Direct Characterization Of Holden Caulfield

We can take this chapter as an example of both an indirect and direct characterization taken from the perspective of Holden Caulfield. Holden is a sixteen-year-old student at an assumed boarding school, where we are in the first person of Holden which lets us discover his character from his speech, thoughts and actions [indirect] and his opinions and descriptions of Mr Spencer, his history teacher [direct].
He was sitting in a big leather chair, all wrapped up in that blanket … He looked over at me when I knocked. “Who’s that?” he yelled. “Caulfield? Come in, boy.” He was always yelling, outside of class. It got on your nerves sometimes. (P11)
The above example gives you an indication of Mr Spencer’s elderly character being met in a comfortable chair, wrapped up, shouting followed by Holden’s via his internal monologue at being annoyed with the shouting.
Chapter two involves Holden meeting with Mr Spencer while he is making his goodbyes with the faculty, due to Holden leaving the school for a reason that is not explained currently. Eventually, we gather that this is
It is fast and full of short sentences – it shows a character who has a jaded view of the world, especially of himself with several negative statements all the way through. He also puts himself down to Mr Spencer by calling himself a “moron” P17 & 18 and avoiding giving the answer that he is thinking out-loud “Game, my ass. Some game.” P13. An idiosyncrasy of both characters’ speech is the way they repeat themselves a lot – it’s pointed out by Holden P15 – this to me demonstrates how both characters have nothing of any importance to say to each other. Following the social niceties, Holden is there out of respect for Mr Spencer, whilst Mr Spencer has something to say but due to the gulf of their ages and scholarly positions prevented from articulating his real