Blog #47 Tone (The Catcher in the Rye)

The basic tone of the book was depressing and sad. I spent half the time feeling bad for Holden. Holden is a very troubled character and throughout the whole story he struggled. He struggled with people, places, money, school, his personality, and his future. The people he came in contact with determined what kind of a mood he was in. His mood really affected the tone of the book. If he was happy you could tell he was really happy. When he was sad and depressed the reader could really tell. Even though the tone was very depressing and sad, I think each reader can kind of connect with Holden on a personal level. I think that the tone is very different from most books. Most books generally start of happy, become suspenseful in the middle, and usually have a happy ending. In this book though, the beginning started off very sad because Holden was sitting by himself on a hill watching the football game instead of going down with his peers (Salinger 3). Towards the middle of the book the tone was still very depressing and sad, but it did become suspenseful at a couple of points. When the elevator attendant sent a girl up to Holden’s room and in the end he ended up getting robbed was when the most suspense took place (Salinger 103). In the end of the story the tone was sad and depressing until the very last four pages when Holden was with his sister Phoebe. There were only really two main points in the book where Holden was truly happy or found happiness. One event was when Holden came in contact with the nuns at the restaurant (Salinger 110). The other incident is when Phoebe was riding the carousel at the end of the story. Those moments were really the only true moments where he was happy. I think the tone affects the reader. I wanted to keep reading because I wanted to know if things would become better. I developed and emotional connection with Holden because I can relate to him in some ways. I think the tone overall did justice for the book because it was something different and not usually what readers expect.

Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Little, Brown and Company. 1951.