The style of The Catcher in the Rye is highly self-conscious and vernacular, defining the main character while keeping the reader aware that the story is a creation of its narrator. The voice is characterized by Holden’s colloquial and frank use of language. As the reader notices from the very first sentence, Holden makes liberal use of 1950s-era slang (like “lousy” and “swell”) and drops curse words (like “hell” and “damn”) frequently. Much as Holden is a self-described “exhibitionist” who shows off to impress other people, his use of slang and profanity draws attention to itself, suggesting he is trying to create an impression of himself as tough and rebellious. In addition to marking his desire to be seen as rebellious, Holden’s language also indicates his immaturity. Rather than using profanity for emphasis, or to express extreme emotion, Holden uses words like “goddamn” as verbal placeholders, examples of the intellectual laziness Mr. Spencer points out in their meeting. Like Holden, the other boys at Pency swear and use slang frequently, suggesting that Holden also may be “dumbing down” his speech to fit in with his peers. The more emotionally mature, independent characters in the book—such as Mr. Spencer, Mr. Antolini, Sally, Carl Luce, and even Phoebe—rarely rely on slang and frequently ask Holden to stop swearing.