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How Does Holden Present Depression In Catcher In The Rye

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Holden Caulfield In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, the character Holden shows the symptoms of depression. Holden is kicked out of boarding school multiple times and is unable to make meaningful connections with others because he thinks they are all phonies. Holden’s negative attitude and inability to deal with his brother’s death cause many of his problems. Holden Caulfield is extremely lonely, often thinks about suicide, and drinks excessively. First, Holden is extremely lonesome. Holden lacks friendships typically because he judges people before he gets to know them. He looks for negative reasons to not befriend people because he does not want to open himself up. Holden believes most people are phonies. When Holden gets off the train …show more content…

After being turned by Faith Cavendish, Holden takes a tax cab to Ernie’s bar and “orders a scotch and soda, which is [his] favorite drink, next to frozen daiquiris” (85). Holden is a well-experienced drinker of alcohol. Holden believes that drinking will make him feel better when really it just prevents him from dealing with his pain. Later on in Holden’s week in New York, he makes plans with his old acquaintance Sally Hayes. Holden takes Sally to see a play, ice-skating in central park, and finally to dinner. At the end of his date with Sally, Holden begins to wish to run away and have a life with Sally because even though she is someone who stands for everything he hates, she listens to him. He becomes hysterical. After this fiasco, Holden calls up an old friend from the Whooten School, Carl Luce, to have drinks. Holden and Carl have drinks together and Holden starts peppering Carl with questions about sex and his sex life. Since Holden last knew Carl, he has grown up and is no longer the sex-crazed fiend he once was. After Carl leaves, “[Holden] kept sitting there getting drunk” (149). Holden is unable to make meaningful connecti0ns with people so he numbs his pain with

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Holden is lonely and this is very noticeable throughout his stay at the hotel. He was desperation to talk to someone so had thoughts of calling his little sister (Phoebe). “ I certainly felt like talking to her on the phone. Somebody with sense and all.” Holden announces his needs to be intoxicated by begging the waiter for alcohol in the Lavender at the hotel.

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Holden originally attended Pencey Prep but could never connect with the people around him. He is always criticizing or fighting with others, which lead him to leave Pencey without telling anyone. Holden heads to NYC where he faces many challenges with others and himself, emotionally and physically. Holden finds himself in his hotel room with a prostitute and feels extremely uncomfortable with what he is doing so he pays her and sends her off. The next day he plans a date with Sally Hayes, an old girlfriend, to see a play where he calls her “a pain in the ass” and laughs.

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His hatred for everything is what caused the loneliness. There are only two people that have liked Holden for who he is and that is his sister Phoebe and his brother Allie, all the other people might have liked Holden but also complained a lot about him and therefore they became phonies in the eyes of Holden. The one thing that made him feel less lonely was when he met Phoebe. Allie is also mentioned around the book at times when Holden feels lonely.

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Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye, is depressed not because of the environment he is in, but because of his perception of it. For most of the book, we see how he is continuously depressed by the digressions he makes, such as considering a stranger’s story, which ends up having no importance to him, except for the fact that it depresses him. He also is constantly angry at "phonies," who, to Holden, are essentially flawed people. This applies anywhere he goes, meaning that the only constant thing, and therefore the cause, is Holden himself. However, by the end of the book, we see how he has grown happy, despite the world he lives in.

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Although Holden considers his school liars for not fully implementing their motto, he also labels himself ‘the most terrific liar.” Consequently, in almost every situation, Holden finds a way to develop fictitious stories of his life to avoid speaking the truth. On a train ride to New York, Holden encounters mother of classmate Ernest Morrow and creates a fake identity to falsely praise her son, who he actually considers the “biggest bastard” at Pencey. Holden’s inability to remain honest displays how he is no different than the classmates he criticizes for sharing only certain aspects of themselves to the rest of the world. Additionally, during the novel there are many times where Holden acts opposite to his own beliefs.

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Along with the many people he meets during his journey home, Holden goes to see a girl named Sally. He tells Sally he loves her as a lie, just to prove to himself he can be crazy. Holden is lying to someone he could have a real relationship with, but ruins it. Holden says to Sally, “Then, just to show you how crazy I am, when we were coming out of this big clinch, I told her I loved her and all. It was a lie, of course, but the thing is, I meant it when I said it.

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Throughout the novel, Holden is seen trying to make friends to feel a sense of belonging after a long time of isolation. For example, the direct speech, “yeah. I was defending your goddam honor. Stradlater said you had a lousy personality. I couldn’t let him get away with that stuff.”

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One way Holden’s loneliness and challenges with friendship are shown is when Holden is kicked out of Pencey, his boarding school.   After Holden decides to leave Pencey early, he returns home to New York City.  Instead of going all the way home, he chooses to explore the city alone. When he arrives in New York City after just exiting the train, Holden’s first action is revealed in the following quote.

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When Holden and Sally get to the bar, Holden asks Sally a

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In The Catcher in the Rye, the author J.D. Salinger, introduces the protagonist; Holden Caulfield. Holden feels the sense that he cannot choose between the two worlds. For example, he makes it seem as both of them are complete opposites from each other. In the book, Holden wants to keep his innocence, but he also wants to grow up and toss that innocence away. He still keeps his childhood personality by constantly obsessing over things that shouldn’t matter.

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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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Holden’s Struggle To Find Himself: Throughout the novel, The Catcher In The Rye, by J.D. Salinger, Holden struggles to find himself and who he truly is in order to be happy. His struggles relate to many things that he does or say in particular. Holden lacks with a social status with women and his family, whether it’s a relationship or being antisocial. Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield experiences the complexities and struggles involved with both physical and emotional relationships.

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