Holden

            
             Suffering from the loss of a family member can be very traumatic and in some cases, life altering. It can change a person's outlook upon existence and the attitude displayed in society. Some people have a religious reawakening while others fall into a deep depression, leaving people unable to do normal, everyday chores, or the entire personality can change. In the case of Holden Caulfield, the protagonist within the novel The Catcher in the Rye, the death of his brother Allie brought upon him grief but also something worse; Holden lost sense of who he was leaving him all alone. Holden comes from a moderately wealthy family from Manhattan; however, he never took advantage of the fruitful life he could have. Holden has been falling since the death of his brother. His one time teacher, Mr. Antolini, mentioned this symbolic plunge to Holden, "This fall I think you"re riding for- it's a special kind of fall, a horrible kind"(pg. 187, ch. 4). The fall that Holden Caulfield is experiencing stems from his brother's death, his loneliness, and inability to find respect in himself.
             Allie was Holden's younger brother by two years, but by the way he spoke of Allie, you could tell that Holden thought very much of him. Holden had a great deal of respect for Allie; he knew that his little brother was by far the smartest and most compassionate member of the family. Throughout the novel, it was hinted that Holden had more than just respect for Allie. Allie was one of the only people in .
             The Catcher in the Rye that Holden actually infers of loving. "God, he was a nice kid, though. He used to laugh so hard at something he thought of at the dinner table and he just about fell off his chair."(pg. 38, ch. 5) When Holden was 13, Allie died of leukemia. The night he died, Holden broke all the windows in the garage in a fit of uncontrollable grief. The night Allie passed away, a part of Holden died with him, his innocence and a clear sense of who he was as a person.