What Is The Other Side Of Holden's Life

In the novel “Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger, we are given this protagonist by the name of Holden Caulfield who feels like he’s trapped on “the other side” of life. Throughout the novel, we read into why Holden is the way he is.
There are two traumatic events that take place in Holden’s life. The first of the two is when his brother Allie had died of leukemia. The second experience is when a boy by the name James Castle commits suicide after being a victim of severe bullying. The suicide of the boy seems to shake Holden the most. Seeing James bloodied body before him puts the thought of “this could’ve been me” idea into his brain. After these past events take place, he begins to alienate himself as a form of self-protection from the rest of the world. It’s not a very effective method because he deprives himself of human interaction which we as humans crave.
As a young adults, we view ourselves as immortal beings who could never die. Holden on the other hand doesn’t see it that way. He’s already witnessed two traumatic deaths that involved young people who should’ve lived longer. This leads him to have a very apathetic viewpoint on life and human interaction. These ideas ultimately hurt him in the long run. His alienation becomes one of the primal sources of his pain. He has an insatiable hunger for human interaction that he can’t satisfy because of the protective barriers he’s put on himself. He can’t seem to come to terms with his own emotional psyche. Alienation is both the source of Holden’s strength and the source of all his problems. He depends upon his alienation to survive, but it hinders him from making a connection within this