Holden: Insane or Sane
The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D Salinger, is a classical novel that depicts the issues a teenager faces as he struggles to come to terms with changes in his life. Holden Caulfield, the main character in the novel, narrates his story beginning at Pencey Prep and ending just before Christmas. His story is captivating to most, but many still debate whether he is crazy. According to the clues given in the beginning and end of the book, and his behavior regarding Allie, it can be determined that Holden Caulfield is indeed insane.
According to the Oxford dictionary, insane is “a state of mind that prevents normal perception, behavior, or social interaction; seriously mentally ill” ( Insane n.p.).
The start of the book is one of the greatest indications that Holden is insane. It implies that Holden is in a mental institution, a result of his mental illness. He says
If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it ........Besides, I'm not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography or anything. (Salinger 1).
It is apparent from this passage that Holden is talking to someone. The story of one’s birth, childhood and parents are typically what one would tell one’s therapist – people treat patients with mental disorders. No one else would want to hear about someone’s “lousy childhood” (Salinger 1). Holden then says “I'll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here an...
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...titute using the word “here” again. He also says “A lot of people, especially this one psychoanalyst guy they have here, keeps asking me if I'm going apply myself when I go back to school next September” (Salinger ). Psychoanalyst is a type of therapist whose aim is to help the mentally ill person gain insight on himself. Holden admits that he is seeing this therapist which is an insinuation that he is mentally ill.
Holden has gone though stressful and difficult situations. He’s been expelled from various schools and faces the disapproval of his parents and society throughout his life. The biggest stress that he has gone through in his life is the death of his brother Allie. Holden’s inability to accept his death resulted in his insanity. He is not insane to the point where it cannot be cured but it is to the point where it prevents him from leading a normal life.
Holden is an outlier of society, and tries to hide his own weaknesses with his angry thoughts. It is also implied that Holden is enrolled in an institution as he talks about doctor appointments towards the beginning of the book.
Since Holden was isolated from his family, in order to not get hurt again he tries to find hypocrisy in people to stop himself from trusting others. Holden feels isolated after being sent to a boarding school that “was full of phonies” by his parents (Salinger 90). Salinger’s message to the audience with this quote is that when
In the novel, Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is an example of a prosaic rich adolescent boy,with a pedestrian set of problems, but a psychoanalysis reveals that Holden has a plethora of atypical internal conflicts. Internal conflicts that other students at Pencey, such as Stradlater and Ackley, would not normally experience.
Salinger continues his use of installing reality in fiction by Holden’s hospitalization. The reader finds out within the first chapter that Holden is being hospitalized due to a recent mental breakdown (Salinger). Interestingly enough, Salinger was also hospitalized shortly after his combat in WWII for his mental breakdown (Biography). Clearly, Salinger was making a major connection to himself through Holden by giving his character his
First, he goes to Mr. Spencer, his history teacher, who provides advice for his life and his future and even says “I’m trying to help you, if I can” (Salinger, 18). Because Mr. Spencer gives realistic advice to Holden to prepare him for his future even though it is not obligated, Mr. Spencer can be considered a mentor for Holden. Before Holden packs and leaves, he says “I was sort of crying” and “then I yelled at the top of my goddam voice, ‘Sleep tight, ya morons!’” (Salinger, 59). Although he becomes emotional when he realizes the company he is going to miss by leaving Pencey, he still acts immaturely as a result of an adolescent pitfall called invulnerability, when adolescents makes decisions without proper regard for their consequences (Adolescent Pitfalls). Holden finally leaves to take a train and reveals his love for riding trains at night (Salinger, 60). He is setting out on an adult journey by leaving Pencey, but he is still grasping to child interests by usually becoming excited to ride trains. Concluding sentence
Symptomatic of those affected by mental illness, Holden lacks the ability to have solid relationships with others. He has attended numerous boarding schools and seldom lives at home. This has created a distant relationship between him and his parents. Holden never explicitly reveals whether or not he wishes to have a closer bond with his parents, but it is implied. He sneaks into his house while on his New York excursion to visit his younger sister Phoebe. As he is about to leave his parents’ house, “all of a sudden, [he starts] to cry. [He] couldn’t help it” (Salinger 179). His abrupt outburst of emotion indicates his need to have his parents’ help. He realizes that when he leaves, it may be his last time in the house, so he is not able to control holding in his emotions any longer. Holden also does not maintain a good relationship with his brother, D.B. He cannot stand that D.B. is “out in Hollywood… being a prostitute” (Salinger 2). Holden refers to him as a prostitute because he believes that D.B. is wasting his creative talents on screenwriting, a field that does not allow one to exercise his or her creativity. This causes the relationship that the two have to be frail. Holden’s relationship with his family is not ideal, and results from his mental
In conclusion, it is quite safe to say that Holden indeed has delusional disorder. Just by going through his daily schedule, Holden Caulfield discreetly tells the readers that he has this particular mental disability. All throughout J.D. Salinger’s novel, the thoughts and beliefs that Holden holds dear, little snippets of his past life, and his current personality along with his relationship with the people around him and the feelings that he goes through indicate that he obviously has delusional disorder. Due to the many similarities between The Catcher in the Rye’s Holden Caulfield and the many things known about delusional disorder, one can clearly link Holden to being a victim to this mental illness.
At the time of his arrival, Holden appeared very tired and run-down. He was wearing woolen slacks and a warm jacket but appeared to be suffering from an intense chill. His walk was slow and his gait guarded, as if he expected an attack at any moment. He appeared lucid but seemed unsure of his location. His tiredness and confusion, however, did not mask his above average intelligence. This became especially apparent to the nurses assigned to his care, one of whom reported that Holden's penetrating gaze made her feel as if he was judging her character. The patient has also displayed a penchant for sarcastic comments, especially regarding "phonies." At this time, we remain unsure of whom he is referring to when he uses this terminology.
I believe that Holden Caulfield is mentally disturbed and shows many signs of it throughout the novel. Problems in Holden’s life that have led him to this rest home are the death of his brother Allie, his multiple failures throughout his academic career, and his distress about moving on in life. Holden deals with these problems by drinking and smoking throughout the novel. He also shows depression throughout the novel by being kicked out of multiple schools and being over-critical of people when he describes them. I feel that he is very disturbed and had not been able to deal with his problems before. Unfortunately his feelings such as the loss of Allie ha...
To Holden ever one is a “phony”, and every one has a problem that he feels he needs to exploit. While Holden is speaking to the psychiatrist, he criticizes each person as he meets them in his story.
J.D Salinger’s novel, Catcher In The Rye is about a teen, Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the narrative. Holden is full of unique problems and most of the time lost in his own world, that can’t face reality. The psychoanalytic theory arranges a lens of definition when working at Holden Caulfield. Holden is seen as a lonely, rebellious teen who flunked out of an all boys private school, Pencey Prep. Failing school exemplifies how Holden controls his own decisions in the real world. As stubborn Holden is, opening up his persona and experiences to people is very hard for him, “I’ll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me…” (Salinger 1). From a Freudian psychoanalytical perspective Holden would seem to keep all his thoughts all bottled up, not speaking, and opening up to people. “The preconscious holds information we’ve stored from past experience or learning. This information can be retrieved from memory and brought into awareness at any time.” (Nevid 469). Holden is one step closer to becoming a better changed person by speaking to his psychiatrist, and there is only way to find out if he did.
Holden is a pessimistic, remote, and miserable character and he expresses this attitude through dialogue, tone, and diction. Throughout the book he has remained to be a liar, a failure, a loner, and lastly, a suicidal guy who feels like he has no purpose in life. Perhaps Salinger expressed his perceptions and emotions of his teen years in this book and it was a form of conveying his deep inner feelings of his childhood. Readers can see this clearly shown in The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), there are a few criteria in order to be diagnosed with PTSD. The first criterion is that a stressor is required which can be onset by a person’s death, witnessing trauma, etc. Holden definitely fits that criteria as he is constantly haunted by his brother’s, Allie’s, death. Next are intrusion symptoms in which the traumatic experience is persistently re-experienced in ways such as emotional distress after exposure to traumatic reminders, unwanted upsetting memories, and physical reactivity after exposure to traumatic reminders. These are true for Holden as he sleeps in the garage and breaks all the windows with his bare hands the night Allie dies. Because of Allie’s death, Holden has a disconnect with the world that makes him emotionally cut off from his peers and adults around him. On the topic of cutting himself off from other people, that signifies another marker for PTSD as Holden definitely has overly negative thoughts and assumptions about the world and has a decreased interest in activities, which is shown by him getting kicked out of school and Holden seemingly not caring at all. Lastly, Holden engages himself in risky or destructive behavior constantly in the novel. He gets into fights regularly and tries his best
Holden attacks various weaknesses in the 50's society. He criticizes nearly everything that he observes, and refuses to pull punches. Often Holden uses his brilliant talent of observation to discover the true motives behind the people he calls "phony." Through his observations the reader can interpret Salinger's view of the 1950's culture. Holden's perceptions of paranoia, conformity, and the consumer culture convey Salinger's views.
Throughout the story, the readers can interpret that Holden was put into the mental institution, but it was confirmed when Holden said: “A lot of people, especially this one psychoanalyst guy they have here…” (276). Holden confirms that he was admitted to the mental hospital when he said that the psychoanalyst guy was overlooking him to see if he was advancing as he should be in the institution. Holden was first admitted to the hospital when he started to generate unhealthy habits. For example, when his brother Allie passed away, Holden had to deal with the mourning process by himself because his parents were still grieving as well and were not able to help him. Edwards mentions another unhealthy habit as he says, “So his refusal to talk about the incidents of his childhood signifies that he will remain ill…” (66). Although Holden mentions the ideas about his past, he does not strictly mention the story in dramatic detail and does not explain the story well so that the readers will understand it. With his unstable mind, the readers are not sure whether or not to believe Holden as he is telling his story. The readers understand that he is in the mental institution, but whether the stories are true is unrevealing to the readers. They also know that Holden is not ordinary and so does Edwards when he says, “But Holden isn’t ‘normal’; he’s a severely depressed adolescent telling the story of his youth while in a mental institution” (66). While Holden has an unstable state of mind, he is telling the story and the readers cannot assume that his stories are all true. For in the end of the novel, Holden says , “Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody” (277). With Holden mentioning the idea that he should not tell anyone anything, it shows that he is not reliable as the readers cannot assume that his