Catcher in the Rye: Why do you think Holden cries as he packs his bags?

During the scene where Holden packs his bags to leave Pency Prep, it is said that Holden begins to cry while packing. Although there isn’t any definite reason to why Holden cries, one could make a few assumptions using the context clues and the clues given about his life through Holden’s constant narrations and opinions throughout the novel.

Holden is portrayed in the novel as a very critical character. Though he may share very critical opinions and make many criticisms, he never stated in the story that he hated his school, Pency Prep. He may have been saddened by the thoughts of leaving what he may have considered his home. Although he considers the people at Pency Prep to be phonies, they still could have meant a lot to Holden, considering Holden’s lack of acquaintances. From the context clues, one could tell that Ackley was the closest thing Holden had to a friend in Pency Prep. It is said that Holden invited him to go to the movies with him and after Holden goes through a period of stress, such as the fight he had with Stradlater, he goes to Ackley’s room and talks to him. The loneliness that Holden felt the day he left during his conversation with Ackley could have led to his decision to pack his bags and leave Pency, because in Holden’s mind, if anyone understood him at all, it would be Ackley, so if Ackley didn’t understand Holden, then nobody would. Because of this, Holden could have felt hopeless and isolated, thus thinking that leaving Pency Prep would be the best course of action. It could also be argued that all Holden wanted to do while he was at Pency Prep was to have people understand him, but he wasn’t able to achieve that goal, so he may have felt as if he had not achieved anything during the time he spent at Pency Prep and thus, regretted it.