Essay Database

“If you really want to hear about it,” The Catcher in the Rye would be quite different in its message if told from a point of view other than Holden Caulfield. Holden’s questionable instability/personality would not be fully addressed, the book would lose much of its bulk, and it would end up having a totally different story line. Narrator, Holden, exposes himself - allowing the reader to see precisely what kind of guy …

…of the new storyteller’s life would be told - creating an entirely different book altogether. If told in an omniscient third person, Catcher would most likely end up as more of an essay about Holden’s actions and psyche. However interesting it may be, The Catcher in the Rye could not be told from any other characters’ point of view and remain The Catcher in the Rye “that kills me” time and time again.