Shoulders

~Alyssa Zamloot

What are the burdens Holden carries? What are his strengths and weaknesses?

Holden has an unbearable, unhealable wound, the death of his beloved brother, Allie, and the emotional pain it caused him and his family. Throughout the entire novel, he cannot come to peace and acceptance with this fact, contributing to his slow and sure spiral downward, which leads to his insanity at the end of the book. As Holden's mental issues get worse, he begins to talk to Allie like he is right next to him, saying as he crosses streets, "...I [made] believe that I was talking to my brother Allie. I'd say, 'Allie, don't let me disappear. Please, Allie.'" (Salinger, 198). Holden's strengths are usually seen when talking with younger kids of whom he can relate to. He also finds kids' actions to be so innocent, saying, "She was having a helluva time tightening her skate... I gave her a hand with it... She thanked me... She was a very nice, polite little kid. God, I love when a kid's nice and polite when you tighten their skate for them. Most kids are. They really are... That kills me." (Salinger, 119) Unfortunately, his weaknesses are his self-inflicted isolation and inability to cope with the past, making him vulnerable to depression in the novel.

On the night of Allie's death, Holden breaks all the windows in the garage. He still cannot make a fist with the affected hand to this day, literally and figuratively representing the pain he always feel from his unhealable wound.