Making attachments with other humans is a natural and normal part of every day life. However, sometimes people find that they struggle with their human attachment abilities, and they realize that its not the person they are forming a relationship with, but how attached they are getting to this relationship. This often scares people, and it has been shown that problems like this have reflected on both their mental and physical health. As a result to these human attachment problems, people usually either get anxious about forming relationships, or simply avoid them all together. In the notable fiction novel The Catcher in the Rye, author J.D Salinger brings the troubled, humorous, and adolescent character of Holden Caulfield to life, where he struggles with growing up, the uncontrollable changes in his life, and, most importantly, attachments with other humans. As a reader, a certain pattern in Holden's attachment abilities is observed, and it is made clear that he only had these issues with certain people. In the novel, Holden suffers from attachment avoidance in many of his relationships, except for when it comes to his relationships with children.
Throughout the story, Holden reminisces on his experiences as a child, and the people who influenced his life the most. One of these people, someone extremely special to Holden, is his childhood friend, Jane Gallagher. He and Jane were next-door neighbors as children, and got to be very close. Holden was comfortable around Jane, could trust her with anything, and felt a connection with her that, after they lost touch, he couldn't seem to find with anyone else again. However, as the story progressed, it was observed that Holden only forms secure attachments such as these with other younger people. For example, in chapter 11, Holden describes how comfortable he felt with Jane, and how much he admired her when they were children. He states, "She was a funny girl, old Jane.