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Holden's Depression In Catcher In The Rye

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There are many causes for depression. Some causes are death or a loss of someone close to a person can cause serious grief or sadness. A band named Daughter wrote “Youth” which is a song about getting hurt by or losing someone or something that she had loved in her past. People she has loved often leave which hurts her because she loved them. In the book, Catcher in the Rye, Holden is in the same situation as the writer of the song and people he is often close with leave him. The song has lyrics that express feelings of regret, sorrow, and the loss of love just like Holden goes through depression and talks about his friends and family he misses a lot. Holden does not have any close friends and has lost his best friends. He experiences a lot …show more content…

He feels as if everyone is left. Holden has given up on trying to date people to fill the void that is so empty in his heart. Holden pushes away most people in his life “'Cause most of [Holden’s] feelings, they are dead and they are gone” because of the people who were never actually there. Most of the people Holden tries to call are recently met friends that he most likely met after the death of his brother. The songwriter has been hurt so many times that she no longer wants to feel anything, so therefore does not allow herself to care about anything or anyone anymore. She has lost hope, not only in love, but also in herself. To her, there is no longer love in the world, no joy or happiness. Holden does the same thing yet he’s still trying to contact people, although he is hurt. The people he tries to connect with do not accept him and no one helps. His mind is “Collecting names of the lovers that went wrong” and the people that he has tried to connect with. The songwriter is remembering all the lovers she could have been happy with, but she is not happy because her heart is still broken and she can not forget that someone. Holden was star struck by Jane but really was close a friend and nothing more. Holden always remembers the people he could of dated, been friends with, and was friends with. Holden is full of sorrow caused by all the people who have left him open to the undeniable pain from the people leaving

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Holden Caulfield experiences flashbacks to the traumatic events that have occurred in his life. Holden is constantly reminded of his younger brother Allie who passed away when he was 11 years old. “So what I did, I wrote about… did, and he had very red hair,” (Salinger 38). The reader can see that Holden is constantly thinking of Allie, and that Allie was one of the people in Holden’s life that made him happy. Holden’s ability to remember the vivid details of Allie and his life prove that these traumatic events, occurring upon those who brought him joy, will always be with him.

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When Holden had reached the climax point of his mental state, he had a hard time to get across the street. “Every time i came to the end of a block and stepped off the goddam curb, I had this feeling that I’d never get to the other side of the street. I’d just go down, down, down and nobody’d ever see me again”. At this moment when his mental state was lost and his shield down, the loneliness consumed him. At one point he even accepted

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The struggle Holden has to express his feelings to Jane can be communicated in this song with the lyrics, “When you were here before, couldn't look you in the eye. You're just like an angel, your skin makes me cry. You float like a feather, in a beautiful world. And I wish I was special, you're so * *

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Furthermore, our second song that we 've come back to on Holden 's play list describes Holden and his brother Allie 's relationship, this song See you again by Wiz Khalifa concerns losing somebody near you, that is analogous to Holden and Allie that were conjointly shut before Allie died. This song is immaterial to Holden as a result of he will relate to once he lost his brother, “Good things we 've been through, That I 'll be standing right here talking to you, 'Bout another path, I know we loved to hit the road and laugh, But something told me that it wouldn 't last.” This song relates to Holden and his brother Allie 's relationship regarding losing somebody near you, and Holden and Allie were shut before Allie died. Furthermore, Holden can be related to these lyrics not only because of Allie 's death impact Holden 's life tremendously, but because it still hurts Holden even though he doesn 't admit to it, but you still can get that vibe from him. Therefore, Allie 's death wedged a Holden 's life staggeringly and it still hurts Holden despite the fact that he does not admit to that, however, you continue to will get that ambiance from him which

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People start to believe that without the presence of their loved one “they don’t want to walk [the] earth” because there is no meaning to life without them(Solo). They feel as if they can no longer experience happiness without their loved one. Holden reaches this point because he feels as if there is no reason for him to live if he doesn’t have Allie to experience life with him. This causes him to start fantasizing about not only his death, but the death of many others when he states that “if there’s another war, [he’s] going to sit right the hell on top of [the atomic bomb]”(141). Holden is taking out his anger on himself as well of society which leads to the assumption that he blames others for the death of his brother.

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The Catcher In The Rye, Loneliness is the main topic of the book. Holden Caulfield is an outsider from the beginning , which makes it easier for him to feel lonely. The author wanted his readers to somehow connect with the book by making him a young teenage boy who is in a stage in his life where his is lonely. Just like how our youth today goes through stages of loneliness in their

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The absence of these things is another similarity in the lives of Holden and Dylan. Holden talks about his depression and lack of caring often throughout the book, “After old Sunny was gone, I sat in the chair for a while and smoked a couple of cigarettes. It was getting daylight outside. Boy, I felt miserable. I felt so depressed, you can't imagine.

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Throughout the novel, Holden has a difficult teenage life, he is not responsible and can not face consequences that follow his irresponsibility. Holden can not let go of his childhood, and he has a tough time because he has to behave like an adult, now that he is 16. Holden is obsessed with his dead brother Allie, and his younger sister Phoebe because they are better than he is. Throughout the novel, Holden had many opportunities to get advice from the others that want to help. He refuses to go home and tell his parents he got kicked out of another school because he does not want to face the

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After getting kicked out of yet another school, he starts to become depressed. Since he does not have anyone to talk to about how he really feels, he continues to lie. Holden’s feelings of deep loneliness drive his behavior throughout the novel. Holden has a negative outlook on people because people in his life continually

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Teen depression is a real clinical issue that affects the emotions and behavior of a teen. This mental struggle has many serious symptoms to it. This problem is usually not temporary and needs long term treatment by medication and psychotherapy. In the novel Catcher In The Rye, we follow the story of a teenager named Holden and his two day adventure after failing school again. Throughout the story he displays many of the symptoms associated with teen depression.

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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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1615 Words | 7 Pages

In the novel The Catcher In The Rye written by J. D. Salinger shows that Holden goes through his journey and is depressed because of his isolation from

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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 is now lost in his own fantasy world not wanting to grow up from his childhood life, due to the tragedy of Allies death. Freud’s theory would examine the depth of the unconscious state and its primary root source attached to incomprehensible pain by noting, “the preconscious state holds information we’ve stored from past experience... This information can be retrieved from memory and brought into awareness at any time” (Freud 469). Because Holden never stops thinking of his brother he is trapped in his own world and can’t find an escape to his mood disorder of depression and his emotion of tribulant grief. However, Holden acknowledges that he is lost, “they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all…I don’t blame them” (Salinger 38).

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(Salinger 23) This shows that Mrs Morrow is allowing herself to be deceived. She 's letting herself think Holden is a soft and sensitive person and it shows that Holden is putting on a

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