“Stress is the rubbish of modern life”, if we don't take care of it it will consume our lives (Guillements). Stress can be created by almost anything, but not all stress is bad. Some stress causes excitement, it is useful for creating tension. In The Catcher in the Rye written by JD Salinger and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time written by Mark Haddon, they face many stressful moments. A palpable tension is created in both novels by both authors effectively using literary techniques such as motifs, allusions, and the use of profanity. In both The Catcher in the Rye and the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Motif was used by both authors in order to create tension. Both authors use a recurring symbol, a motif, that makes the main characters feel protected or safe. In The Catcher in the Rye, the main character Holden Caulfield has a red hunting hat; his strange hat made him feel safe and protected. Holden explicitly states that "[his] hunting hat really gave him a lot of protection" (212). In this part of the novel it was raining and the hunting hat may have been used for protection from the rain, but upon closer examination, this statement can be read as Holden telling the audience how his strange red hunting hat gives him protection from the bad weather. external world. Just as Holden's red hunting hat makes him feel safe, in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the main character Christopher uses his Swiss Army Knife the same way Holden uses his red hat, to protect himself. He “brought out [his] Swiss Army knife,” his motivation being “in case [his father] found them” (127). Christopher's reaction to superficial danger is to brandish his Swiss army knife. "[he] didn't like her being so close," so he told her "... middle of paper ...... by Haddon, both authors manage to create tension between characters by using profanity. Motif, allusions and vulgarity are literary devices that are effectively used both in In The Catcher in the Rye written by JD Salinger and in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time written by Haddon, to create a palpable tension not only between the characters of the novels , but also between the reader and the novel. Tension is synonymous with stress; not all stress is negative. Works cited Guillements , Terrie. The Garden of Quotations. Self-published, March 18, 1998. Web. May 16, 2010 Haddon, Mark. Curious Case of the Nocturnal Dog, 2003. Book.Salinger, JD THE CATCHER IN THE RYE Brown and Company, 1945. Book.