Voice and Male Identity in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Catcher in the Rye, and The Great Gatsby Whether it is a reasonable assumption or not, one's voice plays a factor in the world's perception of their identity. Even the most insignificant of details, such as one's dialect or use of grammar, can be a broad statement regarding who someone is as an individual. The narrators of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, J.D Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye and F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby use their narrative voices to construct their male identities, as well as to reveal their complex and unique relationships with the society's that enclose them. Through his minimal use of metaphorical language and his lack of
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Holden is not bothered to use proper grammar throughout his story. For example, at one point in the story, Caulfield says, "I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life" (Salinger 16). Holden narration frequently contains phrases and words that are in the wrong tense, as well as that include an array of other miscellaneous grammar mistakes. This reveals, further, his distaste for conformity, since he puts hardly any value on education. Holden is also a frequent user of crude and inappropriate language. For example, Holden says, "It made a big clunk, and it hurt like hell. It damn near killed old Ackley, though.... 'You have a damn good sense of humor, Ackley kid'" (Salinger 23). Not only does this extend his distaste for social norms, it also reveals that he is naturally a negative person. Every thing seems to annoy and frustrate him to no end and most of it is petty and insignificant. Readers will also notice that he calls everything and everyone "phony". Holden believes that adhering to social norms is phony and fake. Holden doesn't fit in with society because he doesn't want to. He feels as though he thinks differently than most people. Nonetheless he has more in common with them than he believes. Unlike Holden, Nick Callaway from The Great Gatsby, appears to be a beacon of social
Holden is not bothered to use proper grammar throughout his story. For example, at one point in the story, Caulfield says, "I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life" (Salinger 16). Holden narration frequently contains phrases and words that are in the wrong tense, as well as that include an array of other miscellaneous grammar mistakes. This reveals, further, his distaste for conformity, since he puts hardly any value on education. Holden is also a frequent user of crude and inappropriate language. For example, Holden says, "It made a big clunk, and it hurt like hell. It damn near killed old Ackley, though.... 'You have a damn good sense of humor, Ackley kid'" (Salinger 23). Not only does this extend his distaste for social norms, it also reveals that he is naturally a negative person. Every thing seems to annoy and frustrate him to no end and most of it is petty and insignificant. Readers will also notice that he calls everything and everyone "phony". Holden believes that adhering to social norms is phony and fake. Holden doesn't fit in with society because he doesn't want to. He feels as though he thinks differently than most people. Nonetheless he has more in common with them than he believes. Unlike Holden, Nick Callaway from The Great Gatsby, appears to be a beacon of social