Journal Entery

Date: September 25, 2007

Entery Number: 5

Page/Quote reflecting on: Pgs. 38-39

Even though Holden is a pretty strange kid, I really do feel sorry for him. When he was thirteen his younger brother Allie died from leukemia. He really loved his brother very much and admired him for his different qualities. On the night that he died, Holden went into a rage and smashed all the garage windows cutting up his hands and breaking them. His parents were going to have him psychoanalyzed, which would have been the best thing for him, but I guess they didn't follow through with it. Allie had a unique left handed fielder's mit. He wrote poems all over it so that when he was in the field and had nothing to do he would at least have something to read. Holden ended up writing Stradlater's paper on this but when old Stradlater read it, he found it quite stupid which really upset Holden so he ripped it to shreds. Holden had written this from his heart, his memories, and love of his brother and Stradlater couldn't accecpt it because it wasn't the way he had wanted it and because it was about a dumb baseball glove. Stradlater didn't know the story behind the glove but I'm sure he still wouldn't like it much. Holden really loved his brother and I think the reason why Holden is a strange kid is because of Allie's death. He hasn't gotten completely over it yet and having that psychoanalyzis would have been an exellent idea. I wonder why his parents didn't follow through with it?