J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in The Rye is fueled by Holden Caulfield, historically America’s most controversial fictional character. The skepticism, the belief in the purity of the soul against the tawdry actions of this boy inspires many teenage readers. But what is wrong with him? What makes him the rebel that he is? Some believe that Holden is just an angsty teenager, however he is a subject of depression.
Our main character shows signs of depression in daily life. In Forbes, Shannon Kolakowski, PsyD quotes “Depression symptoms come out through excessively drinking alcohol, seeking out an affair outside of the relationship, becoming aggressive, or withdrawing from those you love.” (Kolakowski) In the city, he drinks in bars, hires a prostitute, and becomes aggressive with the sweet Sally Hayes. The symptoms of depression run rampant in him. Back at Pencey, he even chokes out Stradlater before he is punched. In the Forbes article, Suzanne Roff-Wexler,
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In a Los Angeles Times article Melissa Healy quotes: “Some researchers believe the rise in childhood depression may, in part, reflect changed "environmental factors" in children's' lives -- not just industrial pollutants but changes in the social environments of their schools and families” (Healey) The death of a brother is a bitter change in a family, and in a social spectrum. Holden, coping with it by punching out windows and screaming is justified. His parents sending him to a psychiatrist due to his dealing with grief is not. Kenneth Doka suggests in a Huffington Post article: “at a time when adolescents most strongly base their own identity on their peers, a loss of a peer is likely to be a traumatic event.” Allie’s death is the spark to the full inferno that is Holden’s depression. Hosting a rough childhood, attached to his kid brother, and watching him die sends Holden over the edge into a contemptuous, derisive spiral that is his adolescent