What Is The Theme Of Depression In Catcher In The Rye

Depression is paralyzing, but mostly it is terrifying. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is displayed as a deeply sad person. He cannot handle the emotions that are plaguing him and thus projects them on everyone else. Holden is so terrified of his sadness he blames others for it, throughout the novel he constantly says phrases along the lines of, “they depress me”. His actions can be explained as a type of projection. Projection is defined as “ascribing our fear, problem... to someone else and then condemning him… in order to deny we have it ourselves,”(Tyson 14). His emotions have left him in a sanitarium where he is talking to a psychoanalysis, which is where his flashback begins.

In the novel, Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger uses a variety of symbols to support the thematic idea that maturation and the loss of innocence are an inescapable rite of passage for all of humanity. Three significant symbols that signify the importance of alteration and losing one’s purity to become more suited to live in the real world are the ducks in the lagoon of Central Park, the “Catcher in the Rye”, and the carousel and the gold ring. Furthermore, these three symbols hold a significant meaning for the main protagonist, Holden Caulfield as well.

This song speaks volumes as to what Holden is trying to find in life. He wants to be happy, but he is often depressed with his life. In the story it is revealed that the museum is his indeed “happy place”. In the story it reads “I get very happy when I think about it. Even now” (120). Holden admires the fact that nothing in the Museum changes and wishes that the museum could represent how his life would go. Simple, and manageable all characteristics he wishes he could trace into his real life. The song brings this all together because no matter how long it’s been since Holden’s last visit it still gives him the same spark of happiness as the last time. Being happy is definitely the main point of this

Nineteen million American adults suffer from a major case of depression (Web MD). That is a staggering one in every fifteen people (2 in our classroom alone). Holden Caulfield is clearly one of those people. Depression is a disease that leads to death but is also preventable. Psychology, stressful events, and prescription drugs are causes of depression. Stressful events brought on Holden’s depression. Holden has been trying to withstand losing a brother, living with careless parents, and not having many friends. The Catcher in the Rye is a book that takes us through the frazzled life of Holden Caulfield, who appears to be just a regular teen. But by hearing his thoughts and through heart-wrenching events in the book, the reader learns that

The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, portrays Holden Caulfield as a manic-depressive. Holden uses three techniques throughout the novel to cope with his depression. He smokes, drinks, and talks to Allie. Although they may not be positive, Holden finds comfort in these three things.

Depression, a common mental disorder that presents with depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration. This mental illness demonstrates to affect teens as much as it affects adults. Studies show that 20 percent of teens will experience teen depression before they reach adulthood. When you deal with depression, you often find it difficult to live an everyday normal life. The “Catcher in the Rye” written by J.D Salinger, narrates on the main character Holden Caulfield, a hostile and negative person, who suffers from severe depression.

The ducks are first brought to the reader’s attention while Holden is visiting his teacher, Mr. Spencer, regarding his removal from Pencey. While conversing with Mr. Spencer, however, Holden’s mind drifts elsewhere. His mind drifts back to New York as he wonders to himself if the lagoon in Central Park is frozen over, and if so, where do the ducks go? A direct parallel can be drawn from the ducks in the lagoon to Holden’s present situation. He is mandated to leave Pencey, but has no idea where he belongs after leaving. Just like the ducks in the lagoon, “Holden is essentially homeless, frozen out” (Trowbridge par. 1). Holden’s life has not been filled with an abundance of stability and now what little he had is gone, albeit due to faults of his own, and he sees an unsure and hazy future. Holden inquires about the state of the ducks to the driver of the first cab he catches in New York, and the driver believes that he is kidding. Later on, he asks another cab driver if somebody came around “in a truck or something to take them away” or if they flew away “by themselves” (Salinger 81-82). Knowing what happens to these ducks, knowing that they are safe and secure even though the lagoon is frozen would provide Holden with a sense of comfort about his current state of affairs. What seems to be a ridiculous and meaningless question to the

Everybody feels depressed at some time or another in their lives.  However, it becomes a problem when depression is so much a part of a person's life that he or she can no longer experience happiness.  This happens to the young boy, Holden Caulfield in J.D Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye.  Mr. Antolini accurately views the cause of Holden's depression as his lack of personal motivation, his inability to self-reflect and his stubbornness to overlook the obvious which collectively results in him giving up on life before he ever really has a chance to get it started.

Depression negatively affects how someone feels, the way they think and how they act. Depression causes feelings of sadness or a loss of interest in activities or people. Holden’s negative thoughts indicate he has a personal struggle with depression, which strongly influences him, and shapes the way he acts. For example, after Maurice, the elevator operator, picks a fight with Holden over a deal that they made, Holden starts to cry spontaneously, this is alone a sign of depression. After Maurice leaves, Holden shows his desire to die when he says, “What I really felt like, though, was committing suicide” (Salinger 136). He seriously considers killing himself, but he doubted that he would be covered up and he did not want people passing by to

Though Holden focuses on his depression, he represents a large part of the United States’ population. On several occasions, he describes his desolation. Mentally lost and lonely in New York City, Holden finds himself with a headache and the inability to sleep, saying, “I think I was more depressed than I ever was in my whole life” (Salinger 214). Relatively, the highest rate of depression occurs from ages 12-17 (Pratt)

People can experience depression and loneliness in many ways. Some decide to bury it all down and pretend that they can just forget about their problems. Some people do the complete opposite and just cannot grasp a hold of their lives. Others try and make the situation not as awful as it appears. They use different representations in their lives to explain and understand how they feel. Holden Caulfield probably feels this way when he brutally experiences both at the same time. Recognizing and understanding these representations can help you the most when trying to comprehend this character and real life people who struggle with these problems. In JD Salinger’s coming-of-age novel, The Catcher in the Rye, themes and objects that directly

Anthony Gingerelli Mrs. Toledano English III June 1 2018 Multi-Genre Synthesis Essay Depression is a common mental disorder that presents the sick with extreme lack of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt and insecurity, low energy, and poor concentration. This sickness is just as prevalent in the lives of teenagers and adolescents as it is in adults, contrary to what most people believe. Depression affects about 20% of adolescents by the time they become adults. Using fictional protagonists that have lived through the same experiences as their respective authors is a common trope in literature. J.D. Salinger, in his classic novel The Catcher in The Rye, targets the emotion from depression throughout his youth into the story of Holden

This novel takes on a very clear tone of sadness early on, and it continues throughout the entire story. Holden, the protagonist, is extremely depressed as he faces the real world and entertains the idea of being forced to leave his childhood behind to face adulthood. He repeatedly talks about how depressed he is, and he expresses a will to commit suicide multiple times. Nearly everything Holden observes makes him sad, and his sadness is overwhelming at times. I think this theme is important to portray in literature because it reminds readers that the world is not always a happy place, and that sometimes in life you have to deal with sadness.

In America, around twenty out of one hundred teenagers struggle with depression, and almost thirty percent will go untreated. J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye shines light on a young adolescent named Holden, calling awareness to his inner turmoil. Holden Caulfield might appear as the typical pessimistic teenager, however, he has a bad past that thrusts him into adulthood he never wanted. After the death of his little brother Allie, Holden fell into a dark hole and only keeps falling down further. Without any true role models, Holden is unequipped to handle his grief and refused to accept the past, depending on others for emotional support they are unable to give. Throughout the book, Holden's grapples with Allie’s death and searches for an eventual escape from his depression, causing him to grow as an individual. JD Salinger uses the symbol of rain to represent Holden's past, revealing that his journey through depression is rooted in his inability to move forward after Allie's death.

In the novel “The Catcher in the Rye”, the main character, Holden Caulfield, displays depression in many chapters. In chapter 1 he felt as though every time he left somewhere he wanted to make an emotional connection with it. For example when he was leaving “schools and places [he] didn't even know [he] was leaving them [He