In the novel The Catcher in The Rye by J.D Salinger the central character Holden Caulfield portrays some very concerning behavior. At only sixteen years old, Holden has experienced many adult like situations.After readers finish this book, it is clear to all that Holden suffers a form of Depression. Depression is defined as a condition of general emotional dejection and withdrawal;sadness greater and more prolonged than that warranted by any objective reason. Always being surrounded by phonies, loss of a sibling and extreme loneliness are factors that lead Holden Caulfield down the deep dark tunnel that is depression.
During a large part of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is alone. The extreme solitude may contribute to his depression.
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Almost everyone that Holden comes into contact with throughout the story is accused of being a phony. To Holden everyone is either a social climber, money focused, or reputation obsessed. An example of Holden making wrongful judgements is during his date with Sally. When she encounters an old friend he says "Then all of a sudden, she saw some jerk she knew on the other side of the lobby. Some guy in one of those very dark gray flannel suits and one of those checkered vests. Strictly Ivy League. Big deal."He continues to say "He was the kind of a phony that have to give themselves room when they answer somebody's question."( 17.14) This quote shows how Holden incorrectly uses this word to describe others he has little knowledge of. Many times we hear Holden say how lonely he is and how he has no one to talk to, however he rejects each person he meets. He rejects the social norms of adulthood and claims that all that participate are phonies. For Holden the use of the word phony is like a shield. In order to protect himself from being rejected once again he uses this word to reject a possible relationship before they are able to reject him. Although his feelings are not justified, Holden still believes that most people are phonies. He has no faith in human beings, and this a factor in his
Phony, in the dictionary, means either: not genuine; fraudulent, or a fraudulent person or thing, and can be used as an adjective or as a noun respectively. Holden uses the word phony to characterize insincere people and their language. As well, he uses the word as a defense mechanism in order to not get close and form relationships with other people, as he fears loneliness and craves companionship. He also struggles to be a “ladies man” or an academic success which drives him to label these types of people as phonies. This is clearly done so he can overcome his own faults and insecurities.
There are many causes for depression. Some causes are death or a loss of someone close to a person can cause serious grief or sadness. A band named Daughter wrote “Youth” which is a song about getting hurt by or losing someone or something that she had loved in her past. People she has loved often leave which hurts her because she loved them. In the book, Catcher in the Rye, Holden is in the same situation as the writer of the song and people he is often close with leave him.
Why would Holden call others phony when he is a phony himself? Holden’s repetitive use of the word phony throughout the novel begins to show his true colors. Some examples of him calling others phony is the headmaster, the actual school Pencey Prep, Ossenburger, Sally Hayes, Stradlater, also people he did not know. J.D. Salinger reveals Holden’s “phoniness” to the audience through his hypocritical use of the words fake and phony. Holden attends the school Pencey Prep, he says his headmaster as well as the school and everyone in it is a phony, he describes it as “one of the worst schools I ever went to.
In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, the character Holden frequently expresses how sad he is. The cause of his depression varies, starting from Allie’s death to phony classmates to restrictive administration, but all these events and people contribute in Holden feeling worthless. He does, however, have one goal which is to become the catcher in the rye. Although this isn’t an official job title, Holden hopes that he can become a safe haven for children in need of catching. This is a very vulnerable ambition for Holden, because not only is he depressed himself needing aid from others, but connecting a person’s entire purpose of happiness on another person can be very difficult.
In The Catcher in the Rye, it is observed that the novel is about grief. There are 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, depression, bargaining, and finally acceptance. The Catcher in the Rye shows how Holden goes through the grieving process. By the end of the novel it shows how Holden has reached closure or a way to let go.
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.
Throughout 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
J.D Salinger’s widely read novel, “The Catcher in the Rye” is an episodic novel that describes in great depth Holden Caulfields three day trip from Pencey Prep, California to New York. During his roam to New York, Holden undergoes many social problems that seem to affect the way Holden behaves and acts. One of the main social issues in the novel is his innocence as he is acclimated to being around adults. In addition, another societal problem Holden faces is sexual confusion as Holden claims he is a sex maniac although, he is still a virgin. Finally, Holden has difficulties with isolation as Holden lives distant from his family and constantly strives to find ways to feel belonged.
“Having anxiety and depression is like being scared and tired at the same time. It 's the fear of failure but no urge to be productive. It 's wanting friends but not socializing. It 's wanting to be alone but not wanting to be lonely. It 's caring about everything then caring about nothing.
In conclusion, Holden is a phony because because he pretends to be someone that he is not, he contradicts himself, and he blames others for things that he is responsible for. Holden, making such a big deal about phonies ended up being one. This shows that no matter what you do, the society will always play a big role in influencing one’s behavior and the way that one
Sympathy is one of the main feelings that reveal our humanity and personal values. However, Holden Caulfield, the main character in J.D. Salinger’s Catcher In The Rye, seems like the type of guy that wouldn’t be able to feel sympathy. He has many faults, including depression, excessive lying, suicidal thoughts, and more that could interfere with compassion. In addition, he tends to cover up his emotions so as to not convey his true feelings. Despite these character faults, he still expresses and shows sympathy many times in the book, to many different characters.
Holden describes phonies all throughout the book, he keeps calling out people for being fake. " The waiter was waiting for her to move out of the way, but she didn 't even notice him. It was funny. You could tell the waiter didn 't like her much you could tell even the Navy guy didn 't like her much even though he was dating her. And I didn 't like her much.
”(3.19) Holden says that he can 't stand being around Ackley but invites him to go to the movies. Holden hates phoniness in others, but can 't avoid it himself. No one will ever be able to go through life without being a phony because being phony has been a human instinct. On the other hand, some people say it is possible to grow up without becoming a phony.
It is the “phoniness” he wants to blame. Salinger used “phony” this word many times in the book and is one of the most famous word from “The Catcher in the Rye” and it accurately describes the human nature of most adults’. During Holden’s three-day-trip in New York, he has met and encountered with many characters who are pretentious and fake, from Mr. Spencer to Luce and Sally. In society people have to lie or be “phony” just to socialize, or impress someone. Holden is a judgemental person who keeps observing other people’s phoniness but never notices them in himself.
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