Holden Caulfield Depression

In J.D Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, it can be inferred that the main character, Holden Caulfield, is Salinger himself. The whole book is Salinger’s narrative told through the lens of Holden Caulfield. Everything that Salinger felt was told through a teenage boy which made the book controversial since the author is an adult talking about adult issues and things you wouldn’t expect a teenager to talk about during this time period. For example, the theme of depression is displayed in Salinger’s novel which during his time period, was considered an “adult disease” but not only did Salinger write about depression, he wrote his life experiences through Caulfield. So to perceive the significance of Holden’s character, it is vital to know

More specifically in their reserved lifestyles. In Slawenski’s biography on Salinger, he includes a quote saying, “The Catcher in the Rye, recommending that readers who enjoy a book call up the author; then he spent his next 20 years avoiding the telephone.” That’s just one of many examples of Salinger’s disapproval of interactions. He was known to be very conserved about his life and he didn’t like to talk about it. As a matter of fact it is said that, “in 1987 he successfully blocked the publication of an unauthorized biography by Ian Hamilton”. This is a mindset he lived with because in The Catcher in the Rye, which was written almost 40 years before he rejected the autobiography proposal, Caulfield didn’t want to get in too much detail about his life which is shown when he says, “you’ll probably want to know what my lousy childhood was like...but I don’t feel like talking about it” (Salinger 1). This says a lot considering his childhood is main reason why he is depressed yet he dismisses it. The same inference of Holden’s conserved self can be made later when he later says, “I can’t explain what I mean. And even if I could, I’m not sure I’d feel like it”(Salinger 122). Other than sharing their reclusive personalities, he and Salinger were very self conscious and they needed something to cope with it. For Holden it was his hat. He says he only wore it when quote, “I knew I wouldn’t meet anyone that knew me”(Salinger 122) . When Holden isn’t with it he hides his persona until he puts his red cap on which he creates this perception of himself that makes him confident in contrast of his true self. He later says, "I had already taken off my hunting hat, so as not to look suspicious or anything" (Salinger 157). By saying this he displays how much he feels insecure about himself. With a vibrant color like red on his head, he is