Sarah Waltman- Catcher in the Rye

So far in this story, it seems to me that the main character, Holden, has a very hard time in trusting people around him, in school, and in having conversations with the people around him. I personally think that most of these problems go back to the fact that his younger brother, Allie, had died of leukemia, and that this impacted the way Holden thinks of people.
Holden refers to his brother as “terrifically intelligent,” and that he basically could do no wrong (38). Holden also had a close relationship with his brother because “it wasn’t just that he was the most intelligent member in the family. He was also the nicest, in a lot of ways,” and they got along very well (38).
Ever since his brother died, Holden’s relationship with his parents also became very different. They were going to send him to a psychoanalyst to try to get him back on track, but Holden did not like that very much. Now he doesn’t want to talk to his parents much, and I also think that a reason why he is going off to New York to wait until his mother has the letter from the school saying he was kicked out “thoroughly digested” because he doesn’t want to face them in pain and shock (51).
Holden also never seems to look for the good traits in people or in life. He always seems to find the bad traits in another character, such as Stradlater. I think that this is because he likes to compare them to Allie, and because he thought that Allie was perfect, there is no one else like him. I also believe that Allie’s death had such an impact on Holden’s life that he never looks forward to anything in life, and he also “[feels] so lonesome” without Allie there with him (48). If Allie had never died years ago, I think that Holden would be positive about many more times in life, and there also might be meaning in friends and school for him.
By: Sarah Waltman