Many authors have noted that almost every swear word in the English language is used freely in this novel except for the word “shit,” which never occurs. Instead of saying “bullshit” (a word which was not uncommon in the 1950 s), Holden instead says “shoot the bull.” The only plausible explanation for this is simply to add to the realism of the story-Holden himself has some reservations with regard to obscenity. Holden’s attachment to the hunting hat can be seen in his early description of it: “This is a people-shooting hat. I shoot people in this hat.” Perhaps the “hunting” Holden does is one not of killing people, but of criticizing them.
When he gives the hat to Phoebe, it may be symbolic that Holden has chosen not to separate himself from society any longer. The careful reader cannot fail to notice that almost every person’s name which Holden references is prefixed by the word “Old,” as in “Old Stradlater” or “Old Phoebe.” This is a particularly ingenious device of Salinger’s which reminds us that Holden is not living out the narrative, but retelling it. In the telling, everyone has become a distant, old memory. was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over,” notes Holden in the second chapter of the novel.
After that, he questions nearly every taxi driver about it and finally ends up by the lagoon himself one night in contemplation (chapter 20).
The Essay on Words Of People
Today a popular subject to speak about is John Rocker. An athlete, who plays baseball for the Atlanta Braves, who lashed out and said unappropriate remarks. Should this be a controversy? Should people be upset at him for his remarks? The words of John Rocker and the opions of people of how they affected them are different. He may be a racist, or he could have been just been angry and upset, but ...
The question is really one for himself, and mirrors a concern of Mr. Antolini’s [see Quotes]: where does a person go when his environment can no longer support him? The desperation with which Holden attacks this question in the later questions mirrors the desperation he feels to find someplace where he can belong. In the end, Holden realizes that the ducks go away and almost decides to himself. However, Holden finishes the novel with an implied commitment to changing his environment rather than fleeing it, a decision much nobler than the one the ducks chose. Holden uses the word “madman” commonly as an adjective and in a variety of ways ranging from “[snow] was still coming down like a madman” to “I went right on smoking like a madman.” It seems plausible that Salinger wished to convey that there is a bit of madness in the way Holden sees the world.
The fact that the word comes up most often when Holden is criticizing himself could be a sign of further self-estrangement from society.
