Research Paper On Holden Caulfield

"Then I went over and lay down on Ely's bed. Boy, did I feel rotten. I felt so damn lonesome." (48) Clearly in that quote Holden has became depressed because he feels alone and isolated from the rest of the world. When he feels like that he often talks to people who he has annoyed him or is phony to him. He does not seem to care who they are, whether it be Ackley or his sister Phoebe he really just needs somebody's company when he feels lonely and depressed. Now you can tell that Holden is depressed.

Throughout the novel Holden proceeds to descend further and further into his depression. Leaving school, even if he didn’t particularly want to stay, was very tough on him. As Holden narrates “One thing about packing depressed me a little. I had to pack these brand-new ice skates my mother had practically just sent me a couple of days before. That depressed me.” Also referencing his darker turns later, saying “That's depressing, when somebody says "please" to you. I mean if it's Phoebe or somebody. That depressed the hell out of me.” He often blamed it on external factors, the actions of others “depressing” him, but the reality was likely a cumulative effect of things going on in his life. He often somewhat belittles depression, but judging by how he references some form of treatment and even a psychoanalyst at the end of the novel, it leads the reader to believe that he was likely diagnosed with depression or another mental illness. His narration is therefore not entirely reliable because he is telling his story through the lens of his mental illness, so not all the details will necessarily be completely

According to psychcentral.com, 10-15 percent of teen are going through some form of depression. For as long people have know, teens have been going through a struggle from the transition from childhood to adulthood and they need someone to ‘catch’ them; Holden is no different, he is struggling with growing up and doesn’t know what his place in the world is. This type of thinking is what results in depression which can be treated with the right help. No teen wants to go through a mental illness like depression but it naturally occurs as a teen must go through the gruesome process of growing up and leaving their childhood behind and taking the responsibilities of being an adult. Any teen could get depression as they grow and Holden is just one

An important sign of Holden’s depression is his obsessions of death throughout the book. First, Holden experiences a thought of death immediately after his fight with Stradtler. For example, Holden states “All I did was, I got up and went over and looked out the window. I felt so lonesome, all of a sudden. I almost wished I was dead.” (Salinger 48) Although Holden detested Stradtler, the fight causes him to feel isolated. Holden’s suicidal thought arises from his inability to cope with the situation. This shows how Holden is mentally unstable and has conflicting emotions immediately after fighting with his roommate. Next, Holden pretends he has been shot after being punished by Maurice. In the novel, Holden states he was “holding onto my guts, blood leaking all over the place” (Salinger 104). This shows Holden’s fascination with the thought of dying arising from his inability to

Adolescent depression can be a response to many situations and stresses. It can also change how teens view their lives and their self. Adolescent depression can cause emotional as well as behavioral changes. Some of Holden’s symptoms include sadness, lack of appetite, avoidance of social interaction, the use of drugs or alcohol, difficulty making decisions, preoccupation with death and dying, and feeling negative or worthless. Holden shows signs of many of the symptoms listed throughout The Catcher in the Rye. There is not a specific cause

The novel “the Catcher in the Rye” is about a very bold faced teenage boy named Holden Caulfield who can’t seem to stay at one school. After being kicked out of yet another school he narrates his journey from his boarding school to New York City. During this time he explains to the reader all his thoughts and feelings. “Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest”, these symptoms can be found in Holden throughout the novel.

Holden’s life experiences may seem normal to the average human being, but in his mind those events are far from normal. During his childhood years Holden’s parents failed at teaching him life values and morals, which played an effective role in him losing his vision of the perfect world that has no flaws. Allie’s death was the worst of the bunch, forcing his mind to bottle up in sadness and despair, causing Holden to be hospitalized. As stated previously, Holden losing his brother Allie caused him a great deal of stress and confusion; it portrays the death of Allie as the biggest downfall in his emotional status. It is obvious that the stability of Holden’s mind is far gone with little hope of return, the only possible way that he can regain his sanity is to repair the emotional damages left by his unfortunate experiences.

In J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield experiences many emotional troubles, most of which are much more significant than those of a typical teenager's. From rapid, intense mood swings to depressive episodes filled with suicidal thoughts and self destructive behaviors, his grave mental illness ends up taking over him. Holden Caulfield's bipolar disorder leaves him feeling distraught, confused and hopeless, and eventually causes him to have a mental breakdown.

“But it wasn’t just that he was the most intelligent member in the family. He was also the nicest… God, he was a nice kid, though.” (Salinger 38) Throughout the whole novel, Holden keeps mentioning Allie and how excellent he was. Allie was one of the few people that Holden loved and cherished and could not just let him go. "I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the windows in the garage... I slept in the garage that night he died, and broke all the goddamn windows with my fist, just for the hell of it… It was a very stupid thing to do, I’ll admit, but I hardly even knew I was doing it, and you didn’t know Allie.” (Salinger 39) His thoughts trace back to Allie’s life that Holden wishes he had not left. Holden expresses his anger and denial by breaking all of the glass windows once he found out that he lost his brother, a person who truly understands him, and he expresses his anger physically by thrashing around and denied by not admitting why he did

Throughout the book, Holden cries without a reason, which may suggest that he is delicate in a crisis. “Uncontrollable crying is a symptom for depression,” (DepressionSymptomsSadness). For example, when Holden was staying at a hotel the elevator conductor Maurice offered him a prostitute. After he accepted, Sunny, the prostitute, knocked on his door. All they did was talk until the end Holden paid five dollars like Maurice said. Unfortunately, Sunny said it was ten dollars Holden disagreed to pay another five bucks. As a result, he got punched in the stomach and lost another five dollars. “No, you’re no crooks, you’re just stealing five-”, (Salinger 103). He laid there crying even though they had already left. Men act differently than women

Holden Caulfield, otherwise known as a depressive high school dropout, is the main character of J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. The book has a lot of life lessons, some being minute, while others may apply many of lifes hardships, Holden is a unsuspecting character to do this, yet he is also the best for the job. His depressive state may be disappointing, but it can be boiled down to his unmotivational attitude. Holden, progressively through the book becomes more and more cynical in nature, and leads to his own critically depressive state that is deserving of professional help and care.

The third symptom that Holden has been experiencing is always talking about his traumatic event. He still can’t cope with his brother death. His brother, Allie died from leukemia when Holden was still young. Allie is a very important person to Holden. Holden describes him as “terrifically intelligent” (Salinger 38) and “about a thousand times nicer than the people you know that’re alive and all” (Salinger 171). After Allie’s death, Holden broke all the widows in the garage with his fist. He states, “I know he’s dead! Don't you think I know that? I can still like him, though, can’t I? Just because somebody’s dead, you don’t just stop liking them, for God’s sake” (Salinger 171). This shows that Holden still thinking about Allie even after his death. He is still unable to move from his past. Moreover, when ever Holden is feeling alone and depress he images talking to his brother. He confirms, “I started talking, sort of loud, to Allie, I do that sometimes when I get very depressed” (Salinger 98). He talked to Allie saying, “Okay. Go home and get your bike and meet me in front of Bobby’s house. Hurry up” (Salinger 99). He still feels guilty about the time when he didn’t take his brother to the Lake Sedebego. Almost at the end of the book, Holden says:

In J.D Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, Holden has psychological problems that cause him to be in a bad mental and emotional state. Holden has the normal teenage hormones but he is also grieving from his brother’s death. He talks about his brother on multiple occasions and said “Just because somebody’s dead, you don’t just stop liking them, for god’s sake” .It seems as if every time Holden talks about Allie, he gets bummed out and started to get lonely. Holden is still grieving from his brother’s death and “is stuck in the denial, anger, and depression stages of Kubler-Ross’ grieving process” (http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-holdens-mental-emotional-state-how-do-you-105229) . Holden also seems to be very violent. When he realizes

Holden then catches himself in the lie and he remarks, "Once I get started, I can go on for hours if I feel like it," (Salinger, 58). This compulsive lying demonstrates that Holden is not at ease with himself and that he feels that people will judge him critically. Whether or not this feeling has a basis in reality, the mere feeling is a contributing factor to Holden's depression. Holden's illness prevents him from having the ability to distinguish between how he perceives the world, and how it actually is. This leads him to have a jaded outlook on life, and to deem many aspects of the adult world to be insincere, or phony.

Holden displays several psychological traits of depression, both physically and mentally throughout the book. Nine major traits include exaggeration, depression, isolation/alienation,