"If you really
want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I
was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were
occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of
crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."
This line represents Salinger’s attempt at setting the
narrative style for Catcher in the Rye
and distinguishing itself from Dickens’ work. Salinger states that he will
waste no time providing minute to minute details on the life of Holden such as
Dickens did in David Copperfield, where
he provided the story from his birth to his maturity. Dickens is known for the
extensive detail that he administers to plot and the building of his
characters, however Salinger wishes to focus mainly on conveying and exposing the
character of Holden as it is at the present moment so that readers can easily
connect and empathize with him. The details that Salinger perhaps believed to
be excessive will not be present in Catcher
in the Rye. Dickens shows the journey of a life, Salinger shows a snapshot
of a moment that remains present throughout a life.
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