Who is Allie, and why is his baseball mitt special to Holden?

• A. Allie wrote poems on the mitt.
• B. Allie was a famous baseball star.
• C. Allie kept the mitt as a family heirloom.
• D. Allie used the mitt to mentor Holden.

Answer: (A)

Objects can carry memory and emotion, especially when linked to someone you’ve lost. Allie, Holden’s younger brother who dies early in the story, used his baseball mitt as a canvas, writing poems in green ink on it so he could read them while playing catcher. That mitt becomes special to Holden because it preserves Allie’s voice and spirit, turning a ordinary glove into a personal symbol of connection and innocence that Holden clings to when the world feels confusing. The other options don’t fit: Allie wasn’t a famous baseball star, the mitt isn’t described as a family heirloom, and it wasn’t used for mentoring Holden. The key point is that Allie wrote poems on the mitt.