How Does Holden Use Death In Catcher In The Rye

533 Words2 Pages

Death is one of life’s most mysterious occurrences. It is sometimes difficult to comprehend why an innocent young child has to die, and a murderer is released from prison and gets a second chance at life. There is no simple explanation for this. Though, perhaps the best, would be the theological perspective that God has a prewritten destiny for every man and woman. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye Holden often finds himself questioning his faith and pondering why an innocent adolescent like his brother Allie has to die. By the close of the novel Holden learns to accept not only death but life as well.

There are several instances within J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye in which Holden expresses his misapprehension of death. In Chapter 5, on page 38 Holden provides a long excursus on Allie, specifying the particulars of his life and death. The consequential point comes at the close of the digression when Holden discloses his own reaction to Allie’s death. In this Chapter Holden first poses the question of why did Allie have to die at such a young age. …show more content…

In a cab on the way to the Edmont Hotel Holden asks the cab driver if he knows what happens to the ducks in the lake in Central Park during the winter. Although this question may seem trivial, it is in fact a way of Holden asking what happens to people when they die. What Holden really wants to know is if they just disappear or do they move on to a more suitable place. Unfortunately the cab driver doesn’t truly comprehend Holden’s question and is unable to provide an adequate explanation for

Show More
Related

  • Allie and Jane’s Impact on Holden

    918 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel, Allie has an immense impact on Holden through his journey. Allie is Holden’s brother that died of Cancer when Holden was young. Holden is always sad about Allie’s death and is always thinking about Allie. Allie’s impact on Holden’s life sparks from Holden feeling like Allie missed out on opportunities.Allie also brings Holden a sense of guilt and also pain because he feels that Allie is missing out and that it is unfair for him to experience life. Holden can never get over Allies death and Allie because of his guilt that stems from his beliefs of Allie’s inability to experience life. When talking to Phoebe he says, “I Know he’s dead? Dont you think I know that? I can still like him, though, can't I? Just because somebody's dead, you don't just stop liking them, for God’s sake-especially if they were about a thousand times nicer than the people you know that’re alive and all” (Salinger 171). This quote shows Holden’s reluctance to not forget Allie, and move on with his life not living in regret of Allie’s...

    Read More

  • The Detrimental Effect Of A Sibling's Death On Holden Caulfield

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    No one really thinks about how devastating it might be to lose a sibling when you're young. However, Holden Caulfield, the main character in J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye,” has to experience this devastation. Holden is merely 13 years old when his 11 year old brother Allie dies of leukemia. The two boys were extremely close and Holden is traumatized, he spends that night punching out windows with his bare hands. Many articles have been written about the adverse effects of a sibling’s death has on a child, even later in life, and Holden was surely effected. After Allie’s death, Holden isolates himself, begins to do worse in school, and grasps onto the concept on innocence and childhood and cannot let go.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Grief In Catcher In The Rye

    711 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is one universal truth that will exist through out all of time and space that affects all that live to experience it. That truth is known as grief. We all experience grief, and for Holden Caulfield, grief is a major aspect of his life, the force that drives him to do everything he does in the novel, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. There are seven stages to this emotion known as grief: denial, depression, anger, bargaining, guilt, reconstruction, and finally, acceptance. There are many parts in the novel that could have influenced Holden’s grief, but the main one that most people who read the novel have figured it out was the death of his little brother Allie. The root to Holden’s grief lies with his brother which cause Holden’s to act and change the way he does in the novel.

    Read More

  • Free Catcher in the Rye Essays: Symbols and Symbolism

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    Holden admits that he admires Allie more than he admires Jesus, and even prays to Allie at one point, rather than Jesus. Allie is Holden's role model, whom he judges the rest of the world according to. When Allie dies, it creates turbulence in Holden's life. At several points during the course of the novel, Holden asks as to what happens to the ducks who are normally on a pond in Central Park, when winter comes and the water freezes. On page 60, Holden asks, "You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South?

    Read More

  • Grief and Bereavement in The Catcher in the Rye

    2501 Words  | 6 Pages

    The experience of being in a state of grief is not limited by age but by experience.  The symptoms of a person experiencing bereavement and grief are found throughout the book.  These symptoms not only apply to Holden and his situation, but also are accepted as classic symptoms recognized by the Grief Counseling Community.  The story is replete with the phrases "I felt so lonesome; I almost wish I was dead; it was so depressing; it was so quiet and lonesome out; feeling sort to lousy; made me sad; I felt miserable; felt like committing suicide; jumping out the window; sitting on an atomic bomb; blue as hell; felt like getting stinking drunk; can't sleep."

    Read More

  • Overcoming Trauma in J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye

    659 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden is in a rest home, where he speaks about his past and discusses his thoughts and feelings of his memories. Holden tells about his life including his past experiences at many different private schools, most recently Pensey Prep, his friends, and his late brother Allie which led to Holden’s own mental destruction.

    Read More

  • Catcher In The Rye Holden's Death Analysis

    636 Words  | 2 Pages

    Holden feels as if he is stuck in his 13 year old self. Although he is aging he isn’t necessarily maturing the way his classmates and other people are around him. This is due to the fact that he never received closure when Allie died. When he starts picturing his own funeral because he might get pneumonia and die, he remembers D.B. telling him about his brother's funeral. He stated, “I wasn’t there. I was still in the hospital. I had to go to the hospital and all after I hurt my hand” (Salinger 171). Since he never attended the funeral he never got to say his final goodbyes to the one person he truly loved. Holden feels as if he can’t connect with anyone else in the world like he did with Allie. If he did then he would most likely push them away, so he wouldn’t have to experience the trauma of loss again, because it greatly impacted his life the first time. The trauma Holden experienced when he was younger resulted in him not being able to form stronger relationships with people which made him more depressed and

    Read More

  • The Catcher In The Rye

    701 Words  | 2 Pages

    Holden has a near obsession with the death of his younger brother Allie, who died at age thirteen due to leukemia. Holden had punched and broke all the windows in the garage out of anger; he says that his hands still hurt from the incident. Throughout the novel, Holden dwells on Allies’ death. From Holden's thoughts, it is obvious that he loves and misses Allie. In order to hold on to his brother and to minimize the pain of his loss, Holden brings Allie's baseball mitt along with him where ever he goes. The mitt has additional meaning and significance for Holden because Allie had written poetry, which Holden reads, from the baseball mitt. Towards the end of the book, Holden proves again that he can’t cope with death. Phoebe, his younger sister, is putting him on the spot by asking him what he likes, but Holden can only think of two nuns and a boy, James W. Castle. James W. Castle was a boy who Holden had lent his sweater to, Castle died unfortunately by being thrown out of a window wearing Holden’s sweater. Another thing that haunts Holden is the fact that during roll call in class, his last name always is called after Castles’ last name. After the brief moment of reminiscing, Holden irritates Phoebe by saying, “I like Allie…”. He has trouble acknowledging the death of his brother.

    Read More

  • Catcher In The Rye Adolescence Essay

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is evident that Holden Caufield has specific moments where he can recall and apply them wherever he is in life. His unleashing of children and their ability to explore the world without assistance has helped him transition to the real adult world. His fascination with ducks has made him realize that nothing is ever permanent and no one can always be there for when ever one falls. Lastly, the passing of a loved one can be times of despair but learning to grow and fight the internal struggle can help bring ease. Holden has really transformed from an egoistic individual to a genuine gentleman, he has grown from his experiences and is able to tolerate more pain. The reality has struck Holden no matter how distorted the outside world is to him, maturing is inevitable and using these moments will always be something for him to live for.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of Catcher In The Rye

    1227 Words  | 3 Pages

    A door slams. A muffled scream echoes through the house. Someone shouts, “This is so unfair!” No one gets hurt, but no one remains unscathed. A typical scenario in the house of a teenager, but why? Throughout life, people only see the world from their point of view, and many never attempt to view their actions in any way but their own. J.D. Salinger penned the auspicious novel, The Catcher in the Rye. This classic tells the story of a mentally disabled teen that grew up too fast. Holden, the aforementioned teen, distances himself from personal connection after his younger brother, Allie, dies. By cutting himself off from the love of those around him, he feels lost and misunderstood. Holden begins to hate the world, and soon gives up on attempting

    Read More

  • Catcher In The Rye Coping Analysis

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    Holden was walking in Fifth Avenue and overtime he came to the end of the block he began to feel extremely nervous. He sad he felt as if he was going to “disappear”(Salinger 198). Holden says, “Boy did it scare me… Every time I’d get to the end of the block I’d make believe I was talking to my brother Allie. I’d say to him ‘Allie, don’t let me disappear. Allie don’t let me disappear… Please, Allie,’ ” (Salinger 198). When Holden is nervous he is nervous because he doesn’t want to “disappear” (Salinger 198). Holden is nervous because he doesn’t want to “disappear” at “the end of the block ” (Salinger 198). By this he really means he does’t want to die at the end of his life, like Allie died at the end of his life. He steers clear from using the words die and at the end of life, because he is in denial that Allies life is over and that he is dead. Although his conscious mind logically knows that Allie is not alive anymore, subconsciously his mind refuses to accept that, and this is where there is conflict. To cope with that conflict he begins to fantasize that Allie is with him giving him advice and watching over him. To Holden Allie is like a child's imaginary friend, when he doesn’t need Allie it is not like Allie doesn’t exist in his subconscious mind, his conscious mind simply takes over. Although when he is scared, or something is triggered to cope he begins to fantasize Allie and take comfort in Allie even though consciously he knows it is impossible for him to be talking to Allie. I relate to Allie in the manner that I went through a denial phase why coping with my grandfathers loss, also denial was not nearly as sever as Allie’s. When my grandpa first died it was hard to truly accept that he wasn’t with us any more. Again, I was little when he died so I kept trying to convince that he wasn’t dead, although eventually I really

    Read More

  • Allies Mitt

    605 Words  | 2 Pages

    Allie's death was tragic but maybe it is the death that Holden wanted for himself , he wanted to preserve his innocence. One example of Allie's innocence is " He was also the nicest, in lots of ways. He never got mad at anybody" Holden valued the mitt he only showed it to one person outside his family, Jane , "She was the only one, outside my family, that I ever showed Allie's baseball mitt to, with all the poems written on it. She'd never met Allie or...

    Read More

  • Holden's Disillusionment In The Catcher In The Rye

    737 Words  | 2 Pages

    The origins of Holden’s disillusionment and the reason that it all started is the death of his younger brother which he was very fond of and admired, Allie, three years ago. The death of Allie is very significant in Holden’s mind since it is an event which he remembers quite clearly at multiple occasions during the book. For example, when Holden is writing a descriptive composition for his roommate Stradlater, he decides to write about Allie’s baseball mitt since it is the only thing on his mind. “My brother Allie had this left-handed fielder’s mitt. He was

    Read More

  • The Catcher And The Rye

    2007 Words  | 5 Pages

    In J.D. Salinger’s controversial 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, the main character is Holden Caulfield. When the story begins Holden at age sixteen, due to his poor grades is kicked out of Pencey Prep, a boys’ school in Pennsylvania. This being the third school he has been expelled from, he is in no hurry to face his parents. Holden travels to New York for several days to cope with his disappointments. As James Lundquist explains, “Holden is so full of despair and loneliness that he is literally nauseated most of the time.” In this novel, Holden, a lonely and confused teenager, attempts to find love and direction in his life. Holden’s story is realistic because many adolescent’s face similar challenges.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Catcher In The Rye

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    Written by J.D. Salinger in the mid-1900s, The Catcher in the Rye introduced adolescence to the literary world. The novel follows several days in the life of Holden Caulfield, a 16-year-old student who has just failed out of his fourth school. Throughout it, we see how Holden, a complicated youth, deals with the transition into adulthood. He sees the adult world as one full of what he terms “phonies.” Thus, he not only wants to refrain from becoming a part of it but he wants to stop others, especially those younger them him, from transitioning into it as well. From this, Holden fantasizes about “catching” kids as they fall into adulthood. This dream of being a “catcher” comes from a misquoted poem, the chorus of which says, “When a body meet a body coming through the rye…” Holden substitutes the word “catch” for “meet” and alters the poem’s meaning (p. 173). Throughout the novel, the idea of the “catcher in the rye” not only divides the world of children from that of adults, it also sets up a paradigm where Holden feels the need to prevent children from transitioning into the latter.

    Read More

More about How Does Holden Use Death In Catcher In The Rye

Open Document