Theme Of Death In Catcher In The Rye

Death is an inevitable event in the life of every organism. The death of a close one can have devastating effects on a person. Two novels, the Catcher in the Rye and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, illustrate the effects of death. The two main characters experienced lifestyle change, self-isolation, and depression. Although the two books are different, the aftereffects of death are similarly illustrated.

Firstly, Holden experienced lifestyle change. Holden not only stopped caring about his future but also constantly thought about his dead brother and ran away. During his conversation with Mr. Spencer, Holden was asked if he cared about his future. Holden replied, “Oh, I feel some concern for my future, all right. Sure. Sure,
Holden found many things to be depressing, felt lonely, and was not happy during the most of the novel. There were many little things that Holden felt depressed by, such as Mr. Spencer’s room. These little things, however, are nothing compared to Allie’s death. Holden kept associating Allie’s death with anger and sadness. Even when Holden was remembering the good times he had with Allie, he reverted back to a depressed state as he realized that Allie is no longer with him. Holden also felt very lonely throughout the novel. At Pencey, Holden barely bothered to fit in. Holden found everyone phony and stayed away from being a phony himself. However, as the novel progressed, Holden’s loneliness became more and more overpowering. In the Lavender Room, Holden started to talk to three girls as he felt lonesome. After the girls made fun of him, Holden requested for Sunny, a prostitute. Instead of having sex with Sunny, Holden only talked to her as he only wanted company. As time passed, Holden became so desperate that he started calling people he detested, like Carl Luce, to keep him company. Towards the end of the novel, Holden even started “talking” to Allie as he mentally broke down. Perhaps the most obvious sign of depression was Holden’s negative emotion throughout the novel. Holden never felt happy until the end, when he was “saved” by Phoebe. Until then, Holden was stuck in a cloud of loneliness, sadness, and anger. Before Allie’s death, Holden had several positive descriptions, including Allie’s baseball mitt and his class field trips to the museum. Holden associated Allie with such overpowering positivity that he said he “sort of liked writing about it [Allie’s baseball mitt].” (Salinger, 39). Holden never said he liked anything else in the novel. Allie’s death threw Holden into a deep depression that took Holden years to