Catcher In The Rye Death Analysis

In life one thing is certain, that is death. Death follows no rules, death does not follow a schedule. Death can be unexpected and unfair but the fact is death does not live with us we live with death. Many children are usually not used to death and can not fully understand the concept behind it and if exposed to death many children do not handle it well, because of this adults do their best to shield children from death until they are ready or mature enough to handle it. Unfortunately in Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye the main character Holden Caulfield is thrown into the concept of death without being prepared for it at a young age. The death of Holden’s brother Allie rocked his world, damaged Holden’s emotional state, and sent him down a path of deep emotional troubles. Throughout The Catcher in the Rye it is obvious Holden has many underlying issues and seems to be struggling emotionally. Even though Holden is sixteen years old he tries to make himself appear more mature than he really is. Holden many times
Holden also lets the reader know he is not in a good place by saying in the novel “Then I got back in bed. It took me quite a while to get to sleep - I wasn’t even tired - but finally I did. What I really felt like, though, was committing suicide. I felt like jumping out the window.” (117) this shows how unstable Holden is and how he is on a path towards an emotional break down and wants to end his life and suffering. Had Holden allowed himself to accept help from someone in his life he may have been put back on the right track