Novel Analysis
Set in two opposite time periods, these two books are as alike as they are different. It is easy to perceive that both novels, The Catcher in the Rye and Their Eyes Were Watching God, follow a noticeable pattern involving dialect, writing style, and theme. The novels address a clear theme of sexuality in two growing characters, as they explain their stories and lives throughout the course of the book’s journey.
Both books take a very serious and stylistic approach to the topics of dialect and writing style. It is noticeable in the first few pages of both that the authors have clear intentions of creating a novel that is not only sound and verbose, but shapes the language around the characters and the world. In Catcher in the …show more content…
Yes, all novels do tell a story, but these novels in particular base their narrative on a protagonist, in the case of Catcher in the Rye, a first person narrator, who is subjected to tell their story or part of their life. Both novels follow a pattern: the story starts at the end. The characters are introduced before they even introduce themselves, or their story in full. This repeats with the ending. The story is fulfilled, and the person listening to it is given a chance to reflect and understand, be it that the person is us, or perhaps another character. Though it is mostly prominent in The Catcher in the Rye, both stories have a slightly relaxed or laid back writing style. In the case of Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulifield is telling the story, and thus, his characterization and style of speech is used quite often in his own dialect, as well as in the story. With Their Eyes Were Watching God, the story is told in a third person point of view. However, the style of AAV (African-American Vernacular), as discussed above, is key in stylizing the writing style …show more content…
However, with the theme of growing up or growing old, also comes a theme of nostalgia and resentment. During the story that Holden tells us, a reoccurring issue that he faces is, narcissistically, his inability to have sexual relations with a girl as he wishes to. However, he quickly explains that this is his fault ( “…she just hasn’t any brains. They tell me to stop, so I stop, I always wish I hadn’t… but I keep doing it anyway.” Salinger, 50). This may be the main reason why he constantly speaks of Jane Gallagher—his friend was able to woo and date her, and even though Holden never tried or tries to, he seems constantly upset about it. Holden, not only upset by his two friends dating, is also upset by the world around him. He is in a constant state of resentment for the adult world, wishing desperately to become adjunct from it, separating completely, or to dissolve into it entirely. This is where the theme of Holden’s red hunting hat comes into play; the cap represents an independent part of Holden, one that wishes to not stick with conformity or the path to adulthood. Though it is never said what puts him there, it is safe to assume that Holden’s breakdown was caused by this stress, and that is why he’s telling us this story from his room in a psychiatric treatment
Set in two opposite time periods, these two books are as alike as they are different. It is easy to perceive that both novels, The Catcher in the Rye and Their Eyes Were Watching God, follow a noticeable pattern involving dialect, writing style, and theme. The novels address a clear theme of sexuality in two growing characters, as they explain their stories and lives throughout the course of the book’s journey.
Both books take a very serious and stylistic approach to the topics of dialect and writing style. It is noticeable in the first few pages of both that the authors have clear intentions of creating a novel that is not only sound and verbose, but shapes the language around the characters and the world. In Catcher in the …show more content…
Yes, all novels do tell a story, but these novels in particular base their narrative on a protagonist, in the case of Catcher in the Rye, a first person narrator, who is subjected to tell their story or part of their life. Both novels follow a pattern: the story starts at the end. The characters are introduced before they even introduce themselves, or their story in full. This repeats with the ending. The story is fulfilled, and the person listening to it is given a chance to reflect and understand, be it that the person is us, or perhaps another character. Though it is mostly prominent in The Catcher in the Rye, both stories have a slightly relaxed or laid back writing style. In the case of Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulifield is telling the story, and thus, his characterization and style of speech is used quite often in his own dialect, as well as in the story. With Their Eyes Were Watching God, the story is told in a third person point of view. However, the style of AAV (African-American Vernacular), as discussed above, is key in stylizing the writing style …show more content…
However, with the theme of growing up or growing old, also comes a theme of nostalgia and resentment. During the story that Holden tells us, a reoccurring issue that he faces is, narcissistically, his inability to have sexual relations with a girl as he wishes to. However, he quickly explains that this is his fault ( “…she just hasn’t any brains. They tell me to stop, so I stop, I always wish I hadn’t… but I keep doing it anyway.” Salinger, 50). This may be the main reason why he constantly speaks of Jane Gallagher—his friend was able to woo and date her, and even though Holden never tried or tries to, he seems constantly upset about it. Holden, not only upset by his two friends dating, is also upset by the world around him. He is in a constant state of resentment for the adult world, wishing desperately to become adjunct from it, separating completely, or to dissolve into it entirely. This is where the theme of Holden’s red hunting hat comes into play; the cap represents an independent part of Holden, one that wishes to not stick with conformity or the path to adulthood. Though it is never said what puts him there, it is safe to assume that Holden’s breakdown was caused by this stress, and that is why he’s telling us this story from his room in a psychiatric treatment