Holden Caulfield Psychological Analysis

As with escapism, the mental instability of Holden and Winston also covers up their identity. However, in comparison to Winston, Holden's escapism does not lead to his mental instability. Winston suffers from depression whereas Holden struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder to the extent where he is institutionalised at the end of the novel. This post-traumatic stress disorder is a reason for him feeling scared of making connections, with places, he says at “I don't care if it's a sad good-by or a bad good-by, but when I leave a place I like to know I'm leaving it." The repetition of “good-by” creates a sense of irony because he is the one who alienates himself from those around him but wants to be acknowledged as he is leaving. Here he is trying to make a connection with his environment but his post-traumatic stress disorder causes him to fear these connections and leads him to describe his feelings as "hate" when in fact it is fear, creating a paradox and ultimately

This post-traumatic stress disorder is also reflected when Holden relives the past of the night Allie died, "I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the windows in the garage” Holden’s stream of consciousness demonstrates his inability to admit how upset he was, but instead, insists that he broke all the windows “just for the hell of it.” Holden’s reaction to Allie's death results in harming himself .