Holden mentions how Mercutio was his favorite character in the play (same here). He was "much sorrier" when Mercutio died then when Romeo and Juliet did (Salinger 124). The reasons stated are he was "very smart and entertaining," and it was "especially" horrible because his death was "somebody else's fault"(Salinger 124). Pulling my inner-Freud, I say Holden's sadness over Mercutio's death goes further than just his endearment for the character.
The way Holden describes Mercutio here is very reminiscent of the way he describes his late brother Allie. One of the first things Holden establishes about Allie was that he was a smart kid. Not just regular smart, but "the most intelligent member in the family" smart (Salinger 43). And from Holden's descriptions of how he'd laugh at things "so hard" he almost "fell off his chair," its pretty clear Holden thought he was fun too (Salinger 44). Brains and entertainment are Holden's two stated reasons for liking Mercutio. Then, of course, there's Allie's untimely death. It didn't come from a knife, and it wasn't anybody's fault, but it was still early and undeserved; Allie and Mercutio are both killed by factors out of their control. Knowing Holden's complete adoration for Allie, it's no surprise the character he favors and grieves for most in Romeo and Juliet is the one whose life mirrors his late brother's.
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