Humans are social creatures who form connections with others and thrive as camaraderie increases; however, relationships are often prone to failure. Holden Caulfield, the main character in JD Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye, experiences a great deal of frustration due to his inability and refusal to form lasting social bonds. Most of the people he meets become “impostors” in his mind. Holden actually only has any real connections with his childhood neighbor Jane and his siblings DB, Phoebe and Allie. With the exception of Phoebe, Holden's relationships with Jane, his older brother DB, and his younger brother Allie, who died at a young age from leukemia, are all hampered in one way or another by distance. DB no longer lives with Holden and his family, so they rarely see each other, especially since DB has become a successful screenwriter in Hollywood. Holden's relationship with Jane is simply made up of childhood memories that Holden clings to. And although Holden still spiritually cherishes his relationship with Allie, who tragically passed away, Allie's absence poses a glaring relationship obstacle.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay on Holden's relationships with minor characters in the novel that he is particularly close to to show that even the strongest relationships can suffer if companions are estranged from each other. other. Holden's relationship with his older brother DB is an example of how distance can harm the strongest relationships. Holden remembers that when he was younger, DB took him and Phoebe to see the movie Hamlet together, seeming like a nice older brother, as Holden mentions that DB "first invited them to lunch, then took them . . He had seen it before” (Salinger 117). This quote shows that DB truly cares about Holden and spends time with him, even if his own pleasure is compromised. Even though DB seems like a caring older brother, it's obvious that distance has taken a toll on his relationship with Holden. DB hasn't lived with the rest of his family since becoming a Hollywood writer, and it's obvious that Holden doesn't fully approve of this new distance from his older brother. At the very beginning of the novel, Holden says, “He's got a lot of money now. He wasn't used to it. Before, he was just a regular writer, when he was at home. […]Now he is in Hollywood, DB, where he is a prostitute” (Salinger 1-2). Holden resents the fact that DB now lives so far from home in Hollywood and expresses his feeling by sarcastically calling him a "prostitute". Being so distant changes Holden and DB's strong, caring brotherhood into a rather out-of-reach relationship, since Holden clearly doesn't like DB's career choice and DB can only visit him once a week. Holden talks less about DB at the beginning of the novel after his brother DB moves to Hollywood, especially in comparison to his flashback when DB accompanies him to the movies before moving. Distance can certainly be a reason for this lack of tenderness. Since DB is further away, Holden's connection with him undeniably suffers. Distance also proves to hinder strong relationships in the case of Holden and Jane throughout The Catcher in the Rye. Jane never appears in the novel as anything other than an aspect of Holden's memories, showing that not being able to see each other has broken their close bond. The distance between the two proves to be the ultimate obstacle to the relationship they once had. Holden simply clings to memories of the past in fear that they will be altered in some way oranother or that he somehow loses all the happy moments of their childhood together. When Holden's roommate from Pencey, Stradlater, dates Jane, Holden shows that his relationship with Jane was once strong by constantly asking him questions about her and mentioning obscure details about her life, details of which most people usually wouldn't pay attention. He says: “She’s a dancer […] ballet and everything. She trained for about two hours a day, in the middle of the hottest temperatures. She was afraid it would make her legs ugly […] I played checkers with her all the time” (Salinger 31). This quote shows how close Holden and Jane were because he knows a lot about her, down to unusual anxiety about her legs. After Holden leaves Pencey, he tries to call Jane from a payphone but "her phone didn't answer, so [he] had to hang up" (Salinger 136). This quote further proves that Holden and Jane were once close but the distance and inability to see each other has ruined their relationship since they always remain disconnected. Holden's rather distant relationship with Jane shows that even the strongest relationships are susceptible to damage due to distance. Holden's final close relationship with a minor character that goes awry due to distance is his relationship with his younger brother Allie. Allie died tragically at the age of eleven from leukemia, and her death left Holden's entire family in grief, especially Holden himself. Holden still holds his brother dearly in his heart and thinks of him very often, but unfortunately Allie is in a completely unidentifiable place. Although spiritually they are still close, the fact that Allie is no longer physically with Holden proves very difficult for Holden to bear. Holden illustrates his closeness to Allie when he describes him after writing a composition on his younger brother's baseball glove, saying, "You would have loved it" (Salinger 38). When Phoebe questions Holden, asking him what he likes, Holden responds, "'I like Allie'" (Salinger 171). Phoebe then says that Allie is dead and Holden seems quite offended. Holden then said, “'I know he's dead! You don't think I know that? But I can still love him, right? Just because someone is dead doesn’t mean you stop loving them, for God’s sake” (Salinger 171). This quote shows how Holden still feels close to Allie because Allie is one of the only things in his life that he truly loves, but Holden's relationship with his younger brother will never be the same because Allie is no longer with him. The physical distance puts a strain on their relationship as Holden continues to love and think about his brother, but never receives love in return because Allie is only present in spirit. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper now from our expert writers. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden's estrangement from the minor characters he was once close to proves to be a major detriment to his ability to form relationships. He is no longer in touch with his childhood friend Jane, his older brother DB has decided to move away to pursue bigger and better things in Hollywood, and his younger brother Allie is with him spiritually but is in a physical place completely different. This distance shatters Holden's most secure relationships. Distance can conflict with any close relationship, no matter the situation. Humans have the potential to drift away, either due to environmental factors they cannot control, or simply because they are moving on and (2016)..