Practice Diction Analysis

In the excerpt from his novel Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger’s blunt, informal diction depicts the wry frankness of the narrator. The narrator briefly discusses his “lousy childhood” and “all that David Copperfield kind of crap” before exclaiming to the reader that he will not tell his “whole goddam autobiography.” After all, he explains, his parents “would have about two hemorrhages apiece” if he revealed any personal information about them. He discloses that he lives in a “crumby place” and admires his brother’s “dough.” This terse introduction emphasizes the outspokenness of the narrator. Also, the narrator’s repetition of slang suggests that he is uneducated or unconcerned with perfecting his speech.