ipl-logo

Examples Of Grief In Catcher In The Rye

417 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on the catcher in the rye symbolism

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. In fact, Holden's predisposition for lying stems from a desire to escape reality and all reminders of his dead younger brother Allie, who is the source of Holden's grief. Holden exhibits great …show more content…

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. I recommend he be prescribed a 16 week treatment program involving "interpersonal therapy, motivational interviewing, positive psychology and cognitive-behavioral therapy" to assist him in understanding his grief and moving on (Columbia

Show More
Related
809 Words | 4 Pages

Stricken Catcher in the rye is a novel by J.D. Salinger about boy named Holden Caulfield. Holden over the course of days He goes from completely unethical person to downright unbearable. He starts out at Pencey the school that he was currently frequenting until they gave him the axe. He then left Pencey”sleep tight, ya morons!” with about three days left of down time (he left Pencey early.).

Read More
971 Words | 4 Pages

His mom spoke with me about his experience with a therapist. I also met with his therapist myself and it was brought to my attention that Holden refuses to let go of the death of his brother. When Holden was talking to his roommates about his brother Allie, a lot of memories came back to him. He talked about how he smashed the windows in his garage and how he gave up on everything because of the death of his brother. For example Holden says, “it wasn’t just that he was the most intelligent member in the family.

Read More
934 Words | 4 Pages

Sympathy is one of the main feelings that reveal our humanity and personal values. However, Holden Caulfield, the main character in J.D. Salinger’s Catcher In The Rye, seems like the type of guy that wouldn’t be able to feel sympathy. He has many faults, including depression, excessive lying, suicidal thoughts, and more that could interfere with compassion. In addition, he tends to cover up his emotions so as to not convey his true feelings. Despite these character faults, he still expresses and shows sympathy many times in the book, to many different characters.

Read More
587 Words | 3 Pages

Holden’s desire for individualism coupled with the loss of the only true individual he knew created a breach of loneliness in Holden's life that was unable to be filled. Overall, chapter 20 best displays Holden’s struggle with depression as his thoughts of his own death, funeral, and afterlife become more frequent. Throughout the chapter Holden constantly voices his ideas of what his funeral would be like. Holden is even happy that “[his mother] wouldn't let old Phoebe come to [his] funeral because she was only a little kid” (171) implying Holden feels it would be ok to die since, Phoebe would be shielded some of the pain she may face with his death.

Read More
818 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the story, Holden’s decisions and attitude were manipulated by constant grief and sorrow. The remnant of pain from Allie’s death made Holden obsessed with the idea of preserving childhood youth, which came with his fear of growing

Read More
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.

Read More
1065 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
564 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
997 Words | 4 Pages

Unhappiness in One’s Life Can Lead to Finding Phoniness in Everything Else; The Catcher in the Rye There used to be a tall, mean bully in Pre-K that I went to school with. Everyone was scared of her because she was bigger than everyone else and she always made fun of her classmates. She would make mean comments about the clothes we would wear and the things we would do. One day, she made fun of my pink velcro shoes and claimed that they were for babies.

Read More
1410 Words | 6 Pages

He childishly defies authority at every corner as if it will somehow help keep him young and innocent. Holden’s real concern about his life is the fact that people mature and grow. He feels frustrated because he cannot control the fact that he is getting onler. Also he believes that if he does not get older, Allie, his dead younger brother, will seem more alive. Holden is the type of person that mourns continuously no matter the time that has passed between this person’s death and the present time.

Read More
639 Words | 3 Pages

These realizations made Holden who he is now: bad-tempered, depressed and disconnected with others but, helped establish a closer bond with his sibling. When Holden was notified about Allie’s death, Holden’s grieving turned into anger and depression. He

Read More
881 Words | 4 Pages

Through the traumatic life event that was the death of Allie, he was frozen in time psychologically, as the immature creature he is seen as now. The aforementioned habit of calling others phony is quite immature and childish, similar to how a child would call someone names when angered. “Traumatic life events can cause the child to become ‘stuck’ at a particular level of psychological development... s/he may, therefore, often seem immature.” (Hosier, 1) Allie’s death is something in Holden’s life that he has been unable to come to terms with, as he was never given closure.

Read More
656 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the book, Holden is struggling to get by. The death of his brother Allie has left him in a tough spot. Holden doesn’t exactly know how to deal with this. The different stages of grief are represented through Holden. Holden shows denial and anger when he flashbacks to one of his memories after his brother’s death.

Read More
332 Words | 2 Pages

Grief can affect not only the person experiencing it, but also those who are close to him. J.D. Salinger’s novel illustrates this through a teenager’s reflection on a troubled time in his life. The experiences of both Holden and his sister, Phoebe, as they cope with the death of their beloved brother Allie reveal the importance of accepting the death of a loved one, as well as the effects grief has on a person’s behavior and the difficulty of writing a stupid fucking essay at 9:30 at night. One idea conveyed through the novel is that accepting the death of a loved one is an important step in coping with grief. Holden’s reluctance to accept his brother’s death is evinced by his conversation with Phoebe after he returns to his home. When asked

Read More
1378 Words | 6 Pages

The only motivator that Holden has to continue living is his younger sister, Phoebe, who is extraordinarily intelligent for her age. After he gets kicked out of Pencey, Holden is lost in life. He speaks to many people, seeking advice and comfort, but they are not able to help him find a human connection. Holden’s depression increases throughout the novel, almost to the point of suicide. He criticizes many people and ideas, labeling them as ‘phony’.

Read More

More about Examples Of Grief In Catcher In The Rye

Open Document