Literary Analysis of The Catcher in the Rye (Essay Sample)

In J.D. Salinger’s famous novel, The Catcher in the Rye, narrator Holden Caulfield displays two scenes that mirror each other: visiting Allie’s grave in the rain and watching Phoebe on the carousel. Although Allie is dead and caused Holden’s depression and suicidal thoughts, his siblings still give him the will to survive. By displaying how his siblings affect him, Holden shows that his siblings give him the will to survive. 

To begin, in the middle of the novel, Holden’s reflection on a time that he and his family went to visit Allie’s grave showcases that he is overcome with emotion while being with his brother. When Holden is picturing himself dying of pneumonia in the park, he recalls a time where he and his family visit Allies grave. Holden recalls that, “It wasn’t too bad when the sun was out, but twice--twice--we were there when it started to rain. It was awful. It rained on his lousy tombstone, and it rained on the grass on his stomach. It rained all over the place..but I couldn’t stand it anyway,” (Salinger 172). The presence of rain in this scene symbolizes Holden's anger and frustration “pouring down” on him when he's with his brother. Of equal importance, the repetition of the word “twice” emphasizes that it does not rain often when Holden is visiting Allie. This indicates that Holden isn’t normally overcome by such strong, destructive emotions. With the rain pouring down on Holden as he visits Allie, it shows that he is contemplating death, but realizes that if he and Allie were gone (twice), Phoebe would have no one to turn to. He cares for his family and does not want to put them through another death. Allie ultimately keeps Holden alive because of this. By sticking around at the cemetery, despite the rain, Salinger shows that Allie gives Holden the will to survive.

To add, at the very end of the novel, while Holden is watching Phoebe go around the carousel, he is overcome with emotion because he witnesses his sister embrace her independence. When Holden brings Phoebe to the carousel, he stays in the rain, while other parents run for protection, and watches his sister go around. Holden narrates, “All the parents and mothers and everybody went over and stood right under the roof of the carousel, so they wouldn't get soaked to the skin or anything, but I stuck around on the bench for a while. I got pretty soaking wet…I felt so damn happy all of a sudden…” (Salinger 233). The presence of rain in this scene symbolizes Holden's acceptance “pouring down” on him when he's watching Phoebe on the carousel. In addition, the alliteration of the “s” sounds in the words “stood”, “so”, “soaked”, “skin”, “stuck”, and “sudden” helps convey a deeper understanding of what Holden is experiencing at the moment. Overall, Phoebe on the carousel brings Holden so much acceptance with the fact that she embraced her independence. Seeing her accomplish this on her own makes Holden feel so much joy and happiness. This reassurance ultimately makes Holden content with his decision to stay alive and witness his sister have these life accomplishments. By staying in the rain and experiencing these strong emotions while watching Phoebe, Holden is reminded that he needs to stay alive. Therefore, Phoebe ultimately gives Holden the will to survive.

While Allie is dead and caused Holden’s depression and suicidal thoughts, he still gives him the will to survive. In the novel, we learn that Allie’s death caused Holden to be destructive towards himself. Although Allie caused Holden to have suicidal thoughts, his death ultimately keeps Holden alive. His death makes Holden not want to commit suicide because he does not want to put his family through another death. Overall, Phoebe and Allie both give Holden the will to survive because of their effect on him. Allie keeps Holden alive by not wanting to be the second dead child, and Phoebe gives Holden a sense of acceptance with the fact that he decides to not commit suicide. Although his siblings do it in different ways, Allie and Phoebe both give Holden the will to survive.