Comparison Of IM Crazy By J. D. Salinger - 746 Words

When J.D. Salinger went to war, he not only affected his own life, but also the life of Holden Caulfield. Similarities between Salinger and Caulfield are too numerous to write off as coincidence: both went to and flunked out of prep schools, and both had a penchant for language classes. Salinger’s life greatly impacted the plot and style of his works because Salinger used himself as inspiration for Holden, as demonstrated through â€Å"I’m Crazy†, â€Å"Slight Rebellion off Madison†, and The Catcher in the Rye. During the first of three of his works, â€Å"I’m Crazy†, Salinger is comfortable with having Holden closely resemble himself. Holdens idiolect begins to develop, although his angst and his proclivity for cursing, which signify Salinger’s†¦show more content†¦After his â€Å"escape†, from World War II -- Salinger returned to the United States in 1946 -- Salinger’s writing changed drastically again; it no longer reflected a man ashamed of who he was, rather a man with serious mental health issues who was tired of hiding behind a mask of conformity. Nicolaus Mills writes, â€Å"By his own admission, Salinger had come back from World War II†¦ a changed man† (Mills). During his time back, Salinger compiled and edited many of his short stories into what became his best-selling novel, The Catcher in The Rye. The author adapted Holden Caulfield to represent himself again, although the war had left its mark on Salinger’s psyche, turning Holden into an angsty, depressed teen with a tragic backstory of loss and abandonment. Holden’s idiolect changes; the protagonist frequently uses profanity, talks about how depressed he is, and calls other people â€Å"phonies† for not seeing the world in the same way that he does. Additionally, the point-of-view changes back into first-person, closing the fissure between Holden and Salinger which Salinger created in his choi ce to use third-person in â€Å"Slight Rebellion Off Madison†. The reader gets the chance to see Holden’s inner, often hypocritical, thoughts like the following: â€Å"I am always saying Glad tove met you to somebody Im not at all glad I met. If you want to stay alive, you