Holden Caulfield Delusional Disorder Essay

Deluding the Delusional

It is only natural for one to fantasize about living in unreal situations every so often; however, it becomes an impediment when that one person tries to make the dream into a reality. Those who attempt to construct imagination into actuality most likely suffer from a mental disorder known as delusional disorder. For instance, take Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye as an example. All throughout J.D. Salinger’s novel, Holden is seen trying to obtain the unobtainable; such as preserving youth or stopping time. Just seeing what Holden goes through on a daily basis, readers can perceive that he has some sort of mental malady. Therefore, one can draw out the conclusion that Holden Caulfield indeed is suffering from delusional disorder.

Holden Caulfield’s way of thinking slyly indicates that he has delusional disorder, which is, “… a condition where a person has a fixed, firm belief about imaginary but not impossible situations…” (bipolar.about.com). This mental disorder can be broken down further into five different subtypes. These subtypes are; erotomanic- delusion of a special, loving relationship, grandiose- delusion that the person has a special power or ability, jealous- delusion that a sexual partner is being unfaithful, persecutory- delusion that the person is being threatened or maltreated, and somatic- delusion of having a physical illness or defect. (drugs.com) Upon closer examination of the book, it is safe to say that Holden indeed suffers from all the types of delusional disorder. Holden could possibly have erotomanic delusional disorder since he believes that he has some sort of deep connection with Jane. He also has grandiose and jealous delusional disorder by thinking that he has th...

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...herefore just by showing the readers that he had major mood swings, depression, and hallucinations, Holden only ends up confirming that he had delusional disorder.

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.