The Catcher in The Rye

Holden is the universal teenager in many ways. He has his ups and downs just like many other teens, including myself. He doesn't like people who are phonys, just how many of us don't like people who are fake. "Some guy next to me was snowing the hell out of the babe he was with. He kept telling her she had aristocratic hands. That killed me." (page 142). How he is alot like teenagers though, is that he does not apply himself in school. Holden just doesn't almost any of his work. He tries to breeze through life, not knowing what he wants or what to do.

It becomes very obvious as the story goes on as to why Holden is so depressed. The reason is that he has not gotten over the death of his brother Allie. Holden idealized Allie, he thought that Allie was the smartest person in the family. "He was terrifically intelligent... I broke all the goddamn windows with my fist, just for the hell of it." (page 38-39). With this long, descriptive piece about Allie, it shows how much Holden truly cared for his younger brother. However, his death not only hurt Holden, it devasted the entire family. It seems like both of Holden's parents have not been the same since. It also seems as though his brother's death could potentially be the root to all of Holden's problems. Maybe if Allie did not die, Holden wouldn't be depressed. Maybe Holden would apply himself in school and be successful. This, however, is not a suitable excuse to throw your life away, Holden should think about how his brother would feel if he saw him now.