Catcher In The Rye Holden's Death Analysis

In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher In The Rye, Holden has been affected by death more than most people. Despite his attempts to hide it, he is constantly haunted by the deaths of people close to him, while also worrying about his own death. Overall, Holden’s personal experiences with mortality distract him from the present. One of the major deaths that most severely affected Holden was Allie’s. Whenever Holden was severely depressed, he thought about Allie, choosing to latch on to the past instead of facing the future. For example, after he dismissed Sunny the prostitute, he told Allie to “[go] home and get [his] bike and meet [him] in front of Bobby's house” (Salinger 99). Holden explained how he and his friend Bobby used to shoot things with their BB guns, but he would not let Allie play with them. By talking out loud to Allie, he pretended to go back in time and treat Allie better instead of focusing on his current predicaments. Holden’s inability to accept Allie’s death tether him to his past so that he cannot advance in the present. Another death that drastically influenced Holden’s life was that of James Castle. When Holden went to stay at Mr. Antolini’s home, he reminisced about how James jumped out of a …show more content…
As Holden ran into more and more disappointment and phoniness in NYC, he began to seriously ponder his own death. When he wandered around Central Park and believed he was dying, he “[hoped] to hell when [he died] somebody [would have] sense enough to dump [him] in the river or something… Who wants flowers when you’re dead? Nobody” (Salinger 155). Despite how he talks about it, Holden has personal experience going to his brother’s grave and bringing flowers, so he understands the pain of grief. However, by worrying about his future death, Holden becomes even more distanced from his current troubles. In the end, the deaths of people close to him ultimately distracted him from the