The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith

How hard is The Price of Salt to read?

The Price of Salt scores 61 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it quite demanding. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.

Vocabulary: 52 out of 100

Highsmith employs a precise and descriptive vocabulary, occasionally featuring terms specific to department store operations or stage design (e.g., 'moneybag,' 'turnstiles,' 'script'). While not overtly archaic or specialized like 'Moby-Dick,' words like 'nom-de-plume,' 'sui generis,' and 'machinations' elevate it beyond simple contemporary fiction, placing it slightly above 'The Great Gatsby' in elegance and exactitude.

Sentence structure: 62 out of 100

The novel features sentences of moderate to considerable length, often incorporating multiple clauses and descriptive phrases that build a nuanced picture of Therese's internal and external world. While avoiding the extreme hypotaxis of a Henry James, the accumulation of detail within sentences and the frequent use of conjunctions create a flowing, yet attention-demanding, reading experience, more complex than the direct prose of '1984.'

Abstraction: 70 out of 100

The narrative consistently moves from concrete observations of daily life to profound abstract reflections on identity, love, societal conformity, and the search for meaning. Characters like Therese and Dannie engage in philosophical discussions about human connection and existence, embedding theoretical content within the narrative and internal monologues, similar to the grounded yet probing nature of '2666.'

Information density: 70 out of 100

The text is rich with psychological detail, subtle emotional shifts, and unspoken subtext, demanding close attention from the reader. Highsmith layers meaning through Therese's constant internal processing of interactions and symbolic elements (e.g., the toy train, the kite), creating a dense tapestry of internal experience. This sustained demand for interpreting psychological nuances makes it significantly more information-dense than a plot-driven novel like 'The Housemaid.'

Narrative indirection: 62 out of 100

The narrative frequently requires readers to infer meaning from Therese's unarticulated feelings and observations, particularly regarding her burgeoning love for Carol and the unspoken dynamics of their interactions. Therese's internal monologues often present raw emotions and perceptions she cannot fully process, demanding reader interpretation of the underlying psychological states. This creates more indirection than the explicit exposition in books like '1984,' but less structural ambiguity than 'The Great Gatsby' where Nick's bias is a constant filter.

Symbolic density: 68 out of 100

The text employs several potent and recurring symbols that carry meaning beyond literal events, such as the toy train representing Therese's feelings of entrapment and futile pursuit, and the red velvet dress symbolizing a desired, transformative identity. The smashing of the Madonna figure explicitly marks Therese's break from conventional expectations. These symbols consistently deepen the narrative's psychological and thematic layers, making the text more symbolically dense than 'To Kill a Mockingbird' but less allegorical than 'Moby-Dick.'

Ironic distance: 60 out of 100

A subtle ironic distance exists in the narrative's portrayal of characters like Richard, whose self-deceptions and bourgeois aspirations are implicitly critiqued through Therese's observations and the reader's broader understanding. The author also uses quiet, observational irony to highlight the societal constraints and expectations placed upon women in the 1950s, contrasting them with Therese's burgeoning desires. This irony is more pronounced than the direct emotional engagement of 'It Ends with Us' but less overt than the satirical elements in 'The Great Gatsby.'

Resolution withholding: 78 out of 100

The provided excerpt ends abruptly mid-sentence, explicitly withholding immediate narrative closure and leaving the reader in suspense about the ongoing conversation between Therese and Carol. More broadly, the novel concludes with Therese and Carol embarking on a new life together, a revolutionary 'happy ending' for its time, yet one that still leaves the future of their relationship and its challenges open to interpretation. This level of ambiguity is higher than 'The Great Gatsby' which has a closed plot but open meaning, reflecting the uncertain path of their unconventional love.

Structural complexity: 32 out of 100

The narrative maintains a consistent third-person limited perspective, focusing solely on Therese's experiences and internal world. The timeline is largely linear, with any flashbacks presented as straightforward recollections clearly integrated into the chronological flow. The text avoids formal experiments, multiple points of view, or fragmented chronologies, making its structure highly accessible and conventional, similar to 'Beach Read' in its linearity.

How The Price of Salt is regarded

The Price of Salt holds a literary regard score of 72 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.

About the author

Patricia Highsmith