Holden Caulfield Research Paper

Adolescence, this is a time where you figure out who you truly are. This soul searching leads to self realization. Holden Caulfield from The Catcher In The Rye by J. D. Salinger, has trouble accepting himself. Throughout his days he would put on a cap just to be someone else. It is his get away place, a place of isolation. A way for him to seclude from the world and become someone he isn’t. This is relatable to numerous teens. Though Holden could be described using numerous adjectives, Holden's character can be perfectly described as ignorant, a liar, and a slacker. He is ignorant because he does not learn from his mistakes. He is a compulsive liar. Finally, he is a slacker because he avoids work. Holden is just like countless people out there who do not apply themselves. You see, Holden could be smart. He could be successful. He just doesn’t have the motivation or ambition to do so.

Where do the ducks go during the Winter when the water is frozen? In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the character, Holden Caulfield, has an underlying mental condition. He failed out of four schools; he saw his friend commit suicide; and his younger brother died of cancer. These life-changing experiences paved the way for Holden’s insecure and unstable life. By his narration, Holden hints at his disorder throughout the book without fully explaining his condition. Holden’s many insecurities, his teetering on the edge of childhood and adulthood, and his irrational ideas help the reader realize that Holden has a mental problem.

Christopher Moore once said “If you think anybody is sane you just don’t know enough about them”. J.D Salinger continuously suggests that Holden Caulfield could be mentally ill, by intertwining the events happening in his life with the twisted and often macabre images and behaviors that Holden constantly exhibits throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye. Holden appears to exhibit three very real and potentially dangerous mental disorders this is shown through Holden’s questionable actions for example burning matches just to watch them burn, having vivid images about killing or harming others, and his constant need to control others lives and that is just the tip of the questionable iceberg that is Holden. Could Holden really be classified

The patient, Holden Caulfield, as he told in his story The Catcher in the Rye, written by J. D. Salinger, shows many signs of mental illness. Holden is a confused teenage boy that lives in the heart of New York City. He attended Pencey Prep until recently when he was kicked out because he was unable to apply himself to school. Holden often seems to struggle in his social life and with his emotions. He has trouble fitting in with other people his age and fights with himself over how he should act and think. These struggles are heightened by a traumatic past and highlight many signs of mental illness. All of Holden Caulfield’s symptoms point to more than just typical teenage struggles but to a mix of Post Traumatic Stress

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a story about the trials of life and the toll it can take on the psyche. I believe that Holden Caulfield is an under credited hero. He is a teenager forced to grow up in a time of turmoil with severe emotional handicaps placed upon him by family, friends and life in general.

In J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the character of Holden Caulfield does not convincingly embody a compassionate and caring character. Holden, after having a difficult year at school, finds comfort in his memories of his brother Allie. Another instance of Holden finding comfort, is when he spends time with Phoebe. In the same way, Phoebe is supportive when spending time with Holden. However, this takes a turn for the worse, as Holden reveals to Phoebe that he is leaving. Holden finds comfort and love through his memories of Allie, his experiences with Phoebe and the support from he receives from her.

Throughout the novel, Holden Caulfield’s reaction to the situations he encounters indicate that he has depression. He has a hard time bonding with others and often feels lonesome, has continuous thoughts about suicide, abuses alcohol, experiences high levels of sexual frustration. All of these are the main symptoms of people suffering from major depression disorder (MDD), which also apply to Holden. Furthermore, Holden eventually being admitted into the mental hospital solidifies the stance that he has a behavioral disorder. A person who has depression can have recurring thoughts of suicide, feelings of worthlessness; have depressed mood and decreased self-awareness (Bellenir). Millions of people suffer from depression. As seen in Holden’s case, MDD can be life-threatening and affects beyond the one suffering from depression. It is imperative to treat the people with depression as soon as possible, by taking them to a therapist, as their case may worsen

When Holden arrives New York, he tried to call several people but for various reasons he decided against it. Holden doesn’t seem to know what to do in New York since he is three days earlier as expected by his parents. So he rode a cab and he asked the cab driver where the ducks in Central Park go when the lagoon freezes, but his question annoys the driver.

Holden Caulfield is a person we can all relate to. For Holden the death of his brother Allie has impacted him through out the book till the end. He has collapsed after his brothers death. It has impacted him a lot he miss his brother Allie so much. Holden loved his brother very much and idealized him so much.

This decision to go alone to New York City shows that being at Pencey Prep was simply making Holden feel lonelier, which makes him feel even more depressed. Holden also shows many other symptoms of depression, many of which deteriorate his overall health. However, the biggest cause of Holden’s depression and what should be considered the top cause of his mental breakdown is the death of Allie and the grief that came with it. The impact that it had on Holden was enormous. During Chapter 5, Holden goes on to describe the night and aftermath of Allie’s death by saying “I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the windows in the garage. I don't blame them. I really don't. I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it. I even tried to break all the windows on the station wagon we had that summer, but my hand was already broken and everything by that time, and I couldn't do it. It was a very stupid thing to do, I'll admit, but I hardly didn't even know I was doing it, and you didn't know Allie” (50). That night illustrated the first and second stages of grief: shock and

“I’d say to him,’Allie, don't let me disappear. Allie, don't let me disappear. Allie, don't let me disappear. Please, Allie.’ And then when I'd reach the other side of the street without disappearing, I'd thank him”. (Salinger 258). In Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger, Holden Caulfield, the main protagonist, experiences many deaths throughout his journey. One of these deaths being Allie Caulfield, Holden’s long lost brother. Allie dies of leukemia in the year of 1946, at the age of eleven. As Holden progresses throughout the book, the reader comes to understand that Allie’s death begins to degrade Holden, to the point where he wants to remain in his childhood years.

Holden Caulfield was having a horrible time throughout this entire book except for the end when he is with his sister at the park. Even though this book is only a story over three days, Holden makes it feel like it is longer than that just by all the different things going on around him at that time. The things like Holden getting kicked out and him eventually ending up in therapy at the end of the book all happened in three days. Holden has the right to have anger throughout this book because of all the horrible things happening to him. This book would not be a good memoir for Holden because it is about the three worst days of his life and it didn’t show us what Holden’s life outside of these three days is actually like.

Although he is observant and quick to make judgments, Holden fails to socially interact with others and completely understand the situations occurring in his environment. In New York, Holden continuously wonders where the ducks in the Central Park lagoon go during the winter. The ducks can be seen as a parallel to Holden’s life itself. Similar to the ducks who are left with nowhere to move as the pond freezes over, Holden runs away from school in order to escape the pressure of change surrounding him. Isolated in New York with no one to seek comfort in, Holden’s anxiety increases and he repeatedly seeks for the answer to the location of the ducks. In an attempt to find comfort in the city, Holden repeatedly ask two drivers his query about the ducks, even trying to befriend one of the strangers by asking him to drink. In the moment, it seems like a crazy and immature request, but as a whole represents Holden’s desperate search to find a place of belonging in the world. Longing for companionship, the ducks provide a sense of comfort to Holden who feels the need to “see what the hell [they] were doing.” After enduring many hardships such as being robbed of his money and having no place to sleep, Holden’s mental state worsens. In a final attempt to understand his place in the world, Holden returns to the “partly frozen and partly not frozen” lagoon and becomes disappointed when

The patient is Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old teenage boy. Caulfield's appearance is tall for his age and surprisingly has quite a few gray hairs at the age of sixteen. Holden comes from an upper-middle class family. His family has enough money to support Holden with many luxuries including skates and expensive suitcases. It appears that Mr. and Mrs. Caulfield aren?t there to talk, care, and be there for Holden, which seems to drive Holden away from his family. However, he has an intimate bond with his younger siblings, who embody innocence and youth. The death of his brother Allie has left a large scar on Holden. He has a cherished and intimate relationship with his young

Critics have been dissecting and devouring every aspect of The Catcher in the Rye for decades. Despite that, there is still debate over whether or not Holden Caulfield is mentally ill or if he is simply going through the trials of adolescence. Based on his disposition, it is fair to say that he is somehow affected by a mental disease. In many in-depth studies of the text, writers have diagnosed Holden with a surfeit of diseases. These include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, and many more.