“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. It 's feeling everything at once than feeling paralysingly numb,” writes Maria Henriksson. Mental illness refers to many conditions that individuals could go through. For example depression, addictive behaviors, and eating disorder have effects that could indicate whether or not an individual has a mental illness. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, Holden faces many hardships after his brother 's death. Holden 's mental illness is inferred through his lack of control, isolating himself from others, and relieving the past which caused him to not move …show more content…
The first cause of Holden 's mental illness that readers notice is that he lacks control over his actions. As Holden was 13 years old, his brother Allie died of leukemia. Holdens behavior in response to his brothers death was very violent. “I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it (Holden Caulfield 39).” Holden admits that he didn’t know he was doing it, but says it was a stupid thing to do. 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
“Holden Caulfield holds a place in the American psyche akin to Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer: an exquisitely rendered character with whom nearly anyone can identify” (Perle). In the year 1946, the book “Catcher in the Rye” was published. The story is about a boy named Holden Caulfield, who shows many signs indicative of mental disorder throughout the book. A few of these problems are Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and depression. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or more commonly known as PTSD is a condition which only occurs after a person has gone through stress or trauma in their life.
The Red Hat Holden Caulfield is the main character in The Catcher in the Rye, a novel written by J.D. Salinger. The novel is a flashback of Holden’s life when he was seventeen years old, when he was kicked out of Pency Prep. Holden tells his story from a rest home in California where he is seeking the help he needs after his mental deterioration caused by his younger brother Allie’s death. After reading The Catcher in the Rye and having an understanding of Holden’s deterioration, the conjecture that Holden has PTSD can easily be argued. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, can be acquired at any age, by anyone.
the Catcher in the Rye “PTSD” Essay Throughout the book The catcher in the Rye, the main character Holden, has many odd experiences pertaining to his mental state. From the different situations that Holden describes it becomes more, and more obvious that he has PTSD. Although Holden has symptoms that correlate to depression he also has symptoms that are not defined by depression. Depression can also be a symptom of PTSD.
Mental Disorders, Isolation, & Holden Caulfield - How They Relate To Each Other Stigmatization; disapproval of an individual based on social characteristics that serve to distinguish them from other members of a society. Specifically, the stigmatization of mental illnesses in society can lead to one to experience prevalent alienation, depressive thoughts, and even suicidal tendencies. The buildup of these occurrences can be traced back to a traumatic incident that consequently takes an emotional toll on an individual in various formats. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher In The Rye, Holden Caulfield, the main character, is depicted as someone who suffers from clinical depression and bipolar disorder based on his behavioral and verbal interactions
Furthermore, he displays complete apathy towards his future, is unable to form connections with other people, and frequently speaks of how he is ‘depressed’ and ‘lonely.’ He even states at one point that; ‘what I really felt like, though, was committing suicide. I felt like jumping out the window.’ Holden is clearly suffering from depression and suicidal idealisation, therefore his mental health may cause us to question his reliability as a narrator as his outlook on life is greatly affected by the way he feels, showed in the fact that he generally puts a negative spin on
54 million Americans have a mental disorder every year (Mental Health and the Family: Recognizing Warning Signs and how to Cope) . Holden Caulfield, a teenager in the novel The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is going through one of the roughest times in his life. People may argue that Holden standing out from society is just his personality, however, Holden is depressed throughout the novel. He goes through multiple phases including failing school, getting drunk, and having suicidal thoughts.
In the novel The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main character and protagonist (all though at times, he is his own antagonist) is Holden Caulfield. Throughout the novel Holden exhibits many characteristic of different mental illnesses including the likes of depression and anxiety, along with various others. Holden is obviously suffering from mental illness(es), in a variety of forms. Three major examples include him imagining all different scenarios and constantly telling lies, his loneliness and how he pushes people away from him {doesn't let people get close to him}, and his suicidal thoughts. At times Holden also doesn't remember things “so hot” and seems to be getting sick.
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is thought to be mentally ill. I believe Holden is only suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and is not in fact, that mentally ill. If Holden does have PTSD, could it be from one single traumatic event, or a series of traumas lasting at least a month? Holden shows signs of PTSD; he’s been expelled from schools for not applying himself, mismatching himself to other people, and he doesn’t see a future or career for himself. Holden also finds is difficult to fall asleep at night and find it hard to concentrate, he gets irritated, and also stays aware of phonies.
In Holden’s mind becoming “the catcher in the rye “means that he can still catch Allie from falling off the cliff. This is relevant to Holden’s depression because everything around him is telling him to grow up but instead he runs away from it in fear that is will pull him farther apart from his relationship with his brother Allie. Holden is on the edge of becoming an adult which creates more pressure and leads him to
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.
At the end of the novel, when Holden is finished telling his story, he says that he could probably tell us about how he got sick. He also acknowledges “the one psychoanalyst guy they have [there]” who asks if he is going to start applying himself (234). The fact that there is someone analyzing his behavior is a clear indicator that he shows signs of mental illnesses. Holden dodges any questions about his feelings of what happened to him because he does not know how to feel. The psychoanalyst also asks Holden if he is going to start applying himself in school more, but Holden does not fully answer the question.
After Holden’s brothers death he, “slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist” (Salinger 44). He went into the garage to isolate himself from everyone else and broke the windows out of anger. His post traumatic stress disorder kept getting worse because he continually
In the novel Mr.Antolini quotes "The mark of an immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one". And surly Holden takes the quote for granted. Depression is a mental illness in which one simply cannot find the joy in life, where he or she is constantly feeling in a low mood. Holden is a great example of a greatly depressed teenager he experienced the lose of his little brother Allie and his older brother DB seems like he has
The “Catcher in the Rye” is a novel written by J.D Salinger and focused around the main character Holden Caulfield’s life. Holden Caulfield is a teenage boy who is suffering with many problems within him. When he was 13, his younger brother Allie passed away, which took a great toll in his life. Holden shows many signs of developing the disorder PTSD. PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and it affects Holden throughout the entire book.
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.