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Humanity In JD Salinger's The Catcher In The Rye

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Humanity is capable a lot of things. We all are capable of becoming victims of society or being the the ones committing the action. Moreover, in general as people we tend to shield our true selves , neglecting the idea of expressing how we think and what we believe in. This is exemplified in JD Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye , where a teenage boy, Holden Caulfield, briefly describes an eventful weekend he had experienced. It all began with him being kicked out of his school for failing all his classes, but English. As he embarked a new journey on his own he tried reconnecting with people he had met in his past , to use as a guidance. Furthermore, Holden Caulfield is afflicted with agitation, abandonment, and despondency and these …show more content…

Just as Holden has that feeling of abandonment , we tend to overthink the simplest things , like conversing with another person. Holden is exemplifying his need to express his emotions by constantly trying to be around people, “ "Would you care to stop on the way and join me for a cocktail? On me, I'm loaded “ “ (Salinger). It portrays Holden’s desperation as he is inviting a random taxi driver. Moreover, Holden here representing the motif of alienation reveals how humanity is in need to exploit their time with people and express even if they are a closed person, like Holden who is against the world. 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.It represents how and what affect abandonment has on mankind. The feeling of absolute isolation makes us feel very lonesome and depressed. Primarily, it is safe to say that isolation was the greatest source of Holden's

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Asking each cab driver he has for drinks, even offering to pay for them. This is the first indication of Holden’s willingness buying his friends. At Penecy Prep he does favours for his peers he has no indication of liking. Writing papers for them, letting people borrow his type writer and clothing. His is eager to do whatever it take to be liked by others.

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I slept in the garage the night he died and broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it” (Salinger 39). Ever since the passing of his brother, Holden has never been the same person as he had been. He never quits thinking of Allie and he believes he is with him at all times. When Holden is depressed, which happens frequently, he decides to speak to Allie to comfort him, as shown by, “What I did, I started talking, sort of out loud, to Allie. I do that sometimes when I get very depressed.

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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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During his short time in Manhattan, just the thought of his yellowness and his gloves being stolen at Pencey Prep depresses him to the point where he decides to have more alcoholic drinks after a night in the town. After a night in which Holden didn’t socialize the way he wanted to, he feels so depressed that he wished he died. These instances are important, because it shows that his feelings are unreasonable, and as a result, his depression affects his rational

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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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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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Gretchen Rubin once said, “Negative emotions like loneliness, envy, and guilt have an important role to play in a happy life; they're big, flashing signs that something needs to change.” However, in The Catcher in the Rye there is no one who understands Holden’s loneliness, and Holden does not quite know how to express it. In his novel The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger develops the theme of loneliness through Holden’s need for human contact, suicidal thoughts, and his separation from others around him. One way J.D. Salinger expresses Holden’s loneliness is through his need for human contact.

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