ipl-logo

Catcher In The Rye Mental Health Research Paper

516 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Depression in catcher in the rye

Mental health is a person’s condition with regard to their physiological and emotional well being. As we know from the our background knowledge J.D Salinger relates some of his past experiences in his book. In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger focuses on the topic of depression and mental health. He infers that life changing events can affect a person emotionally and physically in a negative way. Also, he goes further about mental health and how it affected Holden daily. Some of the choices he made or things he has said in the novel just goes to show people how mentally ill Holden really was. Mental health can change a person in their mood and possibly have the person want to harm themselves. There were many causes to Holden’s depression, different outcomes, and people had their reactions and thoughts to him about his depression. …show more content…

Depression is feelings of severe despondency and dejection. If a person shows no physical symptoms , it still means that they could be sick. For example, Holden has many issues with his mind, he overthinks almost everything in his life. When he does, he is not at his best. He will not show potential. Every school he attends, he gets thrown out of. Holden quotes in the book, “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” (Chapter 7, page 28). Holden is telling the reader that he is thinking of how to end life and escape all the problems he has and all challenges life will throw at him. In addition, Holden also talks about depression in New York. He says, “New York’s terrible when somebody laughs on the street very late at night. You can hear it for miles. It makes you feel so lonesome and depressed” (Chapter 12, page 47). This proves that mental health can change a persons perspective and thoughts on

Show More
Related

Examples Of Dialectical Journal For The Catcher In The Rye

1722 Words | 7 Pages

Throughout the book holden gives off a vibe of being depressed, which might have started when his brother passed away. It’s seems like after that happened he lost all enthusiasm and energy to really try and also to really plan out his future. Most

Read More

Holden Caulfield And Bipolar Disorder In Catcher In The Rye

651 Words | 3 Pages

This applies to Holden because if he faces the things that he has been keeping inside he would go past it and grow. Bipolar disorder is a disorder associated with episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive loads to manic highs. Manic episodes are a part of the bipolar disorder which can include racing thoughts, talking fast, jumping from one idea to another, and the inability to concentrate well. When Holden is talking to Sally he went on and on about all that he hated jumping from one thing to another, “I hate living in New York and all. Taxicabs, and Madison Avenue buses, with the drivers and all always yelling at you to get out at the rear door and being introduced to phony guys that call the Lunts angels, and going up and down in elevators when you just want to go outside, and guys fitting your pants all the time at Brooks, and people anyways” (Salinger 145).Holden can’t stay on the same topic and his train of thought isn’t focused in the least.

Read More

How Does Holden Deal With Depression In Catcher In The Rye

528 Words | 3 Pages

Sometimes, it is a necessity to receive professional help when one is dealing with psychiatric issues. This is especially true when everything is going wrong in one’s life, and their whole world seems to be crashing down on them. Depression is a disease that could be solve if you get the right treatment. In the novel, “The Catcher in the Rye”, by J.D.Salinger, Holden, the main character, is dealing with this struggle. The numerous challenges that Holden faced, such as losing his brother to cancer, living hundreds of miles away from his only remaining brother, failing school, struggling with depression, and fighting suicidal thoughts, ultimately made him come to the smart decision to admit himself into a psychiatric institution.

Read More

Catcher In The Rye Depression Research Paper

428 Words | 2 Pages

Depression is an active theme in J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye.” Holden does not properly treat his depression because he ignores help, abuses substances, and bottles up his emotions. Before reading “The Catcher in the Rye,” I believed that depression is completely not a choice, but after I realized that although it isn’t a choice, there are still ways of treating depression. Holden refuses to accept help from other people. As soon as I was inside, I couldn 't think of anybody to call up.

Read More

Holden Is A Playlist For The Catcher In The Rye

2662 Words | 11 Pages

He has to reach the lowest point of his mental and emotional health so that he can accept somebody’s help. By enduring through the worst of his grief and alienation, Holden can finally realize that he wants to be around people he loves again. Earlier in the novel, he had so desperately wanted to return to his past,

Read More

Examples Of Grief In Catcher In The Rye

1381 Words | 6 Pages

This mental illness will influence someone's thoughts, feelings, and actions. Holden said multiple times throughout the book that he was feeling very depressed. He was so lonely in fact that he hired a prostitute to have some company and to build his confidence. Although what actually happened was the complete opposite. Holden could not go through with having sex with her and asked the prostitute to “just talk to him”.

Read More

Teenage Depression In Catcher In The Rye

999 Words | 4 Pages

Although Holden is a fictional character, many of the symptoms he displays during his journey are real and affect real life teens. Teen depression is a serious mental health problem. One of the possible dangers is the probability that it's not temporary and may affect the teen in a

Read More

Catcher In The Rye: Persistent Depressive Disorder

673 Words | 3 Pages

Holden has experienced most of these symptoms in some way throughout the three-day period, on page 75 he indicates himself as the “dumb one in the family” this says about himself that he has low self-esteem, he doesn’t think of himself highly. Furthermore, Holden had made troubling decisions in these sessions, he got into a situation that leads him to get beaten up by a pimp who wanted five more dollars for the prostitute Holden got, he punched him in his stomach (115). After that, Holden got really depressed and thought about death, “What I really felt like, though, was committing suicide. I felt like jumping out the window” (116-117). The main factor I believe that caused this disorder is the loss of a loved one after Holden found out about the death of Allie, he went on a rampage by breaking all the windows in the garage the night he died, he broke the windows with his fist (44).

Read More

Theme Of Mental Illness In Catcher In The Rye

783 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

Holden Caulfield In 'Catcher In The Rye'

185 Words | 1 Pages

Reveals about situation: This quotes shows an outside perspective about Holden and his future. Many outsiders can gather that Holden is wasting his life away by not applying himself. The thing is, Holden is already dying because of this unworthy cause. Specifically, he is letting his disorder control him and as a result, he gives up and terminates his goals. He is not physically dying, but he is internally dying because he cannot motivate himself to achieve happiness and a sense of accomplishment.

Read More

Relationships In Catcher In The Rye

1818 Words | 8 Pages

Holden decides to leave school early and ends up wandering around New York before eventually ending up at Mr. Antolini’s house. Mr. Antolini expresses concern about Holden’s future because he met Holden’s father a few weeks earlier and learned that Holden had been doing poorly in school. According to Mr. Thurmer, Holden had been “making absolutely no effort at all. Cutting classes. Coming unprepared to all your classes” (Salinger 205).

Read More

The Catcher In The Rye What Makes A Classic

1454 Words | 6 Pages

In 1951 the topic of mental health was pretty much nonexistent, and if the topic came up you were either crazy or normal, with no in-between. J.D. Salinger's advanced knowledge of mental illness temporarily gets rid of the taboo surrounding it and perfectly showcases an adolescent battle with mental illness in a compelling and transparent way. Using the protagonist Holden Caufield, Salinger illustrates Holden’s battle with depression as the result of the loss of his little brother Allie. As Holden struggles to gain closure from the loss of his brother he falls into a deep depression where he questions his relationships, future, and even his own life. In the novel, Salinger writes about Holden's fantasies of running away with Sally, his current female fixation.

Read More

Catcher In The Rye Allie's Mitt Analysis

779 Words | 4 Pages

Furthermore, Holden starts to hate all the adults or loses faith in them, calls them phony. Holden has a second thought of becoming an adult he loses hope in his future and it seems to him nothing in the world matters to him anymore. We can see that throughout the book. He smokes, gets drunk, and does daring acts like getting a prostitute in his room. He also tries to escape all this guilt and grief by wasting time with unnecessary people he calls phony.

Read More

Bipolar Disorder In Catcher In The Rye

1238 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More

Holden Caulfield's Mental Illness In The Catcher In The Rye

366 Words | 2 Pages

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.

Read More

More about Catcher In The Rye Mental Health Research Paper

Related Topics

Open Document