I've always found writing to be therapeutic. Often, when I'm feeling overwhelmed or anxious, I'll open a document on my computer and word vomit. For those of you unfamiliar with the term "word vomit," it's when you transcribe your stream of consciousness without judging yourself or your thoughts. Word vomiting allows you to take a step back and analyze your thought processes and behavior. The ultimate goal is to help you figure out what you're thinking and why you're thinking it. This can help you adjust negative thought patterns and decide what to do next.
I said all that to make the following observation: The Catcher in the Rye seems like the product of many Holden Word Vomits. Throughout the novel, Holden expresses his uncensored opinions on a variety of issues while describing his raw emotions. I could easily imagine Holden (perhaps inspired by Antolini) scribbling down his thoughts on the Radio City Christmas Show, realizing that his thoughts have potential to be a humorous rant, and then tweaking his word vomit for coherence to include in his novel.
This procedure would explain many unique qualities of the writing and content in The Catcher in the Rye. For example, Holden writes in colloquial language, despite the fact that he's plenty capable of writing in a more formal, intelligent way. As many Uni students probably understand, it's often more difficult to write conversationally than academically. Therefore, the idea that Holden started writing his novel by word vomiting makes a lot of sense to me. When you're writing without putting a whole lot of thought into it, your writing tends to be more casual, as it's a more accurate depiction of your raw thought processes.
Holden also likes to repeat phrases throughout his novel. For example, he uses the word "depressing" to describe a handful of situations, people, thoughts, and behaviors he observes and experiences. While a more "distinguished" writer would avoid the excessive use of one particular adjective, Holden's willingness to share how frequent the word "depressing" pops up in his brain is revealing. Perhaps the reader, while grateful for Holden's honesty, is more concerned for Holden's well-being because they see the word "depressing" so often in his writing (instead of seeing the word once, thinking Holden is being hyperbolic, and moving on without much thought).
In a way, I feel like Holden's writing is very much a cry for help. A "Friend Wanted" sign plastered directly into the hands of readers worldwide. At the same time, knowing that Holden wrote the novel himself gives me a sense of hope and security for Holden. Like I said before, writing has the potential to be incredibly therapeutic, especially for someone like Holden, who is clearly suffering from mental health issues and a general disillusionment regarding coming of age. I hope that writing The Catcher in the Rye helped Holden like word vomiting helps me.
I said all that to make the following observation: The Catcher in the Rye seems like the product of many Holden Word Vomits. Throughout the novel, Holden expresses his uncensored opinions on a variety of issues while describing his raw emotions. I could easily imagine Holden (perhaps inspired by Antolini) scribbling down his thoughts on the Radio City Christmas Show, realizing that his thoughts have potential to be a humorous rant, and then tweaking his word vomit for coherence to include in his novel.
This procedure would explain many unique qualities of the writing and content in The Catcher in the Rye. For example, Holden writes in colloquial language, despite the fact that he's plenty capable of writing in a more formal, intelligent way. As many Uni students probably understand, it's often more difficult to write conversationally than academically. Therefore, the idea that Holden started writing his novel by word vomiting makes a lot of sense to me. When you're writing without putting a whole lot of thought into it, your writing tends to be more casual, as it's a more accurate depiction of your raw thought processes.
Holden also likes to repeat phrases throughout his novel. For example, he uses the word "depressing" to describe a handful of situations, people, thoughts, and behaviors he observes and experiences. While a more "distinguished" writer would avoid the excessive use of one particular adjective, Holden's willingness to share how frequent the word "depressing" pops up in his brain is revealing. Perhaps the reader, while grateful for Holden's honesty, is more concerned for Holden's well-being because they see the word "depressing" so often in his writing (instead of seeing the word once, thinking Holden is being hyperbolic, and moving on without much thought).
In a way, I feel like Holden's writing is very much a cry for help. A "Friend Wanted" sign plastered directly into the hands of readers worldwide. At the same time, knowing that Holden wrote the novel himself gives me a sense of hope and security for Holden. Like I said before, writing has the potential to be incredibly therapeutic, especially for someone like Holden, who is clearly suffering from mental health issues and a general disillusionment regarding coming of age. I hope that writing The Catcher in the Rye helped Holden like word vomiting helps me.
I agree that Catcher seems like a pretty curated set of word vomit, but the colloquiality of the narrative is part of what makes this book so powerful I think. Ultimately, like Portrait, it's also a book about writing. Except here I kind of like Holden more, because we exactly how talented he is as a writer and that writing is extremely meaningful to his life.
ReplyDeleteI really like the way Holden writes colloquially. It makes sense that this stuff is just coming out of his head the way he thinks it, but I think that's what's so charming about it. It adds to the image of the reader as a trusted friend or confidante. Holden's voice is so distinctive and fun to read in a way that's rare to find.
ReplyDeleteI agree that uncensored writing is certainly therapeutic and ultimately beneficial to get feelings out, and the more informal tone can be mistaken for "bad writing" when it's really just the uncensored truth. I often find myself starting off essays by just writing them conversationally and then realizing it's way too informal to turn in. I think there's something attractive about Holden's uncensored "word vomit", especially for teens, who are experiencing such unique emotions that really can't be sugarcoated with proper academia. It's clear Holden needs someone to listen to his words, but everyone seems to be stuck in a facade of "I have everything figured out and you should too", which likely enhances the stigma surrounding Holden's clear struggle with some mental conditions. Holden is certainly more honest in his writing, which seems pretty necessary for him in order to cope with his emotional pain.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! The Catcher in the Rye does seem a little word vomity. I always thought of the writing as being directly out of Holden's head, and actually the thought that he was consciously making the decision of what to put on paper was a little strange to me. I agree that writing is an excellent way to vent and organize your thoughts on a matter. I see the book as an indication of Holden's improvement.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! Taking into account that we've seen many different instances of "vomiting" (legitimately and figuratively) in the past couple novels, it goes to show the importance of "getting everything out" during the process of growing up. In addition to the therapeutic aspect, I think there's a lot of honesty that comes out when Holden (or anyone) "word vomits." Even the reader gets a glimpse of the writer through the mess which I find -- kinda gross now that I'm thinking about vomit -- really endearing and makes for an interesting read.
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