The Catcher in the Rye Lesson Plan

Think about how Holden portrays other characters' dialogue. Does he differentiate their speaking styles much, or do they sound similar to his own speech patterns?

Students might notice that the boys at Pencey all sound a lot like Holden. They often say "goddam," "crazy," "what the hell," and other phrases that pepper Holden's speech. There isn't much to differentiate them from each other. The women, on the other hand, sound different--more refined, perhaps "phonier" but always more grown-up than Holden and his friends. Maybe this is because of how distant Holden feels from girls and women, and how mysterious he finds them...