The biggest Question about the book J.D Salinger wrote The Catcher in the Rye is
Holden Caulfield sympathetic person. I believe Holden is a sympathetic character that
just has a weird way of expressing his feelings and may have emotional and
psychological problems. Even though Holden has had problems expressing and a few
setbacks in life that doesn't make him an evil or a bad person. Personally, I believe
Holden just is literate and wasn't express his mind although some of the negative things
he would say would outweigh the positive things he said and most readers would focus
or remember the bad things. In this paper I will show everyone Holden's emotional side
and sympathetic aspects on life.
For example one case, where Holden shows plenty of sympathy and makes you feel
sympathetic for him at the same time is whenever Holden talks about his younger
brother Allie. Allie Caulfield, Holden's younger brother passed due to Leukemia in Maine
on July 18, 1946. Allie was a very important person in Holdens life and I would guess
that he was most likeable person in the world. Holden would always speak so highly of
Allie. I read Holden say more positive things about Allie in one paragraph than he said
about everything else genuinely in the rest of the book. he was a nice kid though. (Pg.
38) Allie's Death ought to be the main reason why Holden is in this state of depression
and I feel if Allie were alive so many aspects and events in Holdens life would've been
gone to another direction. For an assignment Holden was doing for his roommate he
went into detail about one of Allies' old baseball gloves, which shows his intelligence
and uniqueness.
After Allies passing Holden seemed to have lost faith in himself and everyone around
him which can only make you sympathise for the passing of someone so close to him.
in the book Holden provides some pretty memorable quotes on his life without Allie,
which shows true sympathy. Slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the
windows with my fist, just for the hell of it.(Pg. 39) This reflect how Holden sympathized
for Allie and missed him so badly and he is a sympathetic person but just doesn't know
how to express it. Boy I felt miserable. I felt so depressed you can’t imagine, what I did,
I started talking, sort of out loud, to Allie.(Pg. 98) This once again shows sympathy for
himself and creates the emotion of sympathy from you to Holden. Also this quote shows
that Holden doesn't know how to express his anger. I keep thinking about it anyway,
when I get very depressed(Pg. 98) Once again help but feel sorry for the kid he get his
brother Allies death out of his mind and he doesn't know handle it maybe
Holden needs a psychiatrist to help control his emotions. he can still like him though
(Pg. 171) In this quote Phoebe told Holden he couldn't like Allie if he's death but he still
feels that even though Allie is dead he can still like and talk about him.
Last but not least in all of Holdens Allie references in the book was Allie don't let me
disappear. Allie let me disappear.(Pg. 171) Holden can reach to Allie whenever he
needed guidance or felt troubled about something like Allie was somewhat his guardian
angel. People may have a samilar assumption that Holden only shows sympathy when
it came to a touchy subject like his brother but that's not the case. Holden showed
sympathy in other aspects of life of course not as much but he still shows his
sympathetic side. People never notice anything (Pg. 9) Even when Holden want to show
sympathy or does something positive no one ever notices anything. thanked me and all
when I had it tightened for her. She was a very nice, polite little kid.(Pg. 119) This shows
Holden's sympathy for littleChild like how he just tightened a shoe for a little girl which a
simple sympathetic gesture. ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing
everybody. (Pg. 214) This last quote summarize Holden is sympathetic but has trust
issues. End of the Day.
Holden Caulfield is a sympathetic character that just has a weird way of expressing his
feelings and may have emotional and psychological problems. Holden does have
problems psychologically so he does have problems expressing himself but that doesn't
mean he isn't sympathetic. Sometimes not only with Holden but in all of our lives our
negativity mostly outweighs our positivity. But if you have a different view on life you see
he was a very sympathetic Character. In this paper I have showed you emotional and
sympathetic side.