Analysis Of George Moore s The Catcher Rye - 1695 Words

George Moore For most people, the death of a relative causes a period of despair that can last a lifetime. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher In the Rye, an adolescent s tightly knit relationship with a family member results in a long-lasting impression on his life; Holden, a young, psychologically lost youth struggles in life after the recent death of his brother, Allie. While he was alive, Allie maintained a positive outlook, assisting Holden in retaining not only his innocence but his happiness. Thus, after Allie’s death, Holden strayed away from these aspects, after losing not only his brother but his lifeline to peace, reinforcing Salinger’s notion of how a major event can dictate large changes in mentality. As Holden describes his†¦show more content†¦In addition to this he was young and playful. This was everything that Holden desired to be in society. So when Allie died, Holden lost his connection to a feeling of innocence. This causes him to be frustrated, and r emove himself from society. This is shown above when Holden isolates himself in the garage. However, even though Holden is strongly against society he does recognize that it holds some value. But, because of Allie, he will never forgive the world he lives in. He was so innocent and close to Holden that his death continues to impact Holden throughout the story. A quote to illustrate this is, â€Å" It was a very stupid thing to do, I ll admit, but I hardly didn t even know I was doing it, and you didn t know Allie.† This quote illustrates the point that although Holden recognizes the action was foolish, he realizes that it was necessary to express his contempt for what had been taken away from him. He will never be the same, and will always be frustrated with society for his loss of Allie. But, even though Allie may be permanently gone he is still with Holden. Holden expresses regret and is upset whenever Allie is brought up. â€Å"What I did, I started talking, sort of out l oud, to Allie. I do that sometimes when I get very depressed.† He even gets depressed to the extent where it s everyone in his life’s fault that he lost Allie. His depression and contempt for society pop up whenever Allie is mentioned. This tells us as readers that Holden has deep regret over