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Examples Of Depression In Catcher In The Rye

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Firstly, one possible disorder Holden could be plagued with is depression. Depression is a mental health disorder characterized by a constantly depressed mood or loss of interest in daily activities. (Goldberg, “Major Depression Symptoms in Adults and Children) It can be impairing to living day to day life, which is apparent in Holden’s case. In several instances throughout the story, Holden mentions how depressed he feels. “I was getting depressed as hell.”, (Salinger, 147) “She was depressing the hell out of me.”, (Salinger, 148) and “It was very depressing.” (Salinger, 18) are some of many, ample examples that appear. Another symptom of depression is hopelessness (Goldberg, “Major Depression Symptoms in Adults and Children), often coming …show more content…

One milder event representing this is Holden typing Stradlater’s composition about his brother’s baseball mitt as he began to reminisce about all the fun times they had together in Maine. (Salinger, 43) Towards the end of the story, Holden’s health gradually deteriorates and he finds himself hallucinating, actually talking to him. “Every time I’d get to the end of a block I’d make believe I was taking to my brother Allie.” he says, continuing with, “Allie, don’t let me disappear. Allie, don’t let me …show more content…

Anxiety is a mental disorder characterized by exaggerated feelings of worry or fear that interfere with daily life. A couple of symptoms of anxiety that Holden exhibits include feeling tense or edgy, being irritable, feeling overly stressed, and having trouble concentrating. (Riley, “Generalized Anxiety Disorder”) Holden’s edginess is expressed by his intense paranoia and distrust of others, calling them phonies practically everywhere in the book. This may also tie in to his irritability, though one extreme event of this is when he says, “I kept wanting to kill whoever’d written it … I kept picturing myself catching him at it, and how I’d smash his head on the stone steps till he was goddam dead and bloody.” (Salinger, 221) A second serious event involving Holden’s anger is when he fought Stradlater over the fact that he probably slept with his childhood friend Jane. He recalls, “I tried to sock him, with all my might … so it would split his goddam throat open.” (Salinger, 49) Holden often has trouble concentrating while talking to others, as his mind tends to wander off into different places. This takes place when Holden is talking to Ackley when he can’t stop thinking about what happened after Stradlater came home. “I just kept laying there on Ely’s bed, thinking about Jane and all.” (Salinger, 55) he says while Ackley is telling him to turn off the lights. This also occurs when Holden is talking to Mr. Antolini, saying, “I didn’t

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As a result of Holden having two extremes that are a component of his personality, he has bipolar II disorder. Throughout the novel, Holden presents signs of hypomania, because of his irritability towards others, while also speaking rapidly and having difficulty sleeping. When Holden has had minimal food to eat, has feelings of depression, and most notably when he has pondered death, is another extreme of his personality. There are numerous occasions that Holden experiences both emotions simultaneously. Since Holden encounters levels of depression and hypomania, bipolar II disorder is a more accurate diagnosis than depression.

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Holden Caufield exhibits symptoms of both teen grief and antisocial personality disorder. However, Holden definitely suffers from prolonged grief disorder, rather than being antisocial, because Holden expresses aversion to solitude and a need to be around others. In both the desolate hallways of Pencey as he is leaving, and the empty streets of New York as he is wandering them, Holden feels "lonesome and depressed". The patient is clearly not antisocial. Holden demonstrates a prominent symptom of prolonged grief disorder: he avoids reminders of deceased loved ones.

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Examples Of Holden Being Depressed In Catcher In The Rye

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I was already sort of sorry I 'd let the thing start rolling, but it was too late now” (Salinger 19). This quote goes to show that Holden is trying to be a different person. He normally would accept a night with an escort but as stated in the quote he was so depressed he couldn 't even think about his decisions. A later quote shows that he doesn 't even use his real name he uses the name “Jim Steele”.

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Holden has a very different way of showing his depression in the novel. His depression is present when he tries to keep his innocence and stray away from adult hood all while trying to keep his relationship with his brother Allie. Holden wants to be the “catcher in the rye “. He wants to be that person who catches those kids who are falling off the cliff into adulthood. Holden wants to protect those who are close to him and those that he loves.

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Holden's constant feeling of being depressed is established early on in the book. For example, when Holden says goodbye to one of his professors before leaving Pencey, he finds himself overwhelmed with sadness over the normal act of a sendoff: “Then we shook hands. And all that crap is. It made me feel sad as hell, though” (15). This is demonstrating that when Holden is in social interaction, he tends to feel down.

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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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Holden Caulfield Ptsd

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To begin, early in the novel Holden tells the reader about his younger brother Allie that passed away due to leukemia. It is also made known to the reader that Holden has PTSD from this tragic situation. Holden has a hard time trusting people because of this, and has struggled with mental illness since Allies death. In addition to trust issues and PTSD, Holden tends to go into a fantasy world when he gets depressed. In that world, he “talks” to Allie out loud as if he was there.

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In the novel “The Catcher in the Rye”, the protagonist Holden Caulfield demonstrates his unusual behaviour. The narrator introduces the story of an emotionally damaged teenager whose suspicions and personal issues prevent him from being “normal” in a society full of phonies that he does not seem to get along with. It becomes clear that Holden has clouded judgement as he rides an emotional rollercoaster of mood swings with the people he likes, and dislikes. Therefore, it becomes obvious that some of his personal flaws include his distrust, depression, and unreasonable attitudes and thoughts are based on his underlying emotional problems. Holden Caulfield has a variety psychological problems, such as his skepticism, depressive behaviour, and

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What Are The Causes Of Holden's Mental Breakdown

2021 Words | 9 Pages

Holden exhibits many of the physical symptoms of depression, such as changes in appetite, unexplained physical problems, and increased consumption of alcohol (Mayo Clinic). By the end of the novel, Holden experienced a complete nervous breakdown and displays many of the symptoms of depression. Once in the novel Holden mentions his thin physique while at a diner. He says, “I’m a very light eater… That’s why I’m so damn skinny,” (Salinger 120).

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