Free Catcher in the Rye Essays: Role of Allie :: Catcher Rye Essays

The Role of Allie in Catcher in the Rye Some authors create characters that appear briefly or not at all, but are a significant presence. Even though he was dead, Allie affected the action, theme and development of Holden. The death of Holdens younger brother Allie played an of the essence(p) role in Holdens actions. Holden could not deal with his death and showed it by causing physical harm to himself. He did this to escape the pain he was feeling inside. Holden state that Allie was terrifically intelligent and the nicest person. Because Allie died so young, Holden felt that his innocence was taken away from him. This led to many of Holdens actions. Such as, Holden acted out and pretended to be people so that you could deal with the pain he felt inside. It caused Holden to condone something that he was strongly opposed to as a mere escape from the present. This is a direct force of the strife Allies death left on Holden. The theme of Catcher in the Rye was greatly influenced b y Allie. Because of his early death, Holden felt his innocence had been stolen. In reaction to this Holden felt it was his responsibility to protect the innocence of all children. As a result he developed a job that he would the likes of to have-- a catcher in the rye. He would stand at the edge of a cliff and catch the kids who were about to fall off. This meant that if someone was about to turn a loss their innocence, Holden would save them. If it werent for Allie, Holden would not feel obligated to act as a proctector of innocence. Throughout the novel, Holden repeatedly asked Allie not to let him disappear. Holden felt like he was becoming invisible to the work around him. He had great respect for Allie and knew that if anyone could save him, Allie could. During one incident, Holden calls for Allie. This marks his breakdown. It is then, because of Allie, that he realizes that it is inevitable that he will start up. Holden is put in a psychiatric hospital.