Authors often use death to show a revelation in another person's life. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, Holden Caulfield is transformed by the death of his brother. After the death of Holden Caulfield's brother Allie, Holden's education, personality, and sociological position deteriorate. After Allie's death, Holden drops out of school. Holden doesn't apply himself to his academics, even after receiving warnings about his academic performance: They kicked me out. I wasn't supposed to come back after Christmas break, because I was failing four subjects and wasn't applying myself. They often advised me to start applying myself - especially around midterms, when my parents were coming to a conference with old Thurmer - but I didn't. (4) Holden's callous personality and debauched attitude make it difficult for Holden to make friends. Holden refuses to try to make friends and instead calls everyone fake. Holden states that his poor grades and lack of social life are due to the shams at his school: You should go to an all-boys school someday. Try it someday, it's full of knockoffs, and all you do is study to learn enough to be smart enough to be able to buy a damn Cadillac someday, and you have to keep pretending that you Don't care if the football team loses, and all you do is talk about girls and drinking and sex all day, and everyone sticks together in these little fucking cliques. (131) Holden's obstructed view of the world makes it difficult for him to be happy. After Allie's death, Holden thinks that everyone is fake and that no one can be as innocent as Allie. In Holden's mind, Allie was perfection through and through: But it wasn't just that he was the most...... middle of paper...... where to hallucinate and become a little crazy. While walking along Fifth Avenue in New York, Holden begins to experience delusions. These delusions are the main sign of the decline in Holden's sociological status. After Allie's death, Holden changes his personality, his social life, his educational level and his sociological status. Holden becomes introverted and angry at the world, accusing everyone of being fake. The Catcher in the Rye, through the life and actions of Holden Caulfield, truly depicts the role the death of a loved one can play in a person's life. Works Cited Bryan, James. The psychological structure of The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Modern Language Association, 1974. Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1951. Vanderbilt, Kermit. “Salem Press: The Catcher in the Rye.” July 1963. Salem Press. April 2 2014.