What thought about death shows Holden's fear of being forgotten?

• A. Wonders who would care if he died.
• B. Plans to vanish without notice.
• C. Thinks about becoming famous after death.
• D. Feels relief at the thought of death.

Answer: (A)

Holden’s fear of being forgotten shows up when he wonders who would care if he died. That line gets at a deep anxiety: the sense that his life might not leave any mark on anyone, that he would fade away without anyone noticing. He wants to matter to someone, to be remembered or cared for after he’s gone, which explains why this thought about death feels so unsettling for him.

The other ideas don’t tap into that fear in the same way. Vanishing without notice would be about disappearing now, not about whether anyone would care after he’s gone. Wishing to be famous after death shifts the motivation toward posthumous recognition rather than the immediacy of being remembered by people who know him. Feeling relief at death would imply acceptance, not the dread of being erased from memory.