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

leading to his depression. Robert David Jaffee argues "While it is obvious that Caulfield is depressed (he says so throughout the book, and he exhibits symptoms of depression, such as an inability to concentrate and anhedonia, a lack of interest in just about anything), it may be less obvious that he appears to be both manic and psychotic."6 My beliefs mirror that of Jaffee as Holden’s constant depression and pessimism in the novel clearly leads to his mental instability as he does not allow himself to get too close to people, making him being distant from himself.

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 .

One might suggest that he does this because he feels it’s easier to deal with physical pain rather than emotional pain. Throughout the novel, it becomes increasingly clear that Allie’s death was one of the most traumatic experiences of Holden’s life and possibly plays a major role in his psychological breakdown. We also see that he clings to Allie as a means of self-support and to calm him throughout the entire novel. Salinger integrates the idea of post-traumatic stress disorder because he too suffered from it, due to fighting in the Second World War and the many deaths he witnessed, exemplifying how Holden's alienation leads to his mental instability due as he is unable to connect with others and not able to understand his own emotions, resulting in his lack of identity. This element of escapism and issues faced with mental instability is a relatable topic to many in society as people struggle with their identity, thus making the protagonists Winston and Holden seem more relatable and believable to the reader, as it allows them to build a relationship and spread the essential message of the novel making it seem more effective.