenryMarch 10, 2019 at 10:12 PM

    I also took it as sort of a conversation or dictation based on the tone of the writing. This is part of the reason why I thought Holden seemed like a reliable narrator. If he was writing it himself, that whole idea is shaken, and perhaps Holden can't be trusted so much.

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