Psychoanalysis is a psychoanalytical theory and therapy that aims to treat mental disorders by investigating the conscious and unconscious elements in a human mind by bringing fears to the conscious mind. According to Sigmund Freud, “The unconscious silently directs the thoughts and behavior of the individual” (Freud 95). Holden Caulfield, the main character in J.D Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is sixteen years old and does not act his own age for he is stuck in his own private world, filled with pain and suffering. In the novel, Holden can be observed through a psychoanalytical view, which provides the reader a clear understanding of his unconscious mind. Holden is displayed as a troubled and foolish teenager who is flunking from another private school for boys. This in the story is ironic for, Holden states, “’That sonuvabitch Hartzell thinks you’re a hot-shot in English, and he knows you’re my rommmate” (Salinger 28). Teacher’s think that Holden is good in school, but his mental issue affects him academically and in addition to his inability to deal with life. Salinger begins his novel with Holden explicitly stating, “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…” (Salinger 1). Seeing Holden through a psychoanalytical point we can assume that his lousy childhood can be the cause of his feeling of being lost, repression, and his unstable emotions if depression and isolation. According to another psychologist that agrees to Freudian theory, Lacan states, “Human behavior is often something of puzzle, requiring concerted acts of investigation to discover root causes and multiple effects” (Hall 105).
Holden’s mental disord...
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...mind is developed from an infant to an adult. As well, it describes what problems can be formed if anyone of them is harmed. Not only that, but as well states the order that it is formed. This is a great display because it can help anyone who is in need to learn about the mind in a psychoanalytical perspective.
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"J.D. Salinger." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Nov 21 2013, 10:08
This biography of the author of The Catcher in the Rye really helps understand the point on why Salinger wrote it. This biography helped me connect similarities that he and the main character have. It as well explains what he goes through in his life and gives you an understanding of he too is psychoanalyzed. This article is a great display because it truly gives you the understanding of the Salinger and what he goes through in life and the connection it has with Holden.
In J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in The Rye Salinger writes about the main character Holden Caulfield and his life. Holden is a teenager who comes from a wealthy family, he loves his family and lives very happy until the death of his brother Allie. After his brother died Holden becomes troubled, being kicked out of school again and again developing a negative view of the world. Holden throughout the book shows anger,denial, and acceptance over the loss of his brother.
As Eugene McNamara stated in his essay “Holden Caulfield as Novelist”, Holden, of J.D. Salinger’s novel Catcher in the Rye, had met with long strand of betrayals since he left Pencey Prep. These disappointments led him through the adult world with increasing feelings of depression and self-doubt, leading, finally to his mental breakdown.
Do you ever wish you could return to the early time of your existence where the innocence and purity of childhood enveloped you on a day-to-day basis? These were the times when committing wrong doings were not only met with meager consequences, but also expected of you by the parental guardians or guides in your life. In "The Catcher in the Rye" , written by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, expresses his yearning for this feeling continuously throughout this detailed depiction of a struggling young man who craves nothing more than to make the dream he has given his entire being to, into a reality he can physically experience. A simpler way to help readers understand his complex idea is to compare his dream to the dreams of the fabled "Fountain of Youth" that countless stories are written about. Instead of the physical attributes that staying young would give an individual, the mental ideals of innocence and purity are the cause of Holden's tireless pursuit and inability to interact and function in every facet of society. The tragedies and socially awkward life that Salinger's character endures would be extremely damaging to most any human being's, already precariously balanced, mental health. The symptoms of popular health disorders such as bipolar disorder, anti-social disorder, and anxiety disorders are expressed prominently by Holden Caulfield throughout the entire novel.
In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, a sixteen year old boy named Holden Caulfield gets expelled from his school and runs away before his parents find out. He goes to his home town, New York, and encounters many people. Throughout the novel, Caulfield is still coping with the death of his brother Allie. His attitude slowly decreases and various signs of a mental disorder are exhibited through his actions and his thoughts. Some people believe that he does not have a mental disorder, he is just grieving; however, he has clear symptoms that he is suffering from depression and anti-social disorder. These disorders are shown when Caulfield takes everything in a negative way, talks about being depressed, thinks that everyone is “phony”, and talks about his deceased brother.
...itnessing the circumstances Holden is put in, it is apparent that The Catcher in the Rye is somewhat an autobiography. Salinger shares many of his character’s outstanding characteristics, like his reclusive nature and his discontentment. Because Salinger was so private, it is safe to say The Catcher in the Rye is probably the most accurate story on this famous American the public will ever read.
Holden Caulfield a timeless figure configured by Salinger is put on a journey were he is trying to transition into the world by unlocking the door to adulthood .He is not yet ready to open that door because he still having trouble finding his identity and is filled with self doubt such as believing he is disappearing from the world , and deeming himself incapable of accepting change" He views himself as a liar, but he refuses to acknowledge that this means that he is phony, too"(CLC). But like many other adolescences he is native and faces the challenging road of finding himself and overcoming the trials and tribulations that life throws at him. Unlike most adolescences though Holden purposely puts himself in situations where he cannot connect with others in his everyday life and in turn becomes hopelessly lonely and alienated in society. This causes him to struggles in him communication with others in a mature and sophisticated manor.
The Catcher in the Rye revolves around Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the novel, and his disillusionment. Holden’s disillusionment illustrates that he has a problem accepting such. Aforesaid is based upon multiple factors, most which have brought Holden lasting traumas. A remedy is required for Holden to accept his disillusionment and enable an improvement of his situation. For Holden’s remedy, the consultation of psychologists, and additional specialized health professionals would be the core of an apt remedy for Holden’s psychological and physiological state based upon the numerous causes of such and the everlasting trauma of some of the determinants of aforesaid situation. The origins of Holden’s disillusionment revolved mainly around the death of his younger brother Allie three years ago, of which he still experiences the trauma to this day. His disillusionment is caused by both
Holden is schizophrenic. Many people may wonder what it’s like to live a day in the life of Holden Caulfield, or just someone with a mental disorder in general. But no one knows and never will know. All people know is what he is like, how he handles his day to day tasks, and how he goes about his work ethic. He is failing four out of five of his classes. Everything but English. He was just kicked out of Pencey and that is the fourth school he has been kicked out of and he’s only 16. He tells us that he dropped out of one because he didn’t like it. The thing is, Holden doesn’t understand the importance of passing his classes. He has been told multiple times by many people that he needs to start applying himself and get it together, but he doesn’t
By the end of the book, The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger’s purpose was clear. He wanted to create a novel with the main character characterized as an outcast, rather than a popular or strong protagonist. J.D. Salinger gave the story a different perspective, hoping to make readers look at life with a different perspective also. After reading this novel, readers will be able to view adulthood and childhood at different angles, giving life a whole new approach.
Manic-Depressive Behavior Exhibited in The Catcher in the Rye. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, portrays Holden Cawfield, a New York City teenager in the 1950's, as a manic-depressive. Holden's depression starts with the death of his brother, Allie. Holden is expelled from numerous schools due to his poor academics, which are brought on by his depression. Manic depression, compulsive lying, and immaturity throughout the novel characterize Holden.
This is the first psychiatric hospital admission for the patient, a 17 year-old male. The subject freely admitted himself to care at 13:00 hours on November 28, 1958. Mr. Holden Caulfield arrived at the hospital in the company of his parents--whose consent was necessary given Holden's legal status as a minor--and his younger sister Phoebe. His induction took place without any incident.
Holden Caulfield - A Nice Kid in a Cruel World Over the years, members of the literary community have critiqued just about every author they could get their pen on. One of the most popular novels to be critiqued has been J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. In favorable critiques, Holden Caulfield is a good guy stuck in a bad world. He is trying to make the best of his life, though ultimately losing that battle.
In J.D. Salinger’s controversial 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, the main character is Holden Caulfield. When the story begins Holden at age sixteen, due to his poor grades is kicked out of Pencey Prep, a boys’ school in Pennsylvania. This being the third school he has been expelled from, he is in no hurry to face his parents. Holden travels to New York for several days to cope with his disappointments. As James Lundquist explains, “Holden is so full of despair and loneliness that he is literally nauseated most of the time.” In this novel, Holden, a lonely and confused teenager, attempts to find love and direction in his life. Holden’s story is realistic because many adolescent’s face similar challenges.
Holden and the Complexity of Adult Life What was wrong with Holden, the main character in The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D.Salinger, was his moral revulsion against anything that was ugly, evil, cruel, or what he called "phoney" and his acute responsiveness to beauty and innocence, especially the innocence of the very young, in whom he saw reflected his own lost childhood. There is something wrong or lacking in the novels of despair and frustration of many writers. The sour note of bitterness and the recurring theme of sadism have become almost a convention, never thoroughly explained by the author's dependence on a psychoanalytical interpretation of a major character. The boys who are spoiled or turned into budding homosexuals by their mothers and a loveless home life are as familiar to us today as stalwart and dependable young heroes such as John Wayne were to an earlier generation. We have accepted this interpretation of the restlessness and bewilderment of our young men and boys because no one has anything better to offer.
Barry, Peter. "Psychoanalytic criticism." Beginning Theory: an Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 3rd ed. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2009. 92-115. Print.