Catcher In The Rye Holden Character Analysis

In the novel, A Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, the main character, Holden Caulfield, narrates his experience during a two-day period of the previous December that led to his eventual hospitalization. Holden is 16 years old and is suffering from depression, mood swings and general poor health due to his chronic smoking habit. He has a history of school expulsions due to his failing grades and has recently learned that he will no longer be attending his prestigious boarding school, Pencey Prep for the same reason. Holden is from New York, and has a younger sister Phoebe that he is fond of. Within the first chapter of the novel, the reader learns that Holden also has a younger brother, named Allie, who died of Leukemia on July, 19, 1946. Holden has since been unable to properly cope with this traumatic loss and suffers from depression and fails to succeed socially and academically as a

I thought I’d just go down, down, down, and nobody's ever see me again. Boy did it scare me,” (217). Holden then begins to ask Allie to save him from this abyss he feels he is falling into. His feelings are similar then to how he describes his desire to be “The Catcher in the Rye”. saving children from falling to their deaths. Holden wants to save people from the world, more specifically children, like his brother Allie. This is evident when he is walking to get Phoebe at school and he sees the curse words on the school steps. Holden becomes angry the words are there because he doesn’t think kids should have to look at those words, are understand the meaning they convey. He doesn’t want kids growing up and having to deal with death and lost love. These are things Holden internally wrestles with and wants to ensure kids don’t have to deal