Catcher In The Rye Holden Analysis

Holden refuses to interact with others because he wants to be with his brother Allie and he is still emotionally destroyed by his death. Holden is still regressing to the time of his childhood, a time where he was happy and with Allie. This is the reason why Holden refuses to enter the threshold of adulthood. The reader can notice then when Holden says, "I like Allie just because someone is dead you don't just stop liking them, for God's sakes especially if they were about a thousand times nicer than the people you know that're alive". Holden still believes that true happiness resides in his childhood in the presence of his deceased brother. As the story progresses, Holden begins to come to his senses and realizes he is not able live in the

Holden's fear of rejection is the source of not being able to create relationships which isolates him from society. Because of this fear of intimacy and rejection, Holden begins to go into a very depressed state. Another reason why Holden is never integrated into society is because he still has the mentality of living in the last. This is another problem Allie comes into. When Holden states, "I like Allie just because someone is dead you don't just stop liking them, for God's sakes- especially if they were about a thousand times nicer than the people you know that're alive (Salinger 171), he believes that genuine happiness and peace can be obtained in his past and believes that Allie is no longer present in society. However, Holden eventually realizes that it is impossible to live in his childhood forever. This makes him realize that he cannot continue living with the same values in society that Allie died with. Acknowledging that his objectives in life are unattainable brings forth immense discomfort and sadness. However, Holden's sadness is heightened when he knows he cannot change societal norms and value. The realization that he cannot remain in the past with his idyllic concept of innocence ultimately causes his