Post by thethoughtpolice on Mar 21, 2011 11:40:19 GMT
In the opening chapter the reader is given an insight into Holden's mental instability through his use of setting:
"I was standing way the hell up on Thomsen Hill"
Holden's position, at the top of the hill, shows that he believes himself to be superior to his peers as he his looking down on them both physically and metaphorically. The reason for this is that he believes that they are phony and fake. This is why his isolation is self-imposed as a form of self-protecion. The hyperbolic statement of "way the hell up" is used to stress that he is at the furthest point from his peers. Salinger also stresses Holden's isolation through his use of the singular "I".
"I was standing way the hell up on Thomsen Hill"
Holden's position, at the top of the hill, shows that he believes himself to be superior to his peers as he his looking down on them both physically and metaphorically. The reason for this is that he believes that they are phony and fake. This is why his isolation is self-imposed as a form of self-protecion. The hyperbolic statement of "way the hell up" is used to stress that he is at the furthest point from his peers. Salinger also stresses Holden's isolation through his use of the singular "I".