Catcher In The Rye Holden's Death Essay

The death of a loved one can really take a toll on the people that knew them. Death can make people do things that they wouldn’t normally do. A lot of times, people that have loved ones that have died blame themselves for their loved one dying, and think that they could have done something to prevent it, even though they can’t. In the book, Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, the main character, Holden, has a brother named Allie, who passed away when he was ten. Holden and Allie were very close, and Holden misses Allie a lot. Throughout the book, there are many examples of how Allie’s death effects Holden in a negative way. In the book, Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses Holden to show how death of a loved one can effect someone in a negative way. Holden’s brother, Allie, died of tuberculosis when he was ten years old. Holden was devastated when it happened. Allie and Phoebe seem to be some of
This article goes over Holden’s actions and thoughts, and how they relate to Allie. Holden’s thought of being the “catcher in the rye”, and catching and saving little kids, including Allie, from falling, alludes to Holden feeling guilt for Allie’s death. Holden “has this crazy idea that he should have saved Allie” (Shaw 6). Being the catcher in the rye would make Holden able to save Allie. Holden is guilty that he couldn’t stop Allie from dying, and he would risk dying from falling off the cliff so he could catch Allie. But, saving Allie is only in his dreams. Holden will never be able to save Allie, and he will have to live with that guilt for the rest of his life. Having all of that guilt would definitely affect Holden negatively. Holden is filled with guilt for not being able to save Allie. In conclusion, this article shows how Holden is affected negatively by the death of Allie because Holden is guilty for not being able to save