Holden's Loss In Catcher In The Rye
Growing up and dealing with the stresses of entering the adult world could be the hardest past of one’s life, especially without the right guidance. In The Catcher in the Rye, author J. D. Salinger shows how Holden struggles during this time. On top of his brother Allie’s death, Holden’s inability to fit in causes him to unravel throughout the book as the novel progresses. As Holden narrates his point of view, we could truly understand why Holden’s mental state worsens. Throughout the novel, Holden has moments that lead to his inevitable breakdown because of his different struggles with Phoebe, and his inability to get along with others. Three moments that further unravel Holden are when Allie dies, when Holden leaves Pencey, and when his sister …show more content…
Allie’s death had a huge impact on Holden’s mental health, as he and Allie were really close brothers. If Allie never dies, Holden might not have been in such a bad mental state throughout the book. On the night Allie dies of Leukemia, Holden sleeps in the garage and breaks all the windows “just for the hell of it.” (Chapter 5) Holden further adds, “I even tried to break all the windows on the station wagon we had that summer.” (Chapter 5) We learn later in the novel that Holden was sent to the hospital with permanent hand injuries. Allie’s death was clearly a very traumatic experience in Holden’s life and plays a significant role in why Holden cannot connect with other people. After his death, Holden compares everyone he sees with Allie and rejects people who he believes to have lost their innocence. Everyone that isn’t up to his standard are “phonies.” Even towards the end of the book, Holden could not get closure with his brother’s death and is constantly reminded of his dead brother whenever he is feeling …show more content…
When Holden sees his sister coming to him with her bags packed, he almost faints. This forces Holden to finally see how his plans are affecting those he cares about. Holden harshly asks Phoebe, “‘ I thought you were supposed to be in a play at school and all. I thought you were supposed to be Benedict Arnold…’” The quote shows Holden realizing how much Phoebe will sacrifice in order to go with him. Although Holden shows maturity when he agrees to back off from his plans, it devastates Holden, knowing he cannot run away from his problems anymore. He realizes he has no choice but to stay in a world where he doesn’t
Analyzing The Conscious Mind Of Holden Caulfield
808 Words | 4 PagesAllie was Holden’s everything, he looked up to his brother and respected him. Holden never really had anyone to discipline him or tell him right from wrong. Even though Holden liked too seem as if he was already older then he actually is, he is still a young kid who needs his parents. Allie was Holden’s angel who took care of him while his parents couldn’t. Holden is a protagonist that has been through many harsh events throughout his
Holden Caulfield Relationship Essay
976 Words | 4 PagesAlso, Holden is very protective of Phoebe. When Holden finds a notebook of hers, he discovers that bad words and inappropriate drawings are written in it. As a result, Holden becomes angry and lashes out because he believes that the world is corrupting his sister. Lastly, Holden proves his longing to protect Phoebe’s innocence while he watches her ride the carrousel in the park. Holden describes this powerful moment by saying, “I felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the way old Phoebe kept going around and around.
Summary: The Symbols Of Holden Wright
1439 Words | 6 PagesI’d say to him,‘Allie, don’t let me disappear. Please, Allie’” (Salinger 198). Here, Allie isn’t only a source of protection for Holden, but it also shows how much Holden loves and thinks about him. Holden attempts to find strength to overcome his fears through Allie, and is successful in this instance. When Holden first found out about Allie’s death, he recalls, “I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the windows in the garage.
How Does Holden Present Phonies In Catcher In The Rye
873 Words | 4 PagesTherefore, his rebellion both academically and socially in the schools he attends display his resistance to grow up. These behaviors he shows, are psychological effects he develops due to Allie’s death, hence creating a negative impact on his life. In addition to Allie’s death causing Holden to act out, it also seems to cause neglection in Holden’s life. Just like Holden, it seems his mother has not gotten over
How Does Holden Caulfield Change Throughout The Novel
1024 Words | 5 PagesThis moment of recalling the moments he has with Allie, and looking back at what Allie was like was a heartfelt moment for Holden, and him choosing to write the essay about Allie’s mitt shows Holden’s connection and love for Allie and the relationship he had with him. Later on towards the end of the novel, we can see Holden frantically walking down the streets yet again, as he finds himself slowly losing touch of reality, and starting to do strange things. When this happens, Holden recognizes that his first instinct was to call for his brother to help him. Holden explains, “Then I started doing something else… I'd make believe I was
Holden Caulfield Loss Of Innocence
1092 Words | 5 PagesAllie never grew up, and Holden does not want to mature without him. At the novel’s end, Holden proclaims, “Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody”(Salinger 234). Although Holden's narration throughout the novel indicates his dislike for most people he interacts with, Holden misses all of the people he said he did not like. Holden’s carefree persona is an act to mask all the complexities in his mind.
Catcher In The Rye Grief Analysis
656 Words | 3 PagesThroughout the book, Holden is struggling to get by. The death of his brother Allie has left him in a tough spot. Holden doesn’t exactly know how to deal with this. The different stages of grief are represented through Holden. Holden shows denial and anger when he flashbacks to one of his memories after his brother’s death.
How To Write A Literary Analysis On The Catcher In The Rye
584 Words | 3 PagesHis younger brother Allie has died at the age of eleven and seems to have had a big impact on Holden’s life, as Holden repeatedly refers to his brother throughout the book. Holden has many encounters with others throughout the book, but the two that stand out as being the most affected by the other person’s actions are, the interaction with the two nuns, and his encounter with the Maurice and Sunny.
Holden Caulfield Lies In Catcher In The Rye
1378 Words | 6 PagesThe only motivator that Holden has to continue living is his younger sister, Phoebe, who is extraordinarily intelligent for her age. After he gets kicked out of Pencey, Holden is lost in life. He speaks to many people, seeking advice and comfort, but they are not able to help him find a human connection. Holden’s depression increases throughout the novel, almost to the point of suicide. He criticizes many people and ideas, labeling them as ‘phony’.
Catcher In The Rye Holden's Struggles Essay
830 Words | 4 PagesHe has trouble growing up and accepting life as it is. Holden thinks adults are "phony" which makes him hate the fact of growing up and staying innocent as much as he can while he is old enough to become an adult. He is frustrated with the world and people which makes him act with anger. His innocent childish dream is to be the Catcher in the Rye, to catch the kids before they become phonies like Holden says about adults. The moment he realizes that he cannot keep kids from falling or in other words, from growing up and becoming adults, he, reaches adulthood, and takes a big step towards it at the end of the novel.
Holden Caulfield Grief
809 Words | 4 PagesWhen Allie died Holden was thirteen years old. “I’m seventeen now sixteen then and I still sometimes act like I’m thirteen” Holden fears that if he grew up that he would forget Allie and become a phony adult. In is grief Holden wants to become the catcher in the rye to keep kids from falling from grace and innocence so he too doesn't have to grow up. “I’ll catch them as they fall off the cliff.” Holden’s immaturity is a sign of his grief for Allie.
Holden's Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye
1230 Words | 5 PagesA. Allie’s death causes Holden to become obsessed with death and this obsession makes him believe that growing up and becoming a “phonie” is like dying; this belief that is planted inside Holden’s head when Allie died is what sends him on a quest to preserve children’s innocence and save them from the “death” of growing up. B. Salinger includes the traumatic story of Allies death that happened years in advance to provide an explanation for Holden’s obsession with death and how he sees loss of innocence as equivalent to dying. Allie died with his innocence still intact, so Holden does not want other children to grow up and have their innocence “die”. C. Holden even admits to being mentally unstable after his brother’s traumatic death when he says, “I was only 13, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all
Examples Of Change In Catcher In The Rye
1022 Words | 5 PagesAfter talking about his childhood memories with his brother he states, ¨He is dead now. He got leukemia and died when we were up in Maine, on July 18, 1946. You´d have like him.¨ Then after talking about Allie’s old baseball mitt he said, ¨I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it¨(43-44). Allie’s death is used to show the unexpected change that Holden had experienced during his life. Allie was only eleven when he died, and Holden was thirteen.
Jd Salinger Biography Essay
978 Words | 4 PagesAllie’s death causes Holden to realize there is evil in the world. This realization and traumatizes him as his childlike innocence is destroyed. This trauma begins to grow as Holden goes through more real world experiences. While Allie’s death ignites Holden’s breakdown, and his encounter with Maurice adds fuel to the
J. D. Salinger: A Character Analysis
297 Words | 2 PagesAfter Sunny had left, Holden lit a cigarette and started to talk aloud to Allie, who is his deceased little brother. Holden right now is feeling very down, and depressed, and when he is, he speaks aloud to Allie. While talking out loud Holden reflects on the relationship he had with Allie. While speaking to him, Holden tells Allie to Allie to go back to the house to grab his bike and meet up with him at Bobby’s, house. A short while later, Holden prepares to go to bed.
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