Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “We are afraid to care too much, for fear that the other person does not care at all” clearly insights what the life of Holden Caulfield was like. Holden from The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is influenced by those around him like his family. Mostly, his little sister Phoebe and his dead younger brother Allie affect Holden’s point of view and how he acts or responds to others. Relationships have the most significant impact on a person’s identity, as shown through Holden’s relationships with his family. Holden’s identity is impacted by the relationships he formed as seen through his behavior. He wanted to do this because of his childhood. Childhood is where we learn what relationships are and how to create them. He lost his own innocence because …show more content…
This hindered Holden’s way to communicate and relate to others, this affected his relationships that he already has with his family. Holden’s relationship with Allie is one of his strongest relationships we see in the novel and one time we see it is when Phoebe asks him, “Name one thing you like?” and later Holden responds, “I like Allie” expressing his relationship with him and also how he doesn’t like anything except Allie and Phoebe (Salinger 169 and 171). It highlights that he likes innocent kids and also his relationships with others aren’t very good. Holden's good relationships are only with his younger siblings which isn't good in the adult world. Throughout the novel, Holden tries to find a relationship of his to talk to but couldn’t find anyone but Phoebe and during the end of the