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Examples Of Grief In Catcher In The Rye

2872 Words12 Pages

Receiving the tragic news that his younger brother, Allie, has died of cancer, he struggles to comprehend that he has genuinely left this life. So, motivated by pain and desperation, he smashes the windows in the garage one by one with his fist, breaking his hand. This occurs in Catcher in the Rye written by J. D. Salinger follows sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield for two days after he gets expelled from prep school. Additionally, befuddled and disillusioned, Holden, seeks the truth while rebelling against the "phoniness" of the grownup realm. Moreover, Holden is frequently regarded as the archetypal angsty adolescent: obsessed with his own problems, careless, and enraged with "phonies'' he sees everywhere. He alternates between running away …show more content…

His illnesses are conveyed through his constant substance abuse, outbursts, and suicidal ideation. Furthermore, in J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield displays through his actions that he suffers with the stages of grief, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
To begin, grief is a powerful emotional response to a loss, and with it comes the 5 stages of intense denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. In addition, according to Mary O’Connor, achieving a Ph.D. in the Department of Psychology at the University of Arizona, for the National Library of Medicine exemplifies through vigorous research how grief affects the different regions in the brain and the …show more content…

In addition, Josh Watson, a licensed clinical social worker and an affirming psychologist, describes how PTSD can have ever changing effects on adolescents brain chemistry. Watson illustrates the different kinds of traumatic experiences that can cause PTSD, such as, when Holden witnessed James Castle commit suicide and see his little brother Allie die from leukemia. Likewise, Holden expresses signs of panic throughout the novel as a result of the trauma in his life. Hilary Lebow, a journalist with fitness and nutrition certifications through the Yoga Alliance and the National Academy of Sports Medicine, pronounces that PTSD entails feelings of “Irritability, feeling on edge, difficulty with concentration, heightened startle response, sudden bursts of anger” (8). In the novel, Holden’s friend James from boarding school got continuously bullied, worse than Holden and the bullies physically, emotionally, and sexually harrasses James leading him to jump out the window wearing Holden’s shirt. Additionally, Holden’s old teacher, Mr. Antolini, let him spend the night at his house due to his sudden tiredness. Holden frighteningly declared how “I woke up. I felt something on my head, some guy's hand. Boy, it really scared hell out of me. What it was, it was Mr. Antolini's hand. What he was doing

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Holden Caulfield Ptsd Essay

2045 Words | 9 Pages

the Catcher in the Rye “PTSD” Essay Throughout the book The catcher in the Rye, the main character Holden, has many odd experiences pertaining to his mental state. From the different situations that Holden describes it becomes more, and more obvious that he has PTSD. Although Holden has symptoms that correlate to depression he also has symptoms that are not defined by depression. Depression can also be a symptom of PTSD.

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Examples Of Grief In Catcher In The Rye

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Holden says it "drives [him] crazy if somebody gets killed...and it's somebody else's fault," referring to Mercutio in this instance. However, his statement also applies to Allie, who died from leukemia through no fault of his own. Holden expresses his frustration and disillusionment with the world in this situation. Holden has already informed us that his parents are apathetic to his situation: after he shows his frustration at his brother's death by punching out the windows, instead of addressing his grief sympathetically, Holden's parents attempt to send him to be "psychoanalyzed". Holden should be diagnosed with teen grief, rather be sent to a mental institution, an unhealthy, oppressive environment which would dramatically worsen his condition, because of a personality disorder that he does not have.

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Rhetorical Analysis Of The Catcher In The Rye

455 Words | 2 Pages

The book The Catcher in the Rye is a story of internal conflicts and the shallowness of adulthood. The main character, Holden, is struggling to maintain his strong voice of innocence in a fight only involving himself. One of the many reasons for Holden’s emotional devastation is the death of his younger brother Allie. Allie passed away three years earlier from leukemia and this of course highly affected Holden’s mental state at the time even if he didn’t know it. Salinger’s tone held the most importance of this book.

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While in school, Holden also witnesses someone dying, a kid was being bullied and then committed suicide by jumping out a two story window. Holden heard the kids body hit the ground and witnessed him laying on the cement with blood everywhere. That also played a factor in the way he

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Examples Of Ptsd In Catcher In The Rye

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The main character, Holden from “The Catcher in the Rye” is presumed to be suffering from PTSD due to him going through a traumatizing event and later showing symptoms. PTSD is a serious medical condition that the person suffering from it, can not help, however there are treatments for it. PTSD stands for “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder”, It can affect anyone at any age. Most people who get it have lived through a traumatizing or dangerous even that damaged their mental psyche. Holden’s brother, Allie died and that affected him very negatively because him and Allie shared a very close bond with each other.

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Examples Of Ptsd In Catcher In The Rye

663 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the book, Catcher in the Rye, Holden goes on a journey. This journey isn’t a physical journey it is a mental one. Holden experiences post traumatic stress disorder, or more well known as PTSD. PTSD affects Holden both mentally, though the way he think about the world he lives in, and physically, through the way he interacts with other people. “When in danger, it’s natural to feel afraid.

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What Are The Causes Of Holden's Mental Breakdown

2021 Words | 9 Pages

Additionally, another time at a diner he orders a doughnut and coffee, but he is unable to bring himself to eat the doughnut, and even says, “if you get very depressed… it’s hard as hell to swallow,” (Salinger 216). Holden recognized his depression caused by Allie’s death and being isolated in New York for three days, and because of it, he is unable to bring himself to eat. Also, his depression caused him to inexplicably pass out while at a museum (Salinger 225) and nearly vomit while walking around New York (Salinger 202). Additionally, Holden went to Mr. Antolini’s house because he needed a place to stay for the night, and while he was there, Holden said he was “feeling sort of dizzy” and had “a helluva headache all of a sudden,” (Salinger 202). This comes up after Mr. Antolini tries to talk to Holden about his future, and

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Holden Caulfield Ptsd

678 Words | 3 Pages

These issues that he goes through spiral him into a downwards slope later on in the novel. Holden Caulfield shows signs of PTSD and anxiety throughout the novel, the first sign being the death of his brother. The loss of his brother led Holden to display many traits of someone suffering from PTSD. Some of his

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Grief And Acceptance In 'Catcher In The Rye'

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A. Martinez Mr. Shambaugh English 10 Honors 01 March 2023 Grief and Acceptance Many experiences the loss of loved ones closest to them, which can affect many, especially adolescents. Throughout the Catcher in the Rye, Holden gives readers small glimpses of his younger brother, Allie, through objects, presented throughout the story. As a lover of poetry and a bright student with a gleaming future ahead of him, Allie passed away due to leukemia at age 11. The effects of this on Holden are still present throughout the story as he reminiscences the loss of his younger brother.

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Examples Of Thematic Essay On The Catcher In The Rye

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The Catcher in the Rye Thematic Essay Imagine living a lonesome life, full of fear and little hope of better days to come. Imagine the toll this would take on a person’s life and how they develop as a person. For Holden Caulfield, the main character of J.D Salinger’s classic The Catcher in the Rye this, is his reality. Holden is a sixteen year old troubled boy suffering through major mental issues and living a rather a depressing life for a teenager. Throughout the novel he goes through many hardships that only worsen his depression making him feel hatred towards his seemingly hellish world.

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Holden Caulfield Mental Illness

3148 Words | 13 Pages

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, an administration established by Congress in 1992 with a mission to create easily accessible information regarding mental health and substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder can be described as “a real disorder that develops when a person has experienced or witnessed a scary, shocking, terrifying, or dangerous event” (1). Holden Caulfield experiences post-traumatic stress disorder following the traumatic death of his younger brother, Allie. Due to the fact that Holden acutely loved his brother, the tragedy of his untimely death served to amplify intense feelings of trauma and grief. The traumatic memory of his brother’s passing leads Holden to develop post-traumatic stress disorder. First, The Cleveland Clinic reports that a common symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder involves the reliving of a traumatic event through flashbacks or dreams (1).

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656 Words | 3 Pages

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783 Words | 4 Pages

It 's feeling everything at once than feeling paralysingly numb,” writes Maria Henriksson. Mental illness refers to many conditions that individuals could go through. For example depression, addictive behaviors, and eating disorder have effects that could indicate whether or not an individual has a mental illness. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, Holden faces many hardships after his brother 's death. Holden 's mental illness is inferred through his lack of control, isolating himself from others, and relieving the past which caused him to not move

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728 Words | 3 Pages

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