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.
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
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
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
Shortly after this point Holden has his nervous breakdown. His breakdown is due to this realization that the world is incorrupt and filled with evil. He knows now with a certainty that he is powerless to stop both evil and growth.
In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger develops Holden Caulfield as a morally ambiguous character. Throughout the book, Salinger speaks as Holden and introduces him as a callous and subjective individual. However, the author permits the reader to be within Holden’s mind, giving the audience an alternative perspective of Holden’s true character. Without the obscurity of Holden’s personality, the work would lack a crucial element. As the protagonist, Holden serves as an equivocal adolescent that is relatable for the reader.
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
Salinger does not tell us anything about why Holden is in the psychiatric hospital, he just jumps right into Holden’s narration. The themes of “The Catcher in the Rye” are isolation, avoidance, and the fear of growing up. The plot revolves around Holden and the people he interacts with. Holden is a mess of a lot. He is like a lot of kids who find that growing up can be scary.
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.
that he is trying to hide his true identity. He does not want people to know who he really is or that he was kicked out of his fourth school. Holden is always using fake names and tries speaking in a tone to persuade someone to think a cretin way. He does this when he talks to women. While he is talking to the psychiatrist he explains peoples reactions to his lies like they really believe him, when it is very possible that he is a horrible liar and they are looking at him with a “what are you talking a bout?” expression. Holden often lies to the point where he is lying to him self.
The narrative allows the reader to be exposed to Holden Caulfield’s mind to form a psychoanalytical perspective and emphasize how he goes through many experiences. An example of when Holden went through a violent outburst is when his brother, Allie passed away. “I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist just for the hell of it.” (Salinger 39). This citation is meaningful and clearly shows what kind of person Holden becomes. He was very close with his brother Allie and that mentally broke him. He had a very strong and sad mental breakdown in the moment that affected his futu...
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
J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is a remarkable book that gives readers a unique and perhaps gloomy perspective of the 1950's through Holden Caulfield, a cynical and peculiar teenager. Through The Catcher in the Rye Salinger describes important aspects of the 1950's. Salinger emphasizes several key characteristics of the 50's and criticizes them through Holden. In addition, Holden Caulfield is a very interesting character with several traits that put him at odds with society.
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.
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
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.