Holden Caulfield Psychology

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In J.D. Salinger’s novel “The Catcher in the Rye,” it is nothing less than evident that the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is suffering from various psychological matters. When Holden first presents himself to the reader he uses words such as crap, goddamn, lousy, and hate (Salinger 1). His aggressive tone immediately warns the reader that he is not all that fond about talking about his life and he is not interested at all in telling them his “whole goddamn autobiography or anything” (Salinger 1). This exhibits Holden's remarkable feature of rebelliousness. Throughout the novel, Freudian theory can be applied to give the readers a better, more explicit, understanding of how and why he behaves as he does (Psychoanalytical Approaches). It is …show more content…

Moreover, the id operates according to the pleasure principle In this case the id manifest itself in Holden’s attitudes and decisions, it is most noticeable when he flees from everything he dislikes and represses him. For instance , when Holden tells Strandlater of his decision about leaving Pencey, “I’d get the hell out of Pencey…” (Salinger 51). This clearly shows how his id is trying to get immediate gratification and trying to quell his repression (Nevid). Further on, his need for immediate gratification continues when he states that he needs a little vacation (Salinger 51). He continues on and states that he will “get the hell out of Pencey” (Salinger 51). This shows how the id is the one driving, blocking out the superego, and making all the decisions for him. Another characteristic that shows Holden being dictated by the id is his constant lying and deception. Holden himself claims lying and deceiving is a part of him and he doesn't so easily without taking into account the feelings of others: “ I’m the most terrific list you ever saw in your life” (Salinger 16). No matter the setting or circumstances Holden is always lying, he simply cannot avoid lying. Essentially, this also reveals that he is fixated on Freud’s oral stage on psychosexual stages of development due to his lying and lack of trust he has on the people he communicates with

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