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Holden Caulfield Ptsd Essay

1000 Words4 Pages

The “Catcher in the Rye” is a novel written by J.D Salinger and focused around the main character Holden Caulfield’s life. Holden Caulfield is a teenage boy who is suffering with many problems within him. When he was 13, his younger brother Allie passed away, which took a great toll in his life. Holden shows many signs of developing the disorder PTSD. PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and it affects Holden throughout the entire book. “PTSD is an anxiety disorder that some people get after seeing or living through a dangerous event,”(“PTSD” 1) and PTSD can occur at any age. The disorder affected his family life, making and having friends and his life at school. Holden experienced many symptoms and events caused by PTSD, which affect …show more content…

He asked Sally Hayes on a date and asks a people he does not even like to go out with him. It does not make sense how he wants an emotional connection with someone but does not want to make a connection especially with new people. Holden is an extremely judgmental person and judges just about everyone. He believes that everyone is insecure, fake, out to get him or his most common word, “phony.” He has so much to say about everyone but never actually confronts him or her and says it. He never shows interest in school or what the teachers think of him as well. These are all signs that can be pointed to PTSD. His school life is affected by the disorder because he shows no interest in communicating or having a career later in his life, he does not try at all. He does not see his future going anywhere or being …show more content…

Holden experienced a very close loss to him of his brother Allie, and he did not take it well at all. “Not everyone with PTSD has been through a dangerous event. Some people get PTSD after a friend or family member experiences danger or is harmed. The sudden, unexpected death of a loved one can also cause PTSD,” (“PTSD”1). The death of his brother could be the main reason for Holden’s disorder. Losing someone he was so close to and experiencing it at only 13 years old is a lot to deal with. His brother Allie is not the only death Holden has had experience with it. Holden heard his classmate James Castle jump to his death from his window, and Holden saw him bloody and his teeth all over the place in his borrowed sweater. He watched people just stare at Castle until Mr. Antolini finally covered him up and helped him. “He was a skinny little weak-looking guy, with wrists about as big as pencils. Finally, what he did instead of taking back what he said, he jumped out the window.” (Salinger 170) Holden explains him as a weak

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I was already sort of sorry I 'd let the thing start rolling, but it was too late now” (Salinger 19). This quote goes to show that Holden is trying to be a different person. He normally would accept a night with an escort but as stated in the quote he was so depressed he couldn 't even think about his decisions. A later quote shows that he doesn 't even use his real name he uses the name “Jim Steele”.

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