Depression In Catcher In The Rye
J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in The Rye is fueled by Holden Caulfield, historically America’s most controversial fictional character. The skepticism, the belief in the purity of the soul against the tawdry actions of this boy inspires many teenage readers. But what is wrong with him? What makes him the rebel that he is? Some believe that Holden is just an angsty teenager, however he is a subject of depression.
Our main character shows signs of depression in daily life. In Forbes, Shannon Kolakowski, PsyD quotes “Depression symptoms come out through excessively drinking alcohol, seeking out an affair outside of the relationship, becoming aggressive, or withdrawing from those you love.” (Kolakowski) In the city, he drinks in bars, hires a prostitute, and becomes aggressive with the sweet Sally Hayes. The symptoms of depression run rampant in him. Back at Pencey, he even chokes out Stradlater before he is punched. In the Forbes article, Suzanne Roff-Wexler,
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In a Los Angeles Times article Melissa Healy quotes: “Some researchers believe the rise in childhood depression may, in part, reflect changed "environmental factors" in children's' lives -- not just industrial pollutants but changes in the social environments of their schools and families” (Healey) The death of a brother is a bitter change in a family, and in a social spectrum. Holden, coping with it by punching out windows and screaming is justified. His parents sending him to a psychiatrist due to his dealing with grief is not. Kenneth Doka suggests in a Huffington Post article: “at a time when adolescents most strongly base their own identity on their peers, a loss of a peer is likely to be a traumatic event.” Allie’s death is the spark to the full inferno that is Holden’s depression. Hosting a rough childhood, attached to his kid brother, and watching him die sends Holden over the edge into a contemptuous, derisive spiral that is his adolescent
Holden Caulfield Mental Illness
1502 Words | 7 PagesThis could be from a variety of different things including peer pressure, validation from others, and more. In the article, “Stress”, it talks about how trying to fit in can cause a lot of stress as it says, “Many teens feel a great amount of stress in dealing with their peers. Dating, fitting in, and handling conflicts with peers are among the most stressful situations that can confront teens” (Jenkins). This stress that teens go through can cause many personality disorders or depression depending on the extent. This is similar to Holden, as Holden tries to fit in the male society by negatively talking about women and objectifying them, which can cause stress for him as he seeks validation from others.
Grief And Death In Catcher In The Rye
581 Words | 3 PagesHolden writes the paper about his dead brother, Allie’s, baseball mitt. In the paper he shares that his brother lost a battle with leukemia and died. Holden’s grief causes him to break all the windows in the garage. Then he decides he wants to go to New York before he goes back home to his parents. Holden precedes to go on an adventure in New York.
Examples Of Grief In Catcher In The Rye
484 Words | 2 PagesHolden never stops thinking about his younger brother. This causes Holden to question the meaning of life and everything around him. It also brings about thoughts of suicide, feelings of loneliness, and thinks about his displeasure with the world. Holden states, “I felt so depressed, you can’t imagine” (Salinger 110). He experienced such a strong feeling of sadness, he realizes he doesn’t know what to do with himself anymore.
Holden's Personality In The Catcher In The Rye
559 Words | 3 PagesAccording to the Mayo Clinic, some of the symptoms for depression include, “Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters… feeling negative and worthless, anger, poor performance or poor attendance at school, feeling misunderstood and extremely sensitive, and avoidance of social interaction” (Mayo Clinic Staff). Holden fits a lot of these symptoms. He quickly got angry, dropped out of school, never really fit in with his peers and ultimately does not have many friends. This makes readers begin to sympathize with him because a lot of his negative traits could come from a mental
Catcher In The Rye Grief Analysis
656 Words | 3 PagesHolden has a very different way of showing his depression in the novel. His depression is present when he tries to keep his innocence and stray away from adult hood all while trying to keep his relationship with his brother Allie. Holden wants to be the “catcher in the rye “. He wants to be that person who catches those kids who are falling off the cliff into adulthood. Holden wants to protect those who are close to him and those that he loves.
Examples Of Holden Being Depressed In Catcher In The Rye
728 Words | 3 PagesBoy 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.
Depression And Love In The Catcher In The Rye
457 Words | 2 PagesThroughout the book, The Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, experiences feelings of depression, because he wants somebody, anyone who isn’t a phony, to love him. He tries to make friends by asking people he sees to come have a drink with him, but most of them refuse, because it’s either too late, in the case of Faith Cavendish, or they think he’s too young and easily persuaded, in the case of the blonde girl in the Lavender Room, at the hotel. From these examples, one can conclude that the two main themes in this novel are depression and love. Holden appears to be depressed from page one, since he is talking to a therapist. Ever since his brother, Allie, died in the summer of 1946, Holden has been a crumpled piece of
Theme Of Mental Illness In Catcher In The Rye
783 Words | 4 PagesAccording 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
Catcher In The Rye Mental Health Quotes
983 Words | 4 PagesTo expand upon, Holdens overarching fear of letting other people know the real him is rooted to his ideal that he is not desirable. Significantly, Holden subconsciously is aware of his sadness since he discusses the tumor in his brain, which the reader can connect to his toxic, bitter thoughts that filter through his mind daily. Therefore, every time Holden starts to uncontrollably lie to others, he is also deceiving himself as a way to try to convince himself that he is not as sad as his mind makes him believe. Above all, one of Holden’s origins of his depressive case is by reason of his compulsive
Holden Caulfield Ptsd
823 Words | 4 PagesThroughout the story we see Holden that suffers from a lot of illnesses like Post traumatic stress disorder, detachment, agitation, depression, denial, acceptance, sleep deprivation, and loneliness. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder characterized by failure to recover after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. I believe Holden was diagnosed with this disorder after the death of his younger brother Allie. Like any other human being losing a younger sibling is a life changing event especially the way Holden lost his brother. After Holden found out his brother died he was so angry that he punched the windows out of his old summer home and broke his hand.
Catcher In The Rye Depression Essay
649 Words | 3 PagesPeople start to believe that without the presence of their loved one “they don’t want to walk [the] earth” because there is no meaning to life without them(Solo). They feel as if they can no longer experience happiness without their loved one. Holden reaches this point because he feels as if there is no reason for him to live if he doesn’t have Allie to experience life with him. This causes him to start fantasizing about not only his death, but the death of many others when he states that “if there’s another war, [he’s] going to sit right the hell on top of [the atomic bomb]”(141). Holden is taking out his anger on himself as well of society which leads to the assumption that he blames others for the death of his brother.
Holden Caulfield Mental Illness
1704 Words | 7 PagesTo start, the death of Holden’s younger brother, Allie, has impacted Holden’s life to a certain extent. He passed away when he was eleven years old and when Holden was thirteen years old from Leukemia. Holden has not been the same ever since the death and can be shown by, “I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the windows in the garage. I don’t blame them. I really don’t.
The Theme Of Loneliness In Catcher In The Rye
579 Words | 3 PagesWhen Holden is by himself, he starts to get depressed. To illustrate, Holden says, “I sat in the chair for a while and smoked a couple of cigarettes. It was getting daylight outside. Boy, I felt miserable. I felt so depressed, you can’t imagine” (98).
Holden Caulfield's Mental Illness In The Catcher In The Rye
366 Words | 2 PagesAlong with Holden’s many health problems, he is also mentally unstable in that he makes very erratic and irresponsible decisions, particularly when it comes
Psychoanalytic Reading Of The Catcher In The Rye
1308 Words | 6 PagesTragic 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
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