JOURNAL POST 6
What is the setting of the novel? Is the setting important or could the novel be happening anywhere and why?
“So what I decided to do, I decided I’d take a room in a hotel in New York—some very inexpensive hotel and all---and just take it easy till Wednesday.” (51)
The setting of this particular novel is dynamic. All the events occur in different locations of New York in accordance to the actions of the main character. The setting is important in telling this story because it allows readers like me to visualize everything that occurs. For instance, when Holden arrived at his hotel the first thing he saw was a couple spitting on each other, immediately I thought of looking outside the window to see someone on a floor higher with their lights on and doing such. The nightclub reminded me of a jazz musician playing music with purple neon lights and cheesy costumes with the smell of liquor. The settings play huge roles in ensuring that the story is successful. Due to the fact that the story is told through the lens of the New York nightlife, one would automatically picture creepy and mind-blowing visuals of conceited citizens.
The author could’ve easily put the setting in the dawn of Mexico, but that would attract different visual perspectives in the reader’s mind. J.D. Salinger intentionally forced the scenes to take place in a crummy New York hotel (equivalent to motel) so the reader would see and feel how the main character was feeling. This is the difference between a good setting and a poor setting.
