Burne Holiday Character Analysis

Burne Holiday is a close friend of Amory’s at Princeton and the younger brother of Kerry Holiday. While Amory is initially closer with Kerry, Amory and Burne develop an intimate friendship during their senior year. Burne is intelligent, quiet, and eccentric, and he doesn’t care about traditional markers of status at Princeton or about becoming part of the social scene, Many of his classmates consider him strange or even pretentious, but in fact he is simply contemplative. Burne also has a leadership role on the Daily Princetonian. In his senior year, Burne convinces much of the student body to resign from their clubs in an attempt to reform and equalize the Princeton social system. Amory has a deep admiration for Burne because of his intelligence, principles, and “earnestness,” and they develop a deep friendship when Amory feels dissatisfied with and alienated from the Princeton social scene. Amory also admires Burne’s sense of humor. Burne is the only person whom Amory believes is his intellectual equal. Amory also introduces Burne to Monsignor Darcy, indicating the strength of their friendship. When the war starts, Burne, a self-declared pacificist and socialist, refuses to fight. He leaves campus to return home when all his friends and classmates are enlisting in the army and is never heard from again. Amory often wonders what became of him and misses his company.