Holden Caulfield Loss Analysis

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Holden’s life in The Catcher and the Rye has been a perpetual struggle followed by renounced feelings with no optimism. He lives life with a brass face and hides how he really feels deep within. Readers never truly acquire the full picture of Holden Caulfield until the completion of the novel. He never allows us to see his hidden demons until he is overtaken by them with his fall from grace. Loss, is a continuous battle Holden must face on a day to day grind. Whether it is Holden’s younger brother Allie, or his friend from youth, Jane, or even James Castle’s death in Elkton Hills, all these occurrences result in a more profound understanding of Holden’s journey in The Catcher and the Rye. Throughout J.D. Salinger’s novel, Holden Caulfield, struggles with…show more content…
Holden Caulfield’s depression starts with his detachment from society. Holden, to begin with, isolates himself from the individuals around him as he refrains from developing social bonds. While Jane Gallagher waits for Stradlater Holden reframes from meeting her despite his desperate yearning to. This is revealed through Holden’s comment, “I oughta go down and say hello to her…. [but] I’m not in the mood right now.” (Salinger 32-33). This proves to the reader that Holden is incapable of forming relationships with the people around him. Possibly due to his fear of neglect, Holden is hesitant towards developing relationships. Holden’s inability to develop bonds is rooted in his fear of being neglected, which proceeds to isolate him from society. For that reason he has a very difficult time maintaining relationships which also adds to his depressive state. Holden, wanting to live alongside his dead brother Allie segregates himself from society. Consequently, Allie remains at rest in his childhood a place where Holden wishes to live to preserve his innocence. Therefore, Holden refuses to accept adulthood and challenges society’s
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