Mental Deterioration In Catcher In The Rye

The words “mental breakdown” instill discomfort and fear in the human heart, but what is more chill inducing is just how easily such a mental state can consume someone. Humans like to believe they are the masters of their world, yet the fragility of their measly and overly complex minds leads to a quick recession. It is not long before small stresses such as societal pressures, school, work, and jobs create a large crack in a person’s perception of life. Just a few minute burdens can make a tremendous effect. In The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger exemplifies how loneliness, the transition from childhood to adulthood and mental illness lead to mental deterioration through Holden Caufield.

Jerome David Salinger, also called Sonny by his

After traveling for a while, Steinbeck begins to falter and says, “I succumbed utterly to my desolation... and went to bed and wrote long letters home, passing my loneliness around” (Steinbeck 60). It is simply a matter of time before Steinbeck feels loneliness creep in. Much like Holden, he also looks to others – and the occasional drink – to fill the void. People of all ages feel the effects of mental strain, but a teenager going through a major life transition may lack the experience it takes to handle an additional

Mr. Antolini, a former teacher and familiar face, accepts the restless boy into his home. Seeing the effects of his distress, Mr. Antolini warns, “I have a feeling you’re riding for some kind of a terrible, terrible fall” (Salinger 186). Holden’s warped view of societal change is leading to his unhealthy demise. One analyst best describes him as “…someone cracking up and breaking down under the pressure of a society” (Brookeman 69 in Hochman & Mueller, “The Catcher in the Rye”). As Holden internalizes the pressures of the transition, he slowly begins to believe he may not fit in anywhere, which rips his mind