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Examples Of Ptsd In Catcher In The Rye

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Finding PTSD in The Catcher in the Rye The world-wide famous book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger can be argued to contain a character that goes about his life with many symptoms of PTSD. The main character, Holden Caulfield, goes through a truly tough time in his life after he loses his little brother, Allie, to leukemia. The article “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” from the National Institute of Mental Health helped me better understand the mental illness of PTSD. Both the book and the Article have taught me that PTSD is a mental health disorder that usually occurs after a stressful or terrifying event in someone's life. Numerous amounts of symptoms come with this condition. Holden Caulfield displays all symptoms such as sleep deprivation, forgetfulness, angriness, startled easily, unable to concentrate, and avoidance of places, events, or objects that may remind him of his brother’s death throughout the entire novel. (“PTSD” 1-2). Evaluating The Catcher in the Rye and “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder”, I can conclude that Holden Caulfield is struggling with the anxiety disorder of PTSD by possessing the many corresponding symptoms portrayed. Holden's disorder most likely began the day of his brother’s death. He reveals the …show more content…

Readers can conclude from what they are told that until his brother passed away he was a normal student. Holden once mentioned that, “They gave me frequent warning to start applying myself but I didn’t do it.” He was talking about the things his administrators told him before each expulsion. The administrators knew that Holden is an intelligent boy and realized the experiences he has gone through but knew he does not have the desire to learn anymore. The PTSD packet states that avoidance is a symptom of PTSD. This one specific symptom is described as, “Losing interest in activities that were enjoyable in the past.” (“PTSD”

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Based on the National Institution of Mental Health and examples from the novel The Catcher in the Rye, the main protagonist Holden Caufield displays multiple signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Throughout the novel, Holden shows many of the symptoms such as avoidance, and hyperarousal. Those who experience symptoms such as the ones mentioned, they most likely have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD much like Holden did. J.D Salinger portrayed PTSD through Holden and how he, and like so many others suffer from this mental disorder.

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