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Holden Caulfield Psychoanalysis

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Holden Caulfield is a regular individual, yet he has had some traumatic incidents during his life. I believe that these things are the reason that Holden has been acting weird with his actions and his beliefs. The mixture between major depression and a memorable event in his life has caused him to act out throughout his life and caused him to be put into a mental home, although he does not need to be there. Holden’s problem isn’t something wrong with him mentally but something that went wrong with his life. I believe that with proper treatment and someone to talk to that Holden will be just fine. Growing up is hard for some kids and it puts them through an awkward stage in which Holden was trying to find himself. The idea of being the catcher …show more content…

This is the depression that he suffers from that is actually pretty major. In the book Holden constantly used the phrase if you want to know. That showed that he thought that no one cared for him. An example of this is when Holden said, “I was born, an what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth” (Salinger 1). On the very first page of the book that he wrote we can already see that he is doubting that anyone will care enough to listen. This type of depression is the feeling of being lonely. Holden felt lonely a lot through his book. This made me think that Holden needs to use talk therapy. Additionally, Holden will need to keep writing about his feelings to keep in touch with our therapists. In my personal opinion I do not believe that Holden requires any type of medication to cure his depression. Furthermore, another part of his depression was the fear of disappearing. This fear was because he thought that since no one liked him that he was going to disappear and no one would find him. "Allie, don't let me disappear. Allie, don't let …show more content…

Sex is something I just don't understand. I swear to God I don't” (Salinger 63). We can see Holden has clash of his emotions as he is trying to find himself out. He does not understand sex and tries to get it out of his life. Yet he is overtaken by his emotions to have relationships with girls because he is getting older and thinking about things like that. It is normal for a kid to be awkward around the adolescent years. Holden should not be attacked for being a little different as he is just growing up. Although, he has had some traumatic experiences that have also been the cause of him being different. We find out in Holden’s book that James Castle, a kid from school, and Holden’s brother Allie had passed away when Holden was still very young. These situations were hard for Holden to cope with and made him part of the way he is today. In the book we can see the impact of just James Castle when he jumped. “ So they started in on him. I won't even tell you what they did to him--it's too repulsive--but he still wouldn't take it back, old James Castle. And you should've seen him. He was a skinny little weak-looking guy, with wrists

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He faces many problems throughout the book, and is always trying to save kids innocence. Holden also wants to stay a kid and not grow up, however he finds out that he can’t do this by the end of the novel. Some people may think that Holden wasn't successful throughout his journey, however, one could also see how he was successful in his journey. By the end of the novel, Holden was able to find out that he couldn't save kids innocence, he couldn’t be a kid forever, and he sees that even though the world is filled with evil, he can accept it, or at least live with it.

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These few lines from the book are a clear indication of Holdens loneliness. Holden didnt have a good explanation as to why he started crying out of blue, only to say himself that he was depressed and

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Holden’s Journey Towards Healing Holden’s mindset and attitude have not changed by the end of the novel. Holden is unable to understand his own mind, which makes it hard for him to understand the world around him. His introspectiveness makes it hard for him to find his place in society, which is the barrier Holden must overcome in order to start his healing process. Holden is not able to interpret the reasoning behind his own thoughts, which causes him to disregard his problems. He continually disregards and undermines his own experience in order to give some sort of explanation for his issues.

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He knows deep down his mistakes, failing out of school, and disconnecting himself from the world, will affect more than his life at 15. Everyone else is growing up and living their lives the way they intended. So although Holden is thinking of them, they probably are not thinking of Holden. The rest of the world was moving on but without Holden. Salinger shows how Holden’s fear of being forgotten contributes to his challenges of growing

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Holden has a very different way of showing his depression in the novel. His depression is present when he tries to keep his innocence and stray away from adult hood all while trying to keep his relationship with his brother Allie. Holden wants to be the “catcher in the rye “. He wants to be that person who catches those kids who are falling off the cliff into adulthood. Holden wants to protect those who are close to him and those that he loves.

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Furthermore, Holden starts to hate all the adults or loses faith in them, calls them phony. Holden has a second thought of becoming an adult he loses hope in his future and it seems to him nothing in the world matters to him anymore. We can see that throughout the book. He smokes, gets drunk, and does daring acts like getting a prostitute in his room. He also tries to escape all this guilt and grief by wasting time with unnecessary people he calls phony.

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Holden struggles with growing up and facing reality. There are many examples of Holden’s immaturity that are displayed in many forms such as facing responsibilities, his speech, his actions, and etc. Holden’s outlook on adult life is that it is superficial and brimming with phonies, but childhood was all about looking pleasing and innocent. He wants everything to stay the same and for time to stop. As Holden progresses in age, he will discover more about becoming mature in the

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Boy gone crazy or depressed? Holden is in a deep depression but, does he stay depressed or go crazy? After Holden’s brother (Allie) dies he gets very depressed. Holden wasn 't even able to attend the funeral.

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At the end of the novel, when Holden is finished telling his story, he says that he could probably tell us about how he got sick. He also acknowledges “the one psychoanalyst guy they have [there]” who asks if he is going to start applying himself (234). The fact that there is someone analyzing his behavior is a clear indicator that he shows signs of mental illnesses. Holden dodges any questions about his feelings of what happened to him because he does not know how to feel. The psychoanalyst also asks Holden if he is going to start applying himself in school more, but Holden does not fully answer the question.

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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 not fully recovered he is much less depressed than his earlier stages in the book. Holden has taken a step further in his adult life and rather than dismissing those around them he begins to value them, thus being a big step. In the book Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, the narrator and protagonist Holden Caulfield a sixteen year old junior undergoes a series of changes; changes that helped a distraught teenager learn that everyone grows up. You don 't need to be the “Catcher in the Rye” that protects the children from going if the deep end thought

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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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