Holden's Greatest Challenge

An example of Holden having problems emotionally can be found when he the prostitute he paid for sat on his lap. Holden said “The trouble was, I just didn’t want to do it. I felt more depressed than sexy (Sallinger 96)”. Throughout the book Holden has tried to display himself as a masculine man who gets girls however that is all an act he used to hide the fact that he does experience the depression phase of the grieving process and it can make something that Holden very much looks forward to like sex come of as depressing and miserable. Another example of Holden’s emotional distraught behaviour can be found when he was crossing the road at night in new york.

Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye, is depressed not because of the environment he is in, but because of his perception of it. For most of the book, we see how he is continuously depressed by the digressions he makes, such as considering a stranger’s story, which ends up having no importance to him, except for the fact that it depresses him. He also is constantly angry at "phonies," who, to Holden, are essentially flawed people. This applies anywhere he goes, meaning that the only constant thing, and therefore the cause, is Holden himself. However, by the end of the book, we see how he has grown happy, despite the world he lives in.

Holden’s younger brother, Allie, died of leukemia when he was eleven years old and Holden was thirteen years old. Another tragic thing that Holden had to face was the suicide of one of his classmates by jumping out of a window. This impacted Holden’s character in a major way, from not being able to trust people because they were “phonies'' to having a mental breakdown in the park. Major events that lead me to believe that he was not okay mentally are when he punched all the windows out of the garage, he imagines he sees Allie, he fantasizes about committing suicide, made a rash decision to go live in the west as a deaf/mute, and gets drunk many, many times. All of these instances show Holden has a lot of grief in his life.

Holden says, “What I did, I started talking, sort of out loud, to Allie. I do that sometimes when I get very depressed. I keep telling him to go home and get his bike and meet me in front of Bobby Fallon’s house” (Sallinger, 110). Holden talking to himself about Allie also demonstrates how he does not open up to many people of his emotions which are bottled up and not released, building up creating his depression from this loneliness when he is sitting by himself apparently talking to

(National Alliance on Mental Illness). Holden frequently talks about his brother Allie who died at an early age, which was a very traumatic experience, therefore playing a role in his depression. Depression can be treated effectively through different types of therapy which can be even more helpful through mental institutions, which is what Holden ends up doing in order to

Depression is getting the best of Holden resulting in the lowest point in his life. Holden Caulfield has a mental illness because he can't get past Allie's death, he isn't communicating with his family, and he tries to isolate himself from society.

Holden never stops thinking about his younger brother. This causes Holden to question the meaning of life and everything around him. It also brings about thoughts of suicide, feelings of loneliness, and thinks about his displeasure with the world. Holden states, “I felt so depressed, you can’t imagine” (Salinger 110). He experienced such a strong feeling of sadness, he realizes he doesn’t know what to do with himself anymore.

Holden has a very different way of showing his depression in the novel. His depression is present when he tries to keep his innocence and stray away from adult hood all while trying to keep his relationship with his brother Allie. Holden wants to be the “catcher in the rye “. He wants to be that person who catches those kids who are falling off the cliff into adulthood. Holden wants to protect those who are close to him and those that he loves.

The only motivator that Holden has to continue living is his younger sister, Phoebe, who is extraordinarily intelligent for her age. After he gets kicked out of Pencey, Holden is lost in life. He speaks to many people, seeking advice and comfort, but they are not able to help him find a human connection. Holden’s depression increases throughout the novel, almost to the point of suicide. He criticizes many people and ideas, labeling them as ‘phony’.

According to Dr. Harold, depression occurs when a person’s brain has trouble managing stress such as divorce, loss of a valued friendship, or death of a loved one. Holdens overwhelming emotion caused him to overreact violently without knowing or feeling

He has trouble growing up and accepting life as it is. Holden thinks adults are "phony" which makes him hate the fact of growing up and staying innocent as much as he can while he is old enough to become an adult. He is frustrated with the world and people which makes him act with anger. His innocent childish dream is to be the Catcher in the Rye, to catch the kids before they become phonies like Holden says about adults. The moment he realizes that he cannot keep kids from falling or in other words, from growing up and becoming adults, he, reaches adulthood, and takes a big step towards it at the end of the novel.

These problems he is having are not normal and should be addressed immediately. I think that this advanced stage of depressions may have been worsened by his parents. Holden undoubtedly believes that he was abandoned by his parents by them sending him to boarding schools instead of bringing him home to confront his actually problems. Also the separation of him form the rest of his family for the most part has made him miss his brother more which has worsened his

Although Holden is a fictional character, many of the symptoms he displays during his journey are real and affect real life teens. Teen depression is a serious mental health problem. One of the possible dangers is the probability that it's not temporary and may affect the teen in a

Although Holden is not fully recovered he is much less depressed than his earlier stages in the book. Holden has taken a step further in his adult life and rather than dismissing those around them he begins to value them, thus being a big step. In the book Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, the narrator and protagonist Holden Caulfield a sixteen year old junior undergoes a series of changes; changes that helped a distraught teenager learn that everyone grows up. You don 't need to be the “Catcher in the Rye” that protects the children from going if the deep end thought

These few lines from the book are a clear indication of Holdens loneliness. Holden didnt have a good explanation as to why he started crying out of blue, only to say himself that he was depressed and