SOURCE: Purcell, William F. “Narrative Voice in J. D. Salinger's ‘Both Parties Concerned’ and ‘I'm Crazy.’” Studies in Short Fiction 33, no. 2 (spring 1996): 278-80.

In the following essay, Purcell analyzes the use of first-person narrative voice in Salinger's short stories “Both Parties Concerned” and “I'm Crazy.”

Billy Vullmer in “Both Parties Concerned” is the narrative forerunner to Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye. John Wenke (24) has suggested that following his success with Billy's narrative voice, J. D. Salinger returned to his Holden Caulfield character with this type of narration in mind for “I'm Crazy,” one of the two stories around which Catcher was eventually constructed.¹ Wenke sees a linear progression in the development of Salinger's narrative technique that begins in “Both Parties Concerned,” proceeds through “I'm Crazy,” and culminates in Catcher. Clearly, “Both Parties Concerned” does anticipate Catcher in that both are successful attempts at skaz narration...