Humans are social creatures who build connections with others and thrive as companionship increases; however, relationships are often prone to failure. Holden Caulfield, the main character of J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye, experiences much frustration in his inability and reluctance to form lasting social bonds. Most people he meets become “fake” in his mind. Holden really only has real bonds with his childhood neighbor Jane and his siblings DB, Phoebe, and Allie. With the exception of Phoebe, Holden's relationships with Jane, his older brother DB, and his younger brother Allie, who died at a young age from leukemia, are all somewhat hampered by distance. DB no longer lives with Holden and his family, so they rarely see each other, especially since DB has become a successful film writer in Hollywood. Holden's relationship with Jane is simply made up of childhood memories that Holden clings to. And although Holden still spiritually holds dear his relationship with Allie, who has tragically died, Allie's absence presents a clear obstacle to the relationship. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Holden's relationships with the novel's minor characters to whom he is particularly close to demonstrate that even the strongest relationships can suffer if companions are distant from each other. Holden's relationship with his older brother DB is an example of how distance can damage the strongest relationships. Holden recalls that when he was younger DB took him and Phoebe to see the movie Hamlet together, appearing like a kind older brother, since Holden mentions that DB "first[ed] [them] had lunch and then took [them] away. " . He had seen it before” (Salinger 117). This quote shows that DB truly cares about Holden and spending time with him, even if his enjoyment is jeopardized. Although DB appears to be a caring older brother, it is obvious that the distance has damaged the relationship between him and Holden. DB no longer lives with the rest of his family since he became a Hollywood writer, and it's obvious that Holden doesn't entirely approve of this new estrangement from his older brother. At the beginning of the novel, Holden says, “He's got a lot of money now. He didn't do it before. Once he was a normal writer, when he was at home[…]Now he's in Hollywood, DB, working as a prostitute” (Salinger 1-2). Holden resents the fact that the DB now lives so far from home in Hollywood, and makes his feeling evident by sarcastically calling him a "prostitute". Being so far away turns the strong, caring brotherhood between Holden and DB into a rather out-of-reach relationship, since Holden clearly doesn't like DB's career choice and DB can only visit him once a week. Holden speaks of DB less fondly at the beginning of the novel after his brother DB moves to Hollywood, especially compared to his flashback when DB accompanies him to the movies before moving. Distance can definitely be a reason for this lack of affection. Since DB is further away, Holden's bond with him is unmistakably affected. Distance also proves to hinder strong relationships in the case of Holden and Jane in The Catcher in the Rye. Jane never appears in the novel except as an aspect of Holden's memories, which shows that not being able to see each other has broken their strong bond. The distance between the two proves to be the final obstacle to the relationship they once had. Holden simply clings to memories of the past in fear that they will somehow be altered or that he will somehow lose all of themhappy moments of their childhood together. When Holden's roommate, Stradlater of Pencey, dates Jane, Holden shows that his relationship with Jane was once strong by constantly asking about her and mentioning dark things. Details about her life, details that most people he usually doesn't pay attention. He says: “She's a dancer[…]Ballet and everything. He practiced about two hours every day right in the middle of the warmer weather and everything. She was worried it would make her legs disgusting[…]I always played checkers with her” (Salinger 31). This quote shows how close Holden and Jane once were because he knows so much about her, right down to an unusual anxiety about her legs. After Holden leaves Pencey, he tries to call Jane from a pay phone but "her phone didn't answer so [he] had to hang up" (Salinger 136). This quote further proves that Holden and Jane were once close but that the distance and inability to see each other has ruined their relationship as they still remain out of contact. Holden's rather estranged relationship with Jane shows that even the strongest relationships are susceptible to damage due to distance. The last close relationship between Holden and a minor character that goes awry due to distance is his relationship with his younger brother Allie. Allie died tragically at the age of eleven after suffering from leukemia, and her death left Holden's entire family in grief, especially Holden himself. Holden still holds his brother in his heart and thinks about him very often, but unfortunately Allie finds herself in a completely unidentifiable situation. Although they are still close spiritually, the fact that Allie is no longer physically with Holden proves very difficult for Holden to bear. Holden exemplifies his closeness with Allie when he describes him having written a composition on his younger brother's baseball glove, saying, "You would have liked it" (Salinger 38). When Phoebe questions Holden, asking him what he likes, Holden says "'I like Allie'" (Salinger 171). Phoebe then says that Allie is dead and Holden seems quite offended. Holden then says, “'I know he's dead! You don't think he knows? I can still like it though, right? Just because someone's dead, you don't stop liking them, for God's sake'” (Salinger 171). This quote shows how close Holden still feels to Allie because Allie is one of the only things in his life that he truly likes, but Holden's relationship with his younger brother will never be the same because Allie is no longer with him. The physical distance puts a strain on their relationship because Holden continues to love and think of his brother, but never receives any love in return because Allie is only present in spirit. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden's distance from the minor characters he was once close with proves to be a major detriment to his ability to form relationships. He is no longer in touch with his childhood friend Jane, his older brother DB has decided to move away to pursue bigger and better things in Hollywood, and his younger brother Allie is with him spiritually but physically in a completely different place. This distance breaks Holden's most secure relationships. Distance can conflict for any close relationship, whatever the situation. Humans have the potential to drift apart due to environmental factors they cannot control or simply because they move on and meet new people. As evidenced by Holden's relationships with minor characters such as Jane, DB, and Allie, distance can pose a serious threat to close relationships. Works CitedBrown, E. J. (2015). (2016)..