Does Holden have guilty feelings about Allie? Are they abnormal or normal?

• A. He has guilty feelings; one time, Holden excluded him. This is normal because it is a very human feeling to have. It shows human nature It is especially worse because death makes it harder to reconcile.
• B. He has no guilty feelings; he forgot Allie.
• C. He feels anger, not guilt.
• D. He feels relieved.

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is how Holden responds to loss and whether that response is a normal human reaction or something abnormal. Holden’s feelings about Allie show guilt that stems from missing and mismanaging moments with someone he loves and admires. He recalls a time when he feels he excluded Allie, and that memory triggers a sense of guilt. This kind of guilt is a natural part of grief—the sense that, if only a thing had gone differently, things might have been better. The weight of Allie’s death makes it hard to settle those feelings; death closes off any chance to make amends, which can intensify the guilt rather than ease it.

So the best answer recognizes that Holden does feel guilty, and that this guilt is a normal, very human reaction to losing someone so important. He isn’t simply angry or relieved; his grief is filtered through a moral ache about a moment he perceives as wrong, which is exactly what makes this response feel human rather than abnormal.