ipl-logo

Catcher In The Rye Holden's Depression

399 Words2 Pages

Next, Salinger unfolds how Holden allows his depression to impact his actions in The Catcher in the Rye. For example, Holden’s depression influences him to not call Jane. Multiple times in the story Holden thinks about calling Jane, but changes his mind at the last second. After Holden has a date with his old friend Sally Hayes that goes horribly wrong he meets up with his friend Carl Luce for a few drinks. After Carl leaves Holden stays until he becomes drunk and decides to give old Jane a buzz, but he states, “ But when I got inside this phone booth, I wasn’t/much in the mood anymore” (Salinger 150). Holden claims that he has to be in the right mood to call Jane, but he is never in the right mood to call Jane because of his depression. …show more content…

After Holden fails to get a drink at the nightclub he decides to go to a bar named Ernie’s where he knows underaged drinking isn’t frowned upon. While Holden is drinking he runs into one of D.B.’s ex-girlfriends and she invites him to come sit with her and her

Show More
Related

  • Holden Caulfield Alienation Quotes

    754 Words  | 4 Pages

    His interactions with people continue when he is in New York because he runs into some old friends and calls them up. He called Sally up his ex-girlfriend to go on a date, he plans something she would like after he claims he does not care about her. While on their date Holden brings up how he wants to run away with Sally without really thinking his idea through. He only really was hanging out with her for a couple hours, this was the first time they hung out in months and he expected sally to jump up and say yes (she did not). Holden and Sally get into an argument about his “plan” to run away together instead of talking it through and being more mature about the situation.

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Depression In Catcher In The Rye

    338 Words  | 2 Pages

    Holden represents the theme depression throughout the novel. Depression is a serious condition in which a person feels sad, hopeless, and unimportant. One main reason he experiences depression is because he withdraws himself from society, struggling with the death of his brother, and a lack of motivation in life. Holden's personality is very pessimistic which shows that he tends to look at the negativity instead of the bright side of life. Another reason Holden is depressed is because of his habit of drinking and smoking.

    Read More

  • What Are Holden's Struggles In Catcher In The Rye

    858 Words  | 4 Pages

    The idea of having a character that struggles to find themselves is quite a common idea in many books. This is seen in the Catcher in the Rye where JD Salinger puts Holden the main character through different struggles throughout the book to finally realise what his purpose is and what he aims to be. There are many different situations that Holden is put through but they all aim to the same purpose, being a catcher in the rye. Two of the main struggles are his journey into adulthood and to retain his innocence. The second is how he is almost alienating himself from others and very rarely opens up to anybody, and his relationships with people are not great because he thinks of many of the people he meets are phony.

    Read More

  • Catcher In The Rye Grief Analysis

    656 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Holden’s mind becoming “the catcher in the rye “means that he can still catch Allie from falling off the cliff. This is relevant to Holden’s depression because everything around him is telling him to grow up but instead he runs away from it in fear that is will pull him farther apart from his relationship with his brother Allie. Holden is on the edge of becoming an adult which creates more pressure and leads him to

    Read More

  • Examples Of Holden Being Depressed In Catcher In The Rye

    728 Words  | 3 Pages

    Boy gone crazy or depressed? Holden is in a deep depression but, does he stay depressed or go crazy? After Holden’s brother (Allie) dies he gets very depressed. Holden wasn 't even able to attend the funeral.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Mental Illness In Catcher In The Rye

    783 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to Dr. Harold, depression occurs when a person’s brain has trouble managing stress such as divorce, loss of a valued friendship, or death of a loved one. Holdens overwhelming emotion caused him to overreact violently without knowing or feeling

    Read More

  • Catcher In The Rye Holden's Struggles Essay

    830 Words  | 4 Pages

    Holden’s Struggle To Find Himself: Throughout the novel, The Catcher In The Rye, by J.D. Salinger, Holden struggles to find himself and who he truly is in order to be happy. His struggles relate to many things that he does or say in particular. Holden lacks with a social status with women and his family, whether it’s a relationship or being antisocial. Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield experiences the complexities and struggles involved with both physical and emotional relationships.

    Read More

  • Teenage Depression In Catcher In The Rye

    999 Words  | 4 Pages

    He states, "The trouble was, I just didn't want to do it. I felt more depressed than sexy, if want to know the truth" (pg 96). This one example of when he lost interest in pleasure or normal activities. Holden also shows a change in eating behavior. He states that himself; saying "I had quite a large breakfast, for me-orange juice, bacon and eggs, toast and coffee.

    Read More

  • Holden's Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye

    1230 Words  | 5 Pages

    A. Allie’s death causes Holden to become obsessed with death and this obsession makes him believe that growing up and becoming a “phonie” is like dying; this belief that is planted inside Holden’s head when Allie died is what sends him on a quest to preserve children’s innocence and save them from the “death” of growing up. B. Salinger includes the traumatic story of Allies death that happened years in advance to provide an explanation for Holden’s obsession with death and how he sees loss of innocence as equivalent to dying. Allie died with his innocence still intact, so Holden does not want other children to grow up and have their innocence “die”. C. Holden even admits to being mentally unstable after his brother’s traumatic death when he says, “I was only 13, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all

    Read More

  • Holden Caulfield Quotes

    702 Words  | 3 Pages

    Holden think about whether Jane and her "lousy adolescence" fills in as some kind of association amongst her and Holden. Given the circumstances, he later uncovers that he, as well, has had some "pervert" stuff transpire "around twenty circumstances since he was a child." On pages 87-88 Jane and Holden start to have dialogue and he begging’s to like her even more so does she. This allows Holden to have extreme confidence and maturity into making him a better person.

    Read More

  • How Does Holden Connect With Others

    734 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D Salinger, Holden Caulfield shows great difficulty making long and meaningful connections with other people. Holden believes he is the normal one but it is actually the other way around. He holds on to a deep emotional road block of the death of his innocent brother Allie. Holden keeps this dragging around with him which causes him to veer from connecting and having a long term relationship with others.

    Read More

  • What Are The Causes Of Holden's Mental Breakdown

    2021 Words  | 9 Pages

    The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger in 1951, is the story of an angst-ridden sixteen year old Holden Caulfield as he learns to deal with growing up. The story follows Holden through his three day experience through New York as he learns about the truth about innocence, sex, and mortality, making The Catcher in the Rye one of America’s most notable coming-of-age stories. One of the largest influences on Holden’s life was his younger brother Allie who died from leukemia at age eleven when Holden was thirteen. The death of Holden’s brother had a profound effect on Holden emotional state, which eventually caused his complete mental breakdown by the end of the novel.

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Isolation In Catcher In The Rye

    1615 Words  | 7 Pages

    In the novel The Catcher In The Rye written by J. D. Salinger shows that Holden goes through his journey and is depressed because of his isolation from

    Read More

  • Holden Caulfield's Mental Illness In The Catcher In The Rye

    366 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sickness comes in many forms, but perhaps the most misunderstood form happens mentally. All of the events that happen to the main character in The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, are caused in some way or another by his mental illness. Holden Caulfield is a boy who drops out of school and travels to New York City. Holden makes irresponsible decisions like when he travels to New York City by himself without permission which affects him mentally. Holden’s mental illnesses affects his decision making,specifically his decision to stay in school and his inability to connect with people.

    Read More

  • Psychoanalytic Reading Of The Catcher In The Rye

    1308 Words  | 6 Pages

    Tragic events can affect your mindset in irreversible ways, causing self-destructive behavior, low self-esteem, and devious actions. Jerome David Salinger in his novel, The Catcher in the Rye, he develops the character of Holden Caulfield, an adolescent boy who is living a tragedy, causing suffering and deep pain within him. According to Mary Klages from the University of Colorado, she incorporates Warren Hedges and Freud through a psychoanalytic lens and they come to a conclusion that psychoanalytical approaches reveal how and why people behave as they do, which helps clarify Holden Caulfield’s actions in the novel. Holden is presented as a troubled adolescent, facing discontent of his childhood in which he desires not to describe much in

    Read More

More about Catcher In The Rye Holden's Depression

Open Document