Holden Caulfield, the main character in J.D. Salinger?s The Catcher in the Rye, is very complex, mentally and emotionally. The readers of the novel would not be able to understand Holden as much as they do, if it was not for Holden?s deceased younger brother Allie. Although Allie is never actually met in the novel, Holden?s discussions about him and his ?conversations? with him help us understand Holden better. It may seem strange that a dead character would shed so much light on a living one, but Holden had a strong bond with Allie, one that he refuses to give up. Our first introduction to Allie is early in the book when Holden is writing a paper for his roommate Stradlater. Holden writes about his brother?s baseball mitt, a very personal object that sheds light on how much Holden loved Allie. Writing this composition provokes him to say, ?It wasn?t just that he was the most intelligent member of the family. He was also the nicest, in a lot of ways.? It becomes very clear right away that Holden loved and respected Allie, and was very sad that he was gone. As previously stated, Holden had a bond with Allie that he refuses to give up. The night after he died, Holden punched out all of the windows in the garage and even broke his hand. The signs don?t stop there, though. After Holden ordered a prostitute in New York and decided he didn?t want her services, he was feeling rather depressed. He said, ?I felt so depressed you can?t imagine. What I did, I started talking, sort of out loud, to Allie. I do that sometimes when I get very depressed.? This is the first major indication that Holden has rather severe emotional problems. Holden inability to give up his relationship with his brother is very interesting. One of the main reasons that Holden liked Allie so much was because of his innocence and his purity. Since Allie died at a young age, he died with innocence and he will be forever innocent. Holden never wanted Allie to change. We k...
