Holden Caulfield

...when I leave a place I like to know I'm leaving it. If you don't, you feel even worse (4).
Holden Caulfield's brother, Allie, is dead. Even though he tells us this when he is leaving Pencey, it is obvious that this thought is directed at his deceased brother. At the time of Allie's funeral, Holden was not present, and never saw Allie's physical corpse being buried; as a result, he cannot grasp the reality that Allie is truly gone from this world. Since he is unable to accept his death, he has never properly said goodbye to Allie, and this in turn has made his denial of the death even stronger. This statement, made at the beginning of the story, symbolizes as well as foreshadows exactly how torn Holden is inside, and how he desperately wishes to find a release from his pain and suffering.

The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move (121).
Holden is too wary of the world and its constant changes in his everyday life; therefore, he cannot help but see the allure in such places like the museum where nothing changes over time, and things remain constant. The abrupt of Allie in Holden's life have unbalanced him, and he hopelessly attempts to regain a sense of proportion back into his life. Without Allie, Holden cannot help but feel the injustice of the world too cuttingly, for he has lost a dear brother, who was nothing but innocent and naive, while the rest of the corrupted world lives on, without any regret or remorse. In this retrospect, it is understandable that Holden wishes for a world that does not ever change over time, because he is terrified that as more time passes by, more and more of his innocence will be lost. In his eyes, the loss of innocence is the ultimate fear and the greatest betrayal to his brother Allie, because to him, Allie represents everything that is innocent. Holden's comment about the museum is a symbolic statement that reflects his deep desire to hold onto the reality that is quickly falling apart before he can adjust.

Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody (214).
Holden Caulfield is a boy who is traumatized after his younger brother Allie's death. Holden cannot comprehend why life is unfair and would cause the death of his innocent brother while letting evil and phony people reside in the world. Unable to overcome his trauma, Holden lashes out against the world and slowly starts to mentally break down. He deliberately ostracizes himself from his family, because he feels that they have moved on in life, completely forgetting about their son (and his brother) Allie. He also withdraws from peers because he feels that people his age do not understand something as crippling as death. However, as he journeys through New York and interacts with the world, his outlook on the world slowly starts to change; he realizes that people are always struggling within to improve themselves. Holden no longer feels alone, because everyone is also fighting to understand why the world is such a cruel place. The above quote represents Holden's recovery, because now he no longer ostracizes himself and holds back his feelings Holden now lets himself feel nostalgic about things and misses socializing with people.

Conrad Jarret
When I let myself feel, I feel lousy -Conrad Jarret, Ordinary People
Conrad is a teenage boy who recently returns home from a four-month stay at a mental institute, on account of attempted suicide after the accidental death of his elder brother, Buck. Conrad unconsciously blames himself for his brother's death and struggles to overcome his survivor's guilt. One way that he does this is to shut off his emotions and pretends that he does not care about anything in the world. Despite his best attempts, Conrad is unsuccessful; he still feels a wide range of emotions, from the raw grief that threatens to consume him to the typical teenage feelings of affection for the opposite gender. His above confession to his psychiatrist reveals that no matter how hard he tries, his conscience does not allow him to be apathetic, and his guilt and shame for surviving while his brother did not constantly consumes him.

You can't break anything in a bowling alley. And that's why I like it Conrad Jarret, Ordinary People
When Conrad tells his date Jeanine this as they are on their date, it is a window into his true mindset. Just like in Catcher In The Rye, Conrad does not want the world around him to change either. Conrad feels his life slipping away from him, and even admits it when he tells his psychiatrist that he wishes he had more control, so that he would be able to dictate his life properly. With the death of his brother Buck, Conrad feels more than just a loss of a loved one he feels a loss of control and choices in his life. Now, Conrad can no longer seem to do what he really wants in his life, and must always make his choices knowing that they are a reflection of his elder brother Buck. Therefore, Buck cannot help but want the world to stay the way it was before, where it was clear and coherent and nothing was wrong. Now, Buck's death has turned Conrad's life upside down and he desperately wishes that he could restore the broken fragments of his life to what they once were.

I feel bad about it just let me feel bad about it! - Conrad Jarret, Ordinary People
Conrad suffers from survivor's guilt because he survived the boating accident that claimed his brother's life. No matter what his father or Dr. Berger tries to tell him, he cannot comprehend the fact that his brother's death was not his fault. Though everyone attempts to relieve Conrad of his guilt, their efforts in fact just make him feel even more guilty and in a tantrum, he yells to the room that he just wants to be left alone with his overbearing guilt. At this stage, Conrad's guilt cannot be assuaged by anything, and he sincerely believes that he should be condemned to a life of constant shame for simply surviving. As he is expected to incorporate himself back into society, he cannot help but feel that by moving on and living his life normally is a terrible betrayal of his brother Buck. This spurs him to change his life even more radically even though he wishes to have control over it, by quitting the school swim team, and even ostracizing himself from his fellow classmates, just like Holden Caulfield in Catcher In The Rye.