Holden Caulfield Ptsd

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. In the novel, Holden is being kicked out of his current boarding school Pencey Prep. He is being expelled because he was failing four or five classes. Holden states in the story that he doesn’t try hard

That is a major sign of an avoidance symptom. For example, when Holden and his roommate Stradlater got into an argument over Jane, a girl Holden was very good friends with, who also went on a date with Stradlater; Holden did not really remember what happened after. He even says that his memory is not that great, “This next part I don’t remember so hot. All I know is I got up from the bed like I was going down to the can or something…” (Salinger 40). That was after Stradlater and Holden were talking about his previous date with Holden’s friend Jane Gallagher who he also cared about emotionally. Before that event Holden also couldn’t remember what had happened previously either. When Stradlater came back from the date, Holden stated he had difficultly remembering things that happened or what he was doing. These are very clear signs of the avoidance symptoms in his

He displayed difficulty sleeping, eating and he also felt tense and constantly on edge. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, hyperarousal symptoms are normal after a traumatic or dangerous event. They also say it can make it hard for the individual to complete daily tasks such as eating, sleeping, and even concentrating. Holden demonstrates these symptoms clearly in this novel. Holden states multiple times that he doesn’t sleep very long or that it is hard for him to fall asleep, “It took me quite a while to get to sleep-I wasn’t even tired-but I finally did it” (Salinger 104). He had just got up from lying on the bathroom floor after Maurice punched him in his stomach and took the rest of his money, another traumatic experience he went through. Holden also doesn’t eat much, which is another symptom of PTSD. He never really gets hungry or has an appetite “I felt pretty hungry as soon as I had a cigarette. The last time I’d eaten was those two hamburgers I had with Brossard and Ackley…” (Salinger 105). He can go days without eating and even getting hungry. Holden then leaves the hotel he was staying at because after Maurice had hit him he felt on edge and didn’t want to run into him again, “I didn’t see old Maurice around anywhere. I didn’t break my neck looking for him naturally, the bastard” (Salinger 106). Holden didn’t want to have another run in with Maurice and felt if he stood in the hotel he would so he