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Catcher In The Rye And PTSD

1157 Words5 Pages

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 its affects Holden throughout the entire book. “PTSD is an anxiety disorder that some people get after seeing or living through a dangerous event,”(“PTSD” 1) and PTSD can occur at any age. The disorder affected his family life, making and having friends and his life at school. Holden experienced many symptoms and events caused by PTSD, which affect his everyday way of living. …show more content…

He always fails almost all of his classes and gets kicked out of the schools he goes to. Holden attended an all boy’s school but never made any friends and hated almost every single person at his school. Holden says, ‘I was trying to feel some kind of good-by. I mean I’ve left schools and places I didn’t even know I was leaving them,”(Salinger 4). In this quote, Holden is saying that he wants to make an emotional connection with people or a place, like his school, but ye he has not tried or invest in making any connections. Holden would be desperate for a companion and he is a very lonely person as well,

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Ptsd In Soldier's Heart By Gary Paulsen

578 Words | 3 Pages

A soldier’s heart is a past term used to describe someone with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), specifically given to someone who fought in the Civil War. Someone with a soldier’s heart experiences fear on a higher level. They may even find certain things that wouldn’t be scary to someone with a stable mind terrifying. Symptoms can be re-experiencing trauma, emotional numbness, and sheltering away from other people. After completing the book, “Soldier’s Heart,” by Gary Paulsen, I truly believe that Charley Goddard suffered from PTSD during and after fighting in the Civil War.

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How Does Holden Present Depression In Catcher In The Rye

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In the beginning of the book soon after being told he couldn’t return the following semester he decides to simply leave the school and wander around New York City. In New York, Holden continues to get himself into trouble. For example, he hired a prostitute and did not give her the correct amount of money resulting in her pimp beating him up. At the end of the novel, he made a plan to run away again. Although, this time he decided he would go to a far away place and live on his own in the middle of nowhere.

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The Theme Of Depression In Catcher In The Rye

338 Words | 2 Pages

Holden represents the theme depression throughout the novel. Depression is a serious condition in which a person feels sad, hopeless, and unimportant. One main reason he experiences depression is because he withdraws himself from society, struggling with the death of his brother, and a lack of motivation in life. Holden's personality is very pessimistic which shows that he tends to look at the negativity instead of the bright side of life. Another reason Holden is depressed is because of his habit of drinking and smoking.

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Examples Of Teenage Grief In Catcher In The Rye

318 Words | 2 Pages

In according to the evidence and analysis, I have determined Holden Caulfield as a patient suffering from teen grief. Holden portrays the symptoms of teen grief such as depression, feelings of emptiness, and irritability. It is most common in individuals with teen grief to have it acquired through a traumatic period in their life. Holden is greatly affected by the death of his younger brother which is the main cause for his prolonged sadness. His lack of well being and emptiness are due to the fact that he is grieving over his lost.

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Ptsd In Slaughterhouse Five

1366 Words | 6 Pages

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental disease that develops in those who have experienced a scary or dangerous event and it affects an estimated 6.8% of Americans in their lifetime (National Institute of Mental Health, “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder”). Post-traumatic stress disorder is also abbreviated as “PTSD.” Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, follows Billy Pilgrim, a World War II soldier, on his adventures through both the war and after the war. Pilgrim believes that he is visited by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore and abducted by them. He also thinks that he is able to “time travel” to different events throughout his own life.

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Holden Caulfield Isolation

1374 Words | 6 Pages

The novel, Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger reveals one stuck between their past and present can cause isolation, depression, and fearfulness for the future. Holden Caulfield is a sixteen year old, who has gotten expelled by a few schools. In the beginning of the novel, Holden describes is background and who his family is. Holden describes his parents as people who are to busy to care about their children.

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What Are The Causes Of Holden's Mental Breakdown

2021 Words | 9 Pages

The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger in 1951, is the story of an angst-ridden sixteen year old Holden Caulfield as he learns to deal with growing up. The story follows Holden through his three day experience through New York as he learns about the truth about innocence, sex, and mortality, making The Catcher in the Rye one of America’s most notable coming-of-age stories. One of the largest influences on Holden’s life was his younger brother Allie who died from leukemia at age eleven when Holden was thirteen. The death of Holden’s brother had a profound effect on Holden emotional state, which eventually caused his complete mental breakdown by the end of the novel.

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The Role Of PTSD In Vietnam Veterans

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783 Words | 4 Pages

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757 Words | 4 Pages

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Theme Of Alienation In Catcher In The Rye

1095 Words | 5 Pages

“I have a feeling that you’re riding for some kind of a terrible, terrible fall. But I don’t honestly know what kind…It may be kind where, at the age of thirty, you sit in some bar hating everybody who comes in looking as if he might have played football in college. Then again, you may pick up just enough education to hate people who say, “It’s a between he and I. ‘ Or you may end up in some business office, throwing paper clips at the nearest stenographer. I just don’t know…

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830 Words | 4 Pages

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