When Holden is 13, Allie dies of leukemia, which deeply affects Holden and contributes to his cynicism.
Holden's favorite poem is a very short one Allie often recites:
"If a body catch a body
Coming through the rye;
Or if a body meet a body
Quick and passing by—
It makes the evening sun go low
Into his wintering snow;
And the heart in hiding stir
For something better there.
The line "If a body catch a body / Coming through the rye" alludes to a childlike innocence that Holden longs for but feels he has lost. The poem also expresses the idea that moments of connection between people can have a profound impact on their hearts and souls, even if those moments are fleeting. Holden carries the memory of this poem and his brother with him as he navigates the complex and often harsh realities of adolescence and adulthood.