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Holden Caulfield A Psychopath In Catcher In The Rye

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The novel the Catcher in the Rye is a memory told through sixteen year old Holden Caulfield’s perspective. Holden has a history for having a troublesome time in school, and is always eventually expelled. Due to him not being able to apply himself in class, he most likely has an undiagnosed learning disability among other problems. Holden is expelled from his boarding school, which is called Pencey, before Christmas break. He decides to leave and venture by himself in New York in order to avoid his parents. Based on his adventures and narration, Holden is considered a psychopath. He makes an excellent candidate for a psych patient because he is a pathological liar, he fantasizes about objects in his early childhood, and he has a desire for dangerous …show more content…

She becomes suspicious because he is not scheduled to be home until Wednesday. She instantly knows he was expelled and yells “Daddy’ll kill you!” (182). Holden attempts to calm his sister down by telling her he is still enrolled in Pencey Prep, but his attempts are useless. Phoebe becomes even more upset because Holden tried to lie to her.
Holden Caulfield constantly reminisces about people and objects in his childhood. He latches onto or retreats into certain memories. He tells about his deceased brother, Allie, and how he went into an uproar when he passed. Holden smashed windows with his bare hands and slept in the garage the night he died (44). Holden also has a soft spot for his childhood friend, Jane Gallagher. He thinks about her and the memories they shared together frequently. It is evident that he has an obsession with her. Holden pesters Stradlater with questions about if she has mentioned his name, but Stradlater is clearly annoyed by Holden (36). Holden tells Stradlater practically everything he knows about her, however, Stradlater is not into their conversation and ignores Holden leaving him to his own thoughts. Another frequently talks about the ducks and is curious as to where they are in the wintertime. He asks a cab driver if he knows the answer to his question, but the driver is not interested. He rudely states that the ducks stay there during winter (92). When Holden pays for the ride, the driver stops him and tries to calm Holden’s

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This is the first psychiatric hospital admission of the patient, a 16 year-old male. The psychiatric patient admitted himself to care at 9:45 pm on November 21st, 1954. Holden Caulfield arrived at Seattle Grace Hospital with his parents, and younger sister Phoebe. When Caulfield arrived, Holden appeared to be exhausted and lost. He was wearing a beige jacket with a dark brown scarf and a red hunting hat.

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In the 1950’s the American economy was booming due to the conclusion of World War II. Economic prosperity transformed family life and people put more emphasis on the individual. Television programs represented how people should live the ideal life. With many changes in culture people began to have a different perspective on life. In the 1998 film, “Pleasantville” directed by Gary Ross and the novel, “The Catcher in the Rye” written by J.D. Salinger both depict teenage culture of the 1950s.

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Catcher in the Rye is Holden Caulfield’s recounting of the weekend after he gets expelled from the umpteeth time form another private school. His name can be broken down to reveal his struggle to retain his happier childhood memories and innocence, to grow up, and to protect others from the difficulties of life. His first name, Holden, can be interpreted for how he wants to hold onto better times. “I can't remember exactly what I was doing when I heard his goddam stupid footsteps coming down the corridor… When I really worry about something, I don't just fool around… If you knew Stradlater, you'd have been worried, too…

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Holden's little brother, Allie, passed because of leukemia at the age of 11 years old. Holden, at the age of 13 years old, struggled to cope with this traumatic experience. In this scene, Holden invited a loose woman, Sunny, over to his hotel room after meeting her manager in the elevator. Holden wanted to get intimate interactions with Sunny until she actually tried to do excessive physical contact. Holden declares, “I don't feel very much like myself tonight...I'll pay you and all, but do you mind very much if we don't do it"

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Before he leaves though, he "yell[s] at the top of [his] goddam voice, 'Sleep tight, ya morons ' " (68)! Although it is a shame, any reader can see that Holden seems to have nothing going right or in a positive way all because of his negative attitude. Therefore, this attitude leads him to almost care about nothing. Though Holden may seem to be a lost cause because of his negative attitude, he thankfully has an epiphany that changes his view towards the world because he realizes that people have to grow up. When Holden visits his younger sister, Phoebe, he is happy to see her, but when they begin talking their conversation turns negative.

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Furthermore, Holden does not like change. According to him, “Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone.” But he knows you cannot actually do that, which upsets him and as a result he acts out erratically. He is spontaneous in his actions sometimes, once proposing to “get the hell out of here… drive up to Massachusetts and Vermont… stay in the cabin camps and stuff like that till the dough runs out” to Sally, a girl whom he does not even like much.

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The first cause of Holden 's mental illness that readers notice is that he lacks control over his actions. As Holden was 13 years old, his brother Allie died of leukemia. Holdens behavior in response to his brothers death was very violent. “I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it (Holden Caulfield 39).” Holden admits that he didn’t know he was doing it, but says it was a stupid thing to do.

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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’.

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Holden Caulfield, the main protagonist in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, embodies the classic teenager in the process of discovering himself, and how the world works. But, regardless of Holden 's rich, prep school lifestyle, the series of events that have mapped out his life up to this point have utterly affected his emotional well being and perception of the world. Many traumatic events such as the death of holds brother Allie, the death of a class mate, and countless numbers of awkward incidents with adults have all added up to affects Holden 's well-being and detach him from reality. The death of Holden 's younger brother Allie has caused him to confuse his perception of reality and to alienate himself.

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I don’t care if it’s a sad good-by or a bad good-by, but when I leave a place I like to know I’m leaving it.”. Holden is feeling sad that he wants to feel sad and regret of leaving Pencey Prep but he can’t feel anything. In chapter 2 page 11 Holden says “I had to sit there and listen to that crap. It certainly was a dirty trick.”. Holden is feeling annoyed that Spencer is reading his essay out loud to him, you can tell Holden is feeling annoyed by saying “crap”.

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Along with Holden’s many health problems, he is also mentally unstable in that he makes very erratic and irresponsible decisions, particularly when it comes

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Although Holden is a very intelligent character he finds the hypocrisy and ugliness in the world around him and quickly associates it with the adult world. Holden is a very introverted character who hesitates throughout the book to share information about his life . J.D Salinger makes sure to portray Holden that way to

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Throughout the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is a deep character that shows(possesses) many personality traits. His character is what connects many readers to him and helps in understanding him. Some character traits Holden possesses are that he is generous, kindhearted, usually honest, very intelligent, makes quick judgements, speaks his mind, is anxious about change, and likes kids. Considering his many character traits, it is easy for the reader to understand and relate to Holden. There are many character traits that I share with him.

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Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has abnormal tendencies. Although he could just be a typical teenager, dealing with difficult situations, after analyzing his behavior it is believed that he is suffering from a mental ailment of some sort. Events from Holden’s past are still currently haunting him and it is evident that he is struggling. He needs the guidance of those around him in order to help himself through these tough time.

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While many argue that Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye does not deviate from the traditional anti-hero attributes and, therefore, does not display any prominent change, an argument can be made to the contrary. Holden Caulfield goes through some noticeable character development and is in a better place emotionally at the end of the book because he speaks with Phoebe. His meeting with Phoebe and Phoebe’s message to him shows him a youth’s perspective on his world, rather than the superficial sincerity of his elderly professor and his favorite teacher that makes advances on him. Additionally, him being able to successfully communicate with a member of his own family puts him in a better place. His time with her lets him see his own self-image of a “catcher in the rye.”

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