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Holden Caulfield A Psychopath In Catcher In The Rye

717 Words3 Pages

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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