A passage chosen from Chapter 15 of J.D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is selected as an example to highlight the use of stream of consciousness in his narrative. A mix of tone, punctuation and unusual syntax is used in this model response to showcase how it can be implemented in summar...
Craft choice: Stream-of-consciousness
What does the use of stream-of-consciousness reveal
about Holden’s struggles to grow up, which is his central
conflict?
Name: Archisha Ghosh
Chapter 15:
In Chapter 15 of The Catcher in the Rye, a seventeen-year old boy speaking in first person
narrative voice, Holden Caulfield, bides time at Grand Central Station near the landmark where he
would meet a girl for a planned date. He then encounters two nuns at the station while having his large
meal and analyzes the texture of their “inexpensive-looking” suitcases, which triggers an experience
with a former roommate from Elkton Hills. The emphasis on the cheap suitcases in relation to the
memory of his roommate’s luggage, illustrates an informal tone of a teenager with impartial judgment
and melancholic feelings. The paragraph can be considered a strong demonstration of stream of
consciousness writing. The craft choice is characterized by continuous rambling and associative
thoughts (moving from the nuns to comparison between two roommates). For example, Holden dwells
on the past incident that flashes across his mind, without catching up on the present situation.
Because he is thinking associatively, Holden jumps to recall the incident at length about his
roommate, Dick Slagle, with whom he only roomed for about two months. He says, “it [cheap suitcase]
isn’t important” but still brings forth every detail. He says he can feel revulsion towards anyone carrying
inexpensive looking luggage and complains about it in a persistent, irritated way. The roommate hid his
suitcases under his bed, and let people think that Holden’s lavish suitcases on the rack belonged to him.
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