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Holden Caulfield Unresolved Grief Essay

818 Words4 Pages

At one point, everyone has lost a loved one in their life. Grief over a loved one’s death can significantly impact another’s life, as their reaction to the death may vary. In the novel, The Catcher In the Rye by J.D Salinger, Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the story, deals with the unresolved grief of the death of his younger brother Allie. The death of his brother continues to torment him and impact his decisions. The most opposing challenge for the protagonist Holden Caulfield would be the unresolved grief he has for his brother.. Throughout the story, Holden’s decisions and attitude were manipulated by constant grief and sorrow. The remnant of pain from Allie’s death made Holden obsessed with the idea of preserving childhood youth, which came with his fear of growing …show more content…

The quote explains how Holden faces impactful trauma and sadness over Allie’s death and struggles to deal with it. Furthermore, Holden’s limited understanding of his emotions prevents him from dealing with them mentally, but instead resorts to violence. As this story continues, Holden’s abnormal behavior is more exposed as “This next part I don't remember is so hot. All I know is I got up from the bed, like I was going down to the can or something, and then I tried to sock him, with all my might” (Salinger 49). In the quote, Holden’s method of dealing with extreme frustration is harmful to him as well as others around him. Furthermore, Holden’s instinct is to hit Stradlater after his interaction with Jane, as his initial thoughts of what could’ve happened between them angers him. These instances of Holden's reckless actions and unacceptable behavior resemble how impactful Allie's death was to

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