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How Is Holden Caulfield Relevant Today

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The famous novel, “The Catcher in the Rye'' by J.D. Salinger was first published in 1951, yet it still continues to be relevant to this day. Many find themselves relating to the main character of the book, Holden. Holden was a kid who got expelled from his school, then went to New York City and tried to live on his own. He encountered many problems and difficulties, which many relate to. Despite being over half a century old, the novel still remains relevant in present-day society because of its portrayal of the search for personal identity, growing up, and the struggles of mental health. To begin with, the search for one’s personal identity was a main theme throughout the entirety of the novel. The book explores the difficulties that teenagers …show more content…

Holden is a deeply troubled character who struggles with depression, anxiety, and loneliness. He struggles to make meaningful connections with others and is constantly searching for a sense of belonging. This was shown in the book when Holden said, “I got up and went over and looked out the window. I felt so lonesome, all of a sudden. I almost wished I was dead” (Salinger 48). Holden’s loneliness was beginning to pay a toll on his mental health, as he was tired of it. He said he would much rather be dead than live his lonely life. This shows his mental issues, with the idea of suicidal ideation. Holden also finds himself in a depressed state of mind, which many people all over the world relate to, not just teens. This was also shown in Aubry’s words, “Huck: I felt so lonesome I most wished I was dead." Holden: "All I did was, I got up and went over and looked out the window. I felt so lonesome, all of a sudden. I almost wished I was dead." Both boys are motivated to consider suicide by a feeling of intense loneliness” (Aubry 1-2). Aubry found a connection with another boy and Holden, and how they both were suffering from loneliness, causing their mental issues. Depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues are common concerns in modern society, which is why the seventy-one-year-old novel finds itself suitable

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801 Words | 4 Pages

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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320 Words | 2 Pages

One of the main themes in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is rebellion and hiding real emotions from society. This book is set during the early 1950’s, but it still contains important themes that are relevant today. Although Holden Caulfield, the main character and narrator is fiction, he does and says many things that teens would in real life. For example, Holden curses a lot. This is most likely because he wants to feel older, and again, wants to rebel from authority.

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417 Words | 2 Pages

Holden Caufield exhibits symptoms of both teen grief and antisocial personality disorder. However, Holden definitely suffers from prolonged grief disorder, rather than being antisocial, because Holden expresses aversion to solitude and a need to be around others. In both the desolate hallways of Pencey as he is leaving, and the empty streets of New York as he is wandering them, Holden feels "lonesome and depressed". The patient is clearly not antisocial. Holden demonstrates a prominent symptom of prolonged grief disorder: he avoids reminders of deceased loved ones.

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2377 Words | 10 Pages

After his brother Allie died, the first thing Holden did was punch out all the windows in his garage. He also attacked Stradlater after he refuses to use Holden’s essay because he felt Stradlater was dissing Allie. Most grievers bargain with God, but Holden is not religious so he bargains directly to Allie, praying to keep him from disappearing. Holden Begins to feel adulthood as he’s maturing from childhood. He does not only grieve for the death of Allie, but also for the death of his childhood.

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338 Words | 2 Pages

Holden represents the theme depression throughout the novel. Depression is a serious condition in which a person feels sad, hopeless, and unimportant. One main reason he experiences depression is because he withdraws himself from society, struggling with the death of his brother, and a lack of motivation in life. Holden's personality is very pessimistic which shows that he tends to look at the negativity instead of the bright side of life. Another reason Holden is depressed is because of his habit of drinking and smoking.

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1768 Words | 8 Pages

Holden had to cope with big changes without the support of anyone. Adjusting to a new way of life is difficult on its own, but without anybody being there to teach and support him, it becomes increasingly more problematic. As he is reflecting on his life he states, "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, an what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me," (3). He felt like he couldn’t talk about his life to anyone and open up because the people who are supposed to be there to love and support you were absent for him. Holden thought that he did not belong, he says, “how my parents were occupied”, they were never able to give him support so he considered himself to be all alone.

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1039 Words | 5 Pages

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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550 Words | 3 Pages

Factors that led me to this diagnosis are Holdens constant state of depression, the loss of his brother, and him expressing both feelings of loneliness and suicidal thoughts. Numerous times throughout The Catcher in the Rye Holden displays both depressive and suicidal thoughts such as “What I really felt like though was commiting suicide. I felt like jumping out the window” (Salinger 136) and “Please. I’m lonesome as hell. No kidding.

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927 Words | 4 Pages

I felt like jumping out the window. I probably would've done it, too, if I'd been sure somebody’d cover me up as soon as I landed. I didn't want to bunch of stupid rubbernecks looking at me when I was on gory” (Salinger 117). The hopelessness Holden feels, by wanting to commit suicide, is a serious sign of depression.

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999 Words | 4 Pages

Although Holden is a fictional character, many of the symptoms he displays during his journey are real and affect real life teens. Teen depression is a serious mental health problem. One of the possible dangers is the probability that it's not temporary and may affect the teen in a

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353 Words | 2 Pages

Holden’s background reflects the way depression occurs in adolescents of his age. Many attributes to depression included in the article such as “Poor performance in school, Lack of enthusiasm, etc.” (Mental Health America, 1) cause Holden to have emotions related to depression. Holden feel this way because his past experiences including the stress and pain he has worsens his mood and demeanor. Also contributing to his depression, everyone around does not realize the pain he is in so he smokes and drinks to get rid of his pain.

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656 Words | 3 Pages

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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923 Words | 4 Pages

Holden was begging to release his emotions, “ When I finally got down off the radiator and went out to the hat-check room, I was crying and all. I don't know why, but I was. I guess it was because I was feeling so damn depressed and lonesome” (Salinger). The fact that Holden is aware that he has no one make him depress , this was a cry for help for Holden. Therefore, this reveals how humanity is in search for their time to express how they feel.

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1378 Words | 6 Pages

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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693 Words | 3 Pages

Although Holden is a very intelligent character he finds the hypocrisy and ugliness in the world around him and quickly associates it with the adult world. Holden is a very introverted character who hesitates throughout the book to share information about his life . J.D Salinger makes sure to portray Holden that way to

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