Holden Dialectical Journal

Holden’s depression about his brother’s death, affects his personal life. This matters because it explains why Holden always acts so negative in the book. These feelings are more remorse than the “normal” person. The book also goes heavily detail in these emotions, which could persuade the reader to feel these same emotions about others. Holden gets so wrapped up in all of his emotions, that he begins to critique others around him, even the people who are trying to help

Allie’s baseball mitt is a very important symbol in the novel. It is connected to the story, because the heart of the story is Holden's grief over his brother's death. When Holden finds out his brother Allie died he is in denial because he is refusing to accept Allie’s death. Holden is in denial as he thinks of why his innocent little brother had to die and not him. Holden needs help dealing with this grief. He must always take out the mitt, and acknowledge his feelings in order to release himself from the terrible guilt he feels. When Holden’s roommate at Pencey, Stradlater,

This is where the sensitive side of Holden is portrayed but without much of Stradlater's appreciation towards his hard work, he rips up the essay and throws it way. Even though Allie is "dead" physically in the story, as Holden talks to Allie throughout the novel as if he was still alive. Holden Allie's baseball glove is a symbol for Holden's emotional expression and reminder of Allie himself. The baseball glove has poems written all over it because when Allie was in the outfield playing baseball, he would have something to read while the next batter went up. During one of Holden's overwhelming moments when he feels like disappearing each time he crosses a street, he depends on Allie saying, "Allie, don't let me disappear. Allie, don't let me disappear. Allie, don't let me disappear. Please, Allie" (Salinger 198). When Holden is emotionally put down

The meaning of the reference to David Copperfield is that Holden does not want to tell all about his life prior to where the story begins. Holden expresses his dislike of telling about his early childhood when he says, “…, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth” (Salinger 3). This quote shows that Holden does not care to share that information. He feels like it is not important for the reader to know even though Holden goes on to talk about himself the rest of the book.

Allie is first introduced when Holden writes an english composition for his roommate, Stradlater. Allie's old baseball mitt had poetry written all inside of it, therefore Holden decided to write the composition on it due to it's details. Holden's brother had passed away from luekimia while they were in Maine on July 18, 1946 when Holden was just

Throughout the novel, Holden explains his journey to New York and the events that occurred there. In the beginning of the novel, the readers are informed of his dead brother, Allie. Allie is Holden's incentive to try and create a greater impact on others’ lives since he could not do the same for his brother. It was then too late after, Allie died of leukemia. Holden couldn't thoroughly form a childhood bond with his brother during the limited time that he had. Holden strives to protect all innocence because he couldn't do the same for

Holden’s little brother, Allie, had died and Holden is still not over his death. “I get very depressed, I keep saying to him, Holden says, “Okay. Go home and get your bike and meet me in front of Bobby’s house. Hurry up.” (Salinger, 99). There is many moments where Holden thinks of Allie, and even talks to him. Whenever Holden thinks about Allie he gets very upset and doesn’t want to do anything.

To commence, this section of the passage is critical to the novel because it is an important character development of Holden. The reader is able to see Holden’s view on death and innocence. Furthermore, in this passage of the novel, it includes an important reoccurring theme of mortality.

Holden Caulfield goes through life mourning the death of his younger brother, Allie, who passes away from Cancer. In this state of depression, Holden learns more about how his life was very affected from the loss of someone so important to him, even though he doesn't admit it.

Allie, Holden’s little brother, had died of leukemia at the age of eleven. This event impacted Holden greatly. During that time, he mentioned that he had slept in the garage and broke all the windows in there with his bare hands. This shows how close he was to his brother and how greatly he was affected by this incident. He is also seen to consider himself as always depressed. “

Holden lost Allie to cancer. Conrad lost his brother to a boating accident. Holden idolized Allie. Allie was special; he had red hair, he was left handed, he wrote poems on his baseball mitt. Allie was sensitive and caring, and to us Holden made Allie sound like a saint. Allie’s death played a major role in Holden’s life. The day Holden found out, anger took over, causing him to break the windows in the garage, hospitalizing him with a broken hand. Holden’s depression was caused by the death of his brother, and because of that, he is

Holden, desperate to escape this despair he has been subjected too, smashes the window to run and slip away from this nightmare of his reality. Holden does not know why he broke the windows or why he deliberately fractured his hand, he just states that “you didn’t know Allie.” The pain of his hand cannot even remotely compare to the pain of losing Allie. He can no longer “make a real fist, not a tight one,” because smashing the windows symbolized Allie’s sudden passing and how Holden can no longer find normalcy or peace in his life. He struggles to deal with change, find closure, and accept the fate of his brother’s death.

The death of Caulfield’s brother, Allie, clearly leaves a devastating effect on his life and acts as the central cause of his mental illnesses. Allie died of leukemia at the age of eleven in his family’s summer home in Maine. Holden, thirteen at the time, leaves his comfortable life distraught over the loss of his brother and brakes his hand punching the windows out of the garage of their home. He misses Allie's funeral due to the fact that he was in the hospital for psychiatric evaluation, thus leading one to believe some of his problems may have begun to manifest even before his death. One sees that “...the individual identifies with the lost person, so that repressed anger towards the lost person is directed inwards towards the self. The

Holden’s roommate at boarding school, Stradlater asks him to write a composition. Since, Holden had nothing to do he wrote the composition on his brother, Allie’s baseball mitt. Holden has a difficult time dealing with Allie’s loss. He is depressed. Holden’s grief is a lack of way to let out his emotions. His parents never comfort or give encouraging words to him to aid the sense of depression. While constructing Stradlater’s composition about his brother’s baseball mitt he says, “I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed” (Salinger 39). Holden is angry and devastated about his brother’s death due to breaking all the windows in the garage with his fist. He even slept in the garage overnight. His brother’s death causes immature choices as he is in a mental hospital talking to a therapist. He also got stick out of boarding school because he is depressed. This action shows how isolated and pessimistic Holden is regarding his brother’s

The novel ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ by J.D Salinger is a coming-of-age story. It follows the short tale of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen year old boy, who throughout his experiences in the novel, changes and becomes more mature and independent. The story essentially has two Holden Caulfields, the one telling the story, and the one that the story is being told about. This essay will look at the differences and similarities between the two Holden’s’.