Question

Holden is what is known as an unreliable narrator, meaning we shouldn’t fully accept everything he tells uswithout thinking more critically about his statements. Find and record two examples of Holden skewing realitywith exaggeration.

Answer 1

The two examples when Holden skews reality with exaggeration are:

1. First is found in Chapter 1, when he talks about the football game with the Saxton Hall. He exaggerates when he says the one will 'commit su-ic-ide if Pencey didn't win the game.'
2. Second exaggeration is found in Chapter 3, when he exaggerates about living conditions in Pencey.

Step-by-step explanation:

'The Catcher in the Rye' is a novel written by J. D. Salinger. The book is about a sixteen-year-old boy named Holden Caulfield. The book recounts the life of Holden for two days after he is expelled from his school Pencey Prep, exploring the New York city before reaching home.

Holden Caulfield can not be trusted as a reliable narrator as he has used many hyperbole and exaggeration to narrate his accoount.

The two examples when Holden skews reality with exaggeration are:

1. In Chapter 1, Holden talks about the football game to be played with the Saxton Hall. He asserts that if Pencey didn't win the game, one would commit su-ic-ide. He is exaggerating the situation here if Pencey didn't win. ' It was the last game of the year, and you were supposed to commit su-ic-ide or something if old Pencey didn't win.'
2. In Chapter 3, Holden again exaggerates about the living condition in Pencey Prep school. 'At Pencey, you either froze to death or died of the heat.'