The Theme Of Death In Catcher In The Rye

Death is a natural occurrence in life that arises in all living things. Natural death occurs during the later stages of life, but in tragic circumstances, children can also die. When children die, they leave behind heartbroken parents and siblings. The parents of the child can suffer from immense guilt after the death of a child. Parents ask themselves questions such as “What did I do wrong?” or “What could I have done better?”. Parents re-examine all of their decisions and second-guess themselves while taking care of the rest of their children. Siblings attempt to gain attention by acting out at school and at home. Younger siblings feel like they have to live up the older sibling’s reputation, and feel pressure to be more like said older sibling. …show more content…
Holden uses the ducks in the Central Park lagoon to remind himself that the world around him is not changing (Salinger 154). When he finds the ducks gone, he is devastated and begins to think suicidal thoughts (Salinger 155). Holden also uses the museum for a similar purpose. Holden describes the museum as such: “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move. ... Nobody'd be different. The only thing that would be different would be you.” (Salinger 121) The museum and the ducks were things that were a constant in his life, things that stayed the same no matter what else happened. Holden resists change because he is afraid that growing up and becoming “phony” will cause him to become like Allie: dead. After Allie’s death, Holden associates death with the mutability of time. Holden wants everything to be just like the museum; kept under a glass, unmoving forever (Salinger 122). When Holden makes this statement, he is almost rejecting life itself. Aging and mutability are an inevitable concept unavoidable and necessary for all humans. Holden’s fight against “phoniness” and change leads to inevitable