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Holden Caulfield Mental Illness Analysis

1363 Words6 Pages

The Catcher in The Rye by JD Salinger illustrates the journey of Holden Caulfield, the main character who travels the bumpy roads of adolescence into the daunting world of adulthood. Holden experiences many trials and tribulations of the real world as the adults in his life try to guide him onto the right path. Although others around Holden want to help him, he acts in irrational ways making it hard for them to alleviate his issues. Thus his decisions only make his condition of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder even worse. Because of Holden’s self alienating tendencies, and the depression that he gets due to the death of his brother Allie, his questionable words and actions can be understood and explained. Holden self alienates …show more content…

This clearly shows about the importance of Allie in Holden’s life and how the death of him would affect him for a very long time with the depression he gets soon after. As Well as the death of Holden’s brother, the depression that lingers long after these events dictate Holden 's words and actions. In the article Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness, Patrick W Corrigan and Amy C Watson states, “ Many people with serious mental illness are challenged doubly. On one hand, they struggle with the symptoms and disabilities that result from the disease… people with mental illness are robbed of the opportunities that define a quality life”. As mentioned in the article, Holden’s depression challenges him greatly as shown in his interactions with other people. In addition to his interactions, he acts capriciously and carelessly as also shown in his conversations with Sally. He is struggling to live his life with the disabilities that come with his disease which dictates his words and actions in turn, takes opportunities of a good life away from him including love, an education, and healthy …show more content…

Although this argument sounds logical, there is a social barrier between people with depression and normal people. In the article Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness, Patrick W Corrigan and Amy C Watson states, “ Although stigmatizing attitudes are not limited to mental illness, the public seems to disapprove persons with psychiatric disabilities significantly more than persons with related conditions such as physical illness”. The main idea here is that people with mental illness including depressed people are stigmatized in a way that makes someone want to distance themselves from this person. Although Holden does not really show his depression to many others around him, he eventually will to the ones closest to him and with the stigma about mental illness in mind, said person would most likely break ties with him, leaving Holden with another person he will be broken over which would bring him even deeper into the rabbit hole. This is why Holden can not just get over it but instead must fix his issues beforehand with a professional and that is when he can leave behind his defense mechanism of self isolation and connect with

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Analyzing The Conscious Mind Of Holden Caulfield

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Allie was Holden’s everything, he looked up to his brother and respected him. Holden never really had anyone to discipline him or tell him right from wrong. Even though Holden liked too seem as if he was already older then he actually is, he is still a young kid who needs his parents. Allie was Holden’s angel who took care of him while his parents couldn’t. Holden is a protagonist that has been through many harsh events throughout his

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Holden Caulfield Self Protection Analysis

1913 Words | 8 Pages

Teenagers are so damaged and emotionally broken that at least twenty percent of teenagers suffer from depression before they become adults. That only could explain Holden’s need to self protect and not trust people. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger shows the theme of alienation for the purpose of self-protection . The main character Holden Caulfield uses his red hunting hat when he is looking for protection, refers to the museum when he wants everything to stay the same and Allie’s baseball mit when he wants to have comfort. Holden’s red hunting hat is used as a symbol a surplus amount of times.

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How Is Holden Caulfield Depressed

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Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye, is depressed not because of the environment he is in, but because of his perception of it. For most of the book, we see how he is continuously depressed by the digressions he makes, such as considering a stranger’s story, which ends up having no importance to him, except for the fact that it depresses him. He also is constantly angry at "phonies," who, to Holden, are essentially flawed people. This applies anywhere he goes, meaning that the only constant thing, and therefore the cause, is Holden himself. However, by the end of the book, we see how he has grown happy, despite the world he lives in.

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Examples Of Thematic Essay On The Catcher In The Rye

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The Catcher in the Rye Thematic Essay Imagine living a lonesome life, full of fear and little hope of better days to come. Imagine the toll this would take on a person’s life and how they develop as a person. For Holden Caulfield, the main character of J.D Salinger’s classic The Catcher in the Rye this, is his reality. Holden is a sixteen year old troubled boy suffering through major mental issues and living a rather a depressing life for a teenager. Throughout the novel he goes through many hardships that only worsen his depression making him feel hatred towards his seemingly hellish world.

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Catcher In The Rye Grief Analysis

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Holden 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.

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Examples Of Holden Being Depressed In Catcher In The Rye

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He talks to his brother as if he 's there searching for help from him. This novel is about him moving through New York and witnessing this and not wanting to be a part of it, yet knowing he has to fit in there somewhere. Holden grows a very dangerous drinking problem. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, Holden is a lost and depressed boy looking for a purpose in life. Holden believes that growing up is going to cause him to lose all innocence in himself.

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Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a common mental disorder that is caused by genetics, the environment, brain structure, and chemistry. Bipolar disorder can often be misdiagnosed in teenagers since they are going through changes in their body and mind. One could see mood swings in a teenager and make the mistake of thinking he or she is going through normal changes. However, if one looks deeper into Holden’s character, one realizes that his mood swings, along with his excessive desire for sexual experiences, are actually symptoms of bipolar disorder. The first warning sign of his mental condition is when he buys Sunny, the prostitute, for the night.

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Theme Of Mental Illness In Catcher In The Rye

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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

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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.

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Holden's Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye

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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

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Catcher In The Rye Allie's Mitt Analysis

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Furthermore, Holden starts to hate all the adults or loses faith in them, calls them phony. Holden has a second thought of becoming an adult he loses hope in his future and it seems to him nothing in the world matters to him anymore. We can see that throughout the book. He smokes, gets drunk, and does daring acts like getting a prostitute in his room. He also tries to escape all this guilt and grief by wasting time with unnecessary people he calls phony.

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Although Holden is not fully recovered he is much less depressed than his earlier stages in the book. Holden has taken a step further in his adult life and rather than dismissing those around them he begins to value them, thus being a big step. In the book Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, the narrator and protagonist Holden Caulfield a sixteen year old junior undergoes a series of changes; changes that helped a distraught teenager learn that everyone grows up. You don 't need to be the “Catcher in the Rye” that protects the children from going if the deep end thought

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Throughout the book Holden is isolated from people that would look after him and as a result Holden sees himself as his own adviser and

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The Catcher in the Rye In the novel The Catcher in the Rye J.D Salinger writes about a teenager struggling to find his place within the existence of the reality of others. Salinger creates shocking events that lay out the foundation of the the main character Holden Caulfield’s life in the novel. Salinger uses Holden’s characteristics throughout the novel such as Holden’s stubbornness to establish a much bigger theme in the book along with many other symbols.

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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.

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