Dear Holden…  

❖ “I didn’t answer him. All I did was, I got up and went over and looked out the 

window. I felt so lonesome all of a sudden. I almost wished I was dead” (Salinger 

48).  

Dear Holden: Suicidal thoughts are a common symptom of grief. Some are temporary, but some can last and are

characteristic of depression. There are many people in your life to live for, and who can help you with these

thoughts. For example, as you mention many times Phoebe is a great listener and can relate to some parts of

your grief, so she might be able to listen and provide an outlet. Other potential outlets for your grief can include

writing or letter writing like you might do in English class, which I know you enjoy.

❖ “And here I was getting the axe again. It made me feel pretty sad. She brought me 

the wrong kind of skates… Almost every time somebody gives me a present, it ends 

up making me sad” (Salinger 52).

Dear Holden: It’s okay to feel loss and to miss people, but you should enjoy the time you have with those

people and not feel saddened by those connections. Take joy in them! I know that you often like to be cynical,

but people are here to help you and you should treasure those connections. I know it can be daunting, but

reaching out to Jane could be a good way of holding onto and furthering connections with people you love.

❖ “... the more depressed I got, and I decided, while I was walking and all, to stop and 

have a drink somewhere” (Salinger 90).

Dear Holden: Though it is hard to cope, drinking is never the best option. One often drinks to forget, but instead

of numbing and forgetting the past it is okay to mourn but find healthier ways to deal with pain. I know drinking

must feel good, so finding other, more healthy, things that make you feel good are a much better option. Maybe

try going to the museum, going out with Phoebe, or going out to eat instead.

❖ “It was in a big envelope, but it broke… I damn near cried I felt so terrible” (Salinger 

154). 
Dear Holden: Your heart is in the right place in wanting to protect others, but though you have been robbed of

your childhood at a young age, it is important to let others grow up and learn from their mistakes. I know it

must be scary having been through such a terrible trauma, but as you will learn the fall is not that hard, and

there is a bright future along the way.

❖ “I have a feeling that you’re riding for some kind of terrible, terrible fall” (Salinger, 

186). 

Dear Holden: The fall you are riding towards is adulthood, and that can come with frightening responsibility but

also exciting freedom. So it is okay to let yourself fall and embrace change, rather than reject it. It seems that

change has mostly been negative in your life, but trust that the future always has the potential to be brighter.

Quotes (Good Coping)

❖ “She was the only one, outside my family, that I ever showed Allie’s baseball mitt 

to, with all the poems written on it” (Salinger 82). 

Dear Holden: It seems like reaching out to trusted people and sharing your emotions really helps you, so I

would encourage doing so more. People are often willing to help and to try to understand, like Jane did when

you were with her. I also think you can learn something from Allie, and how he coped by writing poems on his

baseball mitt. Choosing to do something similar could not only help with your health, but also to connect with

your brother.

❖ “I don’t know. Nothing special. I just thought perhaps you might care to chat for a 

while” (Salinger 95). 

❖ I’d enjoyed talking to them a lot, too. I meant it, too” (Salinger 112)​.

Dear Holden: Talking and visiting people are a good coping tactic. It seems like you already do this, but it may

be more beneficial to be with people you know. If that circle is limited, perhaps trying to see the positive things

in people rather than their phoniness can help you to make friends and begin to trust people more. Connections

are truly valuable in life, and being more open will help you sustain friendships rather than fearfully push

people away.
 ❖ “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go off the cliff - I mean 

if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from 

somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day” (Salinger 173).

Dear Holden: To try to help others is a noble cause. I could easily see you growing older and deciding to help

teach children and guide them as they grow up. I think your heart is in the right place, and you should use that

to help others, which may in turn help you to cope with the losses you experienced in your childhood.