Even the smallest moment in someone's life can change them forever. Holden Caulfield, the main character of JD Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, is the infamous personification of teenage angst. Although Holden is like the average teenager in many ways; he has mood swings, doesn't like his parents, and doesn't know what he wants to do with the rest of his life. However, unlike normal teenagers, Holden also struggles to cope with the death of his younger brother Allie, even though the death itself happened years ago. Due to poor coping methods, Holden has lost the ability to function properly. He remains stuck in the past, frustrated that the world keeps turning and things keep changing, no matter how much he wishes everything would stay the same. He has difficulty talking to people, often making up relationships in his head. This strange habit often leads to more frustration when someone he believes to be his friend acts differently and is seen throughout the novel in many encounters he has with others. Holden also tends to briefly obsess over seemingly pointless things, such as where ducks go in winter and how his little sister writes. These little obsessions are scattered throughout the novel and show how difficult he is to deal with unanswered questions and change. They also relate to the death of his brother Allie in that he struggles with being in a world where Allie is not, constantly wanting his life to go back to when Allie was alive instead of moving forward, the world refusing to stop turning. Holden Caulfield is permanently damaged by the traumatic but distant death of his beloved younger brother Allie and therefore has unusual tendencies for coping with his grief. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In a group of people who have experienced something that induces feelings of grief, one person is the affect, meaning they carry the grief for the group. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield carries the grief of his brother's death for his family. Fulfilling this role took its toll on Holden. Although Holden's downward spiral has already occurred before the novel begins, remnants of his demise can be seen. By analyzing Holden's relationships with people, we can see the effects of this disappearance. It is important to note that although Holden suffered a significant fall, he did not bottom out. After all, he is still able to function and maintain relationships with others, no matter how poor and possibly imaginary they may be. Yet Holden is broken and unable to properly rebuild himself. Like anything that is broken, it can no longer function properly. He developed strange habits and a twisted way of facing the world. This is seen when he interacts with other people, he tends to invent relationships. Holden tends to "...rather than seek complicated judgment for various people, Holden makes hasty categorical judgments about them" (Enotes). For example, when talking about Ackley, the boy who lives in a dormitory near his home at the school he attends at the beginning of the novel, he first describes him as a disgusting boy who annoys him greatly. . “He started talking in this very monotone voice and scratching his pimples” (Salinger 37). Yet after several more instances where he interacts with Ackley, he begins to see him in a more positive light, speaking of him fondly. “'You're a prince, kid Ackley...'” (Salinger 47). Holden often believes that Ackley canread his mind and understand the strange things he does, but Ackley's responses prove otherwise. The same goes for his relationship with Jane, a girl who lived near him during the summer. He presents her as a sweet, sad girl, imagining that she felt for him the same way he felt for her, refusing to believe that she had changed since the last time he saw her. When he learns that she is on a date with her pompous roommate Stradlater, he feels betrayed and confused, unable to understand that she would date someone who Holden believes would treat her badly and not make her happy. When discussing her with Stradlater, Holden initially seems indifferent about her, but as he continues talking, he reveals the true feelings he has for her. The only problem is that Jane has no idea how Holden feels about her, even though he pretends that he does. The fact that someone else is dating Jane shatters the illusion he had of their love story. He fights Stradlater when he returns from the date, angry that Stradlater even went out with her when in Holden's head, Holden clearly didn't want him to. “If you had known Stradlater, you would have been worried too” (Salinger 40). Although Holden never speaks directly to Jane throughout the novel, he feels strangely protective of her, almost maniacally believing that she is his and his alone. This proves the fact that Holden, damaged by his brother's death long ago, is incapable of functioning properly. Holden also reveals how damaged he is by becoming almost manic when he obsesses over a person or object that has affected him in some way. . These obsessions are usually about something small, seemingly unimportant, and serve no purpose other than to convey how unstable Holden is and show his almost childish behavior, a holdover from Allie's death. While in a taxi in New York in winter, Holden asks the taxi driver where the ducks go when the pond freezes. The driver is irritated by this and doesn't really answer him, but Holden can't leave the question until he gets an answer. In this scenario, the duck's disappearance symbolizes Allie's death. He desperately wants to know where Allie went, refusing to believe he's gone forever. This proves that Holden is so close to descending into complete madness, hanging on by only a few threads. Another of his little obsessions is Jane. He brings up random, detailed memories of her throughout the novel, such as her appearance or the way she played checkers. She always seems to be in the back of his mind. Unlike the ducks, Holden is never able to completely distance himself from Jane; she had a huge impact on him. She was the only person he showed Allie's baseball glove to, proving that she held an important place in his heart. The glove is precious to Holden because Allie had written poems all over it while playing baseball on the field. The most important thing about Jane is that she made Holden happy. “You were never even worried, with Jane…[all] you knew was that you were happy” (Salinger 79). This is one of, if not the only, instances where Holden describes himself as happy. He recounts his memories with Jane fondly, describing her down-to-earth and gentle personality, saying that he never worried when he was with her. As depressed as Holden is, it's no wonder someone who made him happy means so much to him. Unfortunately, the only way he can deal with his feelings for Jane is to obsess over her, refusing to forget the moments they shared, no matter how long ago they happened. Jane is not.