ipl-logo

Teenage Depression In Catcher In The Rye

999 Words4 Pages

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. 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 …show more content…

Throughout his adventure, he displays multiple symptoms of teen depression. One of the first symptoms he displays is low academic performance. He tells us in the first few pages of the book that he was evicted from multiple schools and hated all of those schools. Negative thoughts leads us into another symptom of teen depression, the thought that life in the future is grim or bleak. Holden calls almost everybody throughout the entire novel phonies and fakes. Since he calls everyone phonies, it is implied that he does not have a positive look on the world around him. Another symptom that he exhibits during his trip is use of overuse alcohol or drugs. He constantly smokes throughout the entire story and attempts to get a drink at multiple bars despite being only a minor. During his journey he also exhibits lost of interest in pleasure or normal activities; another symptom of teen depression. This is most obvious when he talks to the prostitute in his hotel room. He states, "The trouble was, I just didn't want to do it. I felt more depressed than sexy, if want to know the truth" (pg 96). This one example of when he lost interest in pleasure or normal activities. Holden also shows a change in eating behavior. He states that himself; saying "I had quite a large breakfast, for me-orange juice, bacon and eggs, toast and coffee. Usually I just drink some orange juice.

Show More
Related
1025 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout a child 's life, sooner or later they get thrown into the teenage experience which starts their transition from childhood to adulthood. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main character Holden Caulfield is stuck in his childhood and does not want to grow up. He is a very complex character and has an odd way of dealing with his emotions; he doesn 't. When Holden is faced with a problem, instead of facing it and slowly working his way through it, he tries to get rid of it entirely. He does not want to be thrown into the real world and will do anything to not be put in those “adult like situations”. I believe that Holden’s issues arose about the time when his younger brother Allie passed away due to leukemia when he was only eleven.

Read More
463 Words | 2 Pages

Holden copes with his insecurities in many ways, including calling other people phonies as well as judging and making fun of them, and there are many different examples of this in the text. For instance, on page 209, Holden says, “Then I lit another cigarette - it was my last one. I must’ve smoked about three cartons that day.” Smoking, drinking alcohol, and having sex are some of the ways Holden copes with the stresses and hardships in his life, and from this quote specifically, we can see how extremely nervous he was the day he came

Read More
251 Words | 2 Pages

This implies that Holden lacks the rationality within his actions, as he jumps to absurd measures to reduce his pains. Further, his methods are unconventional as they lead to his depressive state. However,Holden prefers to intoxicate himself to stray away because he is unable face his fears or the idea of desertion. As Holden acknowledges his cowardly characteristic, it reduces his sense of self,and the pain he experiences has eventually evoked his depression. Furthermore, this supports the notion that

Read More
2021 Words | 9 Pages

Holden exhibits many of the physical symptoms of depression, such as changes in appetite, unexplained physical problems, and increased consumption of alcohol (Mayo Clinic). By the end of the novel, Holden experienced a complete nervous breakdown and displays many of the symptoms of depression. Once in the novel Holden mentions his thin physique while at a diner. He says, “I’m a very light eater… That’s why I’m so damn skinny,” (Salinger 120).

Read More
706 Words | 3 Pages

Despite this, some could say growing up is his greatest challenge because he wants to constantly protect the ones who are still growing. Ackley ignores Holden, Holden states that he feels “so lonesome, all of a sudden” and wishes that he “was dead” (54). This shows depression is more effective in Holden’s life than growing up because it makes him feel lonesome and he has a lack of motivation. It is more impactful in Holden’s life than growing up because he constantly feels it. Even over happy and simple things, it can cause him to feel lonely and sad.

Read More
1023 Words | 5 Pages

Some factors that have led to Holden's diagnosis is his tendency to withdraw himself from social events and his always isolating himself from other people. He feels responsible for his brother's death and feels like he wasn't there to protect

Read More
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.

Read More
783 Words | 4 Pages

It 's feeling everything at once than feeling paralysingly numb,” writes Maria Henriksson. Mental illness refers to many conditions that individuals could go through. For example depression, addictive behaviors, and eating disorder have effects that could indicate whether or not an individual has a mental illness. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, Holden faces many hardships after his brother 's death. Holden 's mental illness is inferred through his lack of control, isolating himself from others, and relieving the past which caused him to not move

Read More
859 Words | 4 Pages

Unlike Spencer, he demonstrates teenagers’ cynical perspective on the society, where being an adult will lead to their downfalls or, possibly, to their deaths. Throughout the Catcher in the Rye, Salinger suggests that the cynical perspectives of teenagers may originate from the academic pressure enforced upon them. Spencer unveils his concern on Holden’s future due, to Holden’s academic failure; Holden secretly expresses his discomfort by interrupting Spencer and leaving his house (Salinger 8). In fact, Clinical Psychological Science warned that the stress level increases during the school year. It also alleged the fact that rates of suicide attempts of adolescents were slightly higher than adults (Jayson).

Read More
1615 Words | 7 Pages

Isolation and Depression: A Vicious Cycle Grief. Depression. Isolation. What do you think when you hear those words? Holden Caulfield has been through a lot, from being kicked out of several schools to being so depressed he wonders why he should go on living. Holdens family keeps pushing him away and that’s where he learns his tendency to push people away who he cares about.

Read More
779 Words | 4 Pages

Furthermore, Holden starts to hate all the adults or loses faith in them, calls them phony. Holden has a second thought of becoming an adult he loses hope in his future and it seems to him nothing in the world matters to him anymore. We can see that throughout the book. He smokes, gets drunk, and does daring acts like getting a prostitute in his room. He also tries to escape all this guilt and grief by wasting time with unnecessary people he calls phony.

Read More
837 Words | 4 Pages

Holden struggles with growing up and facing reality. There are many examples of Holden’s immaturity that are displayed in many forms such as facing responsibilities, his speech, his actions, and etc. Holden’s outlook on adult life is that it is superficial and brimming with phonies, but childhood was all about looking pleasing and innocent. He wants everything to stay the same and for time to stop. As Holden progresses in age, he will discover more about becoming mature in the

Read More
728 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
1238 Words | 5 Pages

At the end of the novel, when Holden is finished telling his story, he says that he could probably tell us about how he got sick. He also acknowledges “the one psychoanalyst guy they have [there]” who asks if he is going to start applying himself (234). The fact that there is someone analyzing his behavior is a clear indicator that he shows signs of mental illnesses. Holden dodges any questions about his feelings of what happened to him because he does not know how to feel. The psychoanalyst also asks Holden if he is going to start applying himself in school more, but Holden does not fully answer the question.

Read More
693 Words | 3 Pages

Although Holden is not fully recovered he is much less depressed than his earlier stages in the book. Holden has taken a step further in his adult life and rather than dismissing those around them he begins to value them, thus being a big step. In the book Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, the narrator and protagonist Holden Caulfield a sixteen year old junior undergoes a series of changes; changes that helped a distraught teenager learn that everyone grows up. You don 't need to be the “Catcher in the Rye” that protects the children from going if the deep end thought

Read More

More about Teenage Depression In Catcher In The Rye

Open Document