Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has abnormal tendencies. Although he could just be a typical teenager, dealing with difficult situations, after analyzing his behavior it is believed that he is suffering from a mental ailment of some sort. Events from Holden’s past are still currently haunting him and it is evident that he is struggling. He needs the guidance of those around him in order to help himself through these tough time. Holden constantly relives his past, which can indicate his diminishing mental state along with post-traumatic stress disorder. A common symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder is reliving the past, or being unable to move on. He repeatedly has flash backs of moments shared with Allie when he is depressed. He wishes to be able to modify scenarios such as when he kept his brother from going out with him and his friend, Bobby. He finds comfort in recreating scenarios in his head, because he believes that it would have helped Allie live. Putting the blame on oneself is a large burden that a teenager should not have to carry. Clearly he has endured a lot during his life, and therefore must seek help to overcome his post- traumatic stress …show more content…
It is most apparent during his date with Sally Fields. When Sally first arrives he’s in love with her, even though he already thinks of her as “the queen of the phonies”. However, as the date continues he realizes how much he truly despises her. Yet, he still invites her to run away with him and when she rejects his offer, he lashes out at her and causes her to cry. He doesn’t know how to feel about making her cry and feels accomplished and sorry. Holden has shown occasions of uncontrollable emotion that should be looked further into when deciding whether he is simply battling his hormones, or if he is truly struggling with bipolar disorder. If he does indeed have bipolar disorder, he must take the meds prescribed to him