Essay On Holden Caulfield Absent Character

Often times, who one surrounds themselves with, even for a short period of time affect a person’s life for years to come. In Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger captures the story of Holden Caulfield, who throughout his travels to New York, is compelled by his thoughts of characters who are never introduced to readers. The absent characters are as impressed upon him as much as he is affected by those who are among him in the city. The situations in which the characters are introduced are often when Holden is faced with uncomfortable or adult situations. He reminds himself of those who once surrounded him, while recollecting the memories, Holden is affected by the innocence of the situation. This allows for the theme of innocence and his somewhat childish actions across the events of the novel.
While facing the aspect of school, a topic Holden would rather avoid, he was tasked with writing a composition for Stradlater. He relayed the fond memory of his younger brother’s baseball mitt in extreme detail. This began an opening into Holden’s past, beginning with Allie. Allie became an image of innocence to Holden, “But it wasn't just that he was the most
The idea of absent characters impact on Holden shows how he holds onto the memories of the past, and grasps for them, even in a time where he should face adulthood and leave them behind. Adulthood is what reverted him back to these memories of comfort, and when they were threatened, he turned to denial. These characters can sum up Holden’s feeling towards the major events in his life rather it be death, childhood, intimacy, or phonies. All these characters had a purpose to Holden, in his life and in the story. Salinger used Allie, Jane, and D.B. to reflect Holden’s past, and yet, they all contributed to his