Connecting to Holden

I believe the key concept from the book The Catcher in the Rye is having to deal with someone close to you passing away. It is hard no matter what age you are to deal with the loss of something or somone close to you. When you lose that special someone you lose a life line, you lose that person you can go to when you are in need of help. Holden lost his brother at a young age and has to go through life without someone there. Holden doesn't have to worry about setting an example for his little brother because of his death. There is no one there for Holden to see how he is living his life to reflect on and maybe change it. I can connect to this because I lost both of my grandfathers and grandmothers before age 12. I was alive to know all of them. Each passed away at different times, and each of different causes. My family took all the losses really hard. I have tried to keep the family (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) together. If I could keep the family together then I would still have people there to help guide me through life.

During times when we get to write in journals in class I often find myself talking about my grandparents. Much like how Holden kept his brother's baseball glove, I too kept items that belonged to my grandparents to have something to remember them by. I understand how much a loss of someone close to you really hurts. So I can understand Holdens pain and how he is going through life.