Holden Caulfield Depression

In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, the word “depression” is used a total of 41 times; meanwhile, the word “happy” is used a total of five times. The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger and published in 1951, is a memoir, narrated by main character Holden Caufield, which recounts his adolescent life through his expulsion to the beginning of his stay at the psychiatric hospital. Throughout the novel, it becomes apparent to readers that Holden suffers from major depressive disorder through his recurrent mood swings, his grief over Allies death, and his inability to cross the street for fear of disappearing.

J.D. Salinger 's "The Catcher in the Rye" portrays a troubled teen in New York City. Over the few days the novel depicts, the boy displays his critical and unhealthy mindset. Eventually he has a mental breakdown. Through psychoanalysis of Holden Caulfield, one may suggest that Allie 's death, social development, and an identity crisis are large contributing factors in Holden 's mental breakdown.

Nineteen million American adults suffer from a major case of depression (Web MD). That is a staggering one in every fifteen people (2 in our classroom alone). Holden Caulfield is clearly one of those people. Depression is a disease that leads to death but is also preventable. Psychology, stressful events, and prescription drugs are causes of depression. Stressful events brought on Holden’s depression. Holden has been trying to withstand losing a brother, living with careless parents, and not having many friends. The Catcher in the Rye is a book that takes us through the frazzled life of Holden Caulfield, who appears to be just a regular teen. But by hearing his thoughts and through heart-wrenching events in the book, the reader learns that

The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, portrays Holden Caulfield as a manic-depressive. Holden uses three techniques throughout the novel to cope with his depression. He smokes, drinks, and talks to Allie. Although they may not be positive, Holden finds comfort in these three things.

Depression, a common mental disorder that presents with depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration. This mental illness demonstrates to affect teens as much as it affects adults. Studies show that 20 percent of teens will experience teen depression before they reach adulthood. When you deal with depression, you often find it difficult to live an everyday normal life. The “Catcher in the Rye” written by J.D Salinger, narrates on the main character Holden Caulfield, a hostile and negative person, who suffers from severe depression.

Losing someone that is very close to you can cause many problems down the road that people do not realize. In the book The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden lost his brother Allie, he lost his best friend. This caused Holden to become very depressed and effects his life without his brother. When Holden’s brother died, this was the start of Holden’s falling out. Allie’s death is the cause for him feeling angry at the world, him not being able to stay at a school and causes him to feel alienated from society.

In The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, readers are introduced to a highly annoying, highly depressed and troublesome soul by the name of Holden Caulfield. Holden is narrating his expulsion from the high-class boarding school, Pencey Prep School for Boys and the events that follow soon after, also the small memories he holds inside of him that mold him into the person he is at the end of the novel. When Holden leaves Pencey Prep. behind and goes off to New York, he takes on the challenge of sex, depression, loneliness and his own impulsiveness. Holden’s past trauma and the tragic incidents around him, are affecting his romantic relationships and are pushing people away from him and leaving him more depressed. Whether it be his relationship

Lies, failure, depression, and loneliness are only some of the aspects that Holden Caulfield goes through in the novel The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger. Salinger reflects Holden’s character through his own childhood experiences. Salinger admitted in a 1953 interview that "My boyhood was very much the same as that of the boy in the book.… [I]t was a great relief telling people about it” (Wikipedia). Thus, the book is somewhat the life story of J.D. Salinger as a reckless seventeen-year-old who lives in New York City and goes through awful hardships after his expulsion and departure from an elite prep school. Holden, the protagonist in this novel, is created as a depressed, cynical, and isolated character and he

Throughout the novel of Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is on his own psychological journey. This journey tells a lot about who Holden is as a person and the problems he is dealing with. It all starts when Holden has flunked out of Pencey Prep. His psychological struggles are triggered by the traumatic event of his brother, Allie, dying 4 years prior. The death of Allie has affected Holden in all aspects of his life, including friends, school, actions, and thoughts. This causes concern in Holden’s parents. They are concerned with his health and well-being, therefore send Holden to a rehab center. His parents fear that Holden may have Post - Traumatic Stress Disorder, and have him psychoanalyzed. So, Holden struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder because he shows the causes, symptoms, and effects of the chronic disorder.

Depression is defined as a condition where a person feels very sad, hopeless, unimportant, and unable to live in a normal way, which is Holden’s personality in the book. It’s a very serious situation that many people go through and it takes an enormous toll on people. Many instances can cause depression and grieving the loss of someone is one of them. In the beginning, it seems like Holden is depressed because he is excluded from the people around him. Holden’s flashbacks and hallucinations, along with Phoebe reminding him that Allie is not coming back, show that his depression stems from him grieving the loss of Allie.

Depression is a very common and detrimental mental illness that many teens and young adults in our society face. The illness can leave an individual feeling rejected and lead to an overwhelming of disappointment within the individual. These feelings can lead to Poor performance in school, Withdrawal from friends and activities, Poor self-esteem or guilt, Substance abuse, and/or Suicidal thoughts or actions (“Depression In Teens”). A novel that explores the effect of depression in teens is The catcher in the Rye. The author of the coming-of-age novel, J.D Salinger, chronicles the destructive effects of the mental illness by following the main character, Holden Caulfield. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s depression is evident due to his withdrawal

Caulfield other found of characteristic that inbounds himself towards Depression is entertainment of drinking which leads to an alcoholic. Meaningfully I think Holden drinks so he can forget many things he went through that caused him depressed, but It actually doesn’t help because finally perhaps makes him a plethora more aggressive. When he assures out, “I had this terrific headache all of the sudden,”(Caulfield 24). As a doctor I analyse that Holden’s Depression is getting really physical and really quick. Headaches should not be all of the sudden because that only occurs when someone is depressed also it can occur normally if an individual has not received enough sleep. Also he elaborates out, “I would have walked ..but I felt funny when I got outside. Sort of dizzy,”(Caulfield 24). According to my personal information about why Holden is feeling not too much about alcohol and that he can resist drinking much, so it effect towards him to making bad decisions

Holden recognizes and perceives to be alienated from the adult world thus causing himself to believe he is depressed. Holden believes he is depressed from viewing the adult world and thinking that it is phony. He believes that the world is phony, superficial, hypocritical, and shallow. He views this world everyday and realizes that one day he will have to step into it, but every time he thinks about the world surrounding him it causes him to become depressed. Holden becomes depressed because he desires to remain a child were innocence is preserved and not drastically taken away. In Holden?s scenario, he feels that his innocence was taken away by witnessing the suicide of his close friend and the death of dear brother. Holden sees the world that he has to become a part of and desires more to not be a part of it. This hatred of stepping into the adult world causes Holden believe he is depressed and

Though Holden focuses on his depression, he represents a large part of the United States’ population. On several occasions, he describes his desolation. Mentally lost and lonely in New York City, Holden finds himself with a headache and the inability to sleep, saying, “I think I was more depressed than I ever was in my whole life” (Salinger 214). Relatively, the highest rate of depression occurs from ages 12-17 (Pratt)

In America, around twenty out of one hundred teenagers struggle with depression, and almost thirty percent will go untreated. J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye shines light on a young adolescent named Holden, calling awareness to his inner turmoil. Holden Caulfield might appear as the typical pessimistic teenager, however, he has a bad past that thrusts him into adulthood he never wanted. After the death of his little brother Allie, Holden fell into a dark hole and only keeps falling down further. Without any true role models, Holden is unequipped to handle his grief and refused to accept the past, depending on others for emotional support they are unable to give. Throughout the book, Holden's grapples with Allie’s death and searches for an eventual escape from his depression, causing him to grow as an individual. JD Salinger uses the symbol of rain to represent Holden's past, revealing that his journey through depression is rooted in his inability to move forward after Allie's death.