Alienation Of Holden Caulfield In 'Catcher In The Rye'
Psychoanalysis of Holden Caulifield
Through life we all experience events both physically and emotionally destructive causing us to feel down, but most of us bounce back. These feelings are a part of life. Holden Caulifield comes off as a controlled, passive, typical teenager. As the story progress we learn he is far from it. Holden’s actions, thought process, his outlook on life and the way he grieves all suggest that he is suffering post traumatic stressed syndrome better known as PTSD. PTSD, also known as disorder of extreme stress, is found among individuals exposed to prolonged traumatic circumstances especially during, childhood according to pyscholgytoday.com . Two specific events where Holden may have developed PTSD include, …show more content…
Holden purposely alienates himself from others and doesn’t hold many close relationships. He displays lack of interest in his education. It is not straight forward, but Holden believes he has no future, does he even want one? Detachment is also represented when he fails out of every school he is sent to. He rebels against those who wish for him to have a decent life. Mr. Antolini was one of those who cares and stated “ the mark of an immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one” which Holden takes advantage of . Holden is particularly introverted (Salinger 188). He wanders the city, passing hundreds of by standards, he is still all alone. Sure he wants to talk to people but he doesn’t know how to hold a proper conversation. He is a constant critic of others actions although his actions make him come off as an arrogant pest, therefore Holden isolates …show more content…
Anger occurs after a traumatic event because one feels powerless. This can also stem from the feeling of abandonment from the death or loss. After experiencing Allies death, Holden punches the garage windows with his bare fists. When Stradilater would not use Holden’s composition about Allies mitt, he attacks Stradilater. Holden took that as a direct insult to Allie.
Bargaining is the third step in the grieving process. This is the weaker line of defense, the reaction to helplessness. Unlike most bargainers who bargain with god, Holden bargains with Allie as if he is still there. Holden prays for Allie to keep him from disappearing. One could conclude that “disappearing” could be a representation of transitioning into adulthood.
Depression is a grieving process in which one begins to realize the true extent of the death or loss. Holden does not show any responsibility therefore he has a poor performance in school. When Holden wants to escape he turns to drinking to somewhat masks his feelings for the time being. He does not have a relationship with his family. Holden seems to never eat. He never sleeps, instead he stays up walking around and buying prostitutes. He gets agitated at everything. Lastly, the most obvious sign of his depression is his thought of suicide and worries of death. The way he thinks about jumping from a building. Also, the way wants Allie to “not let him disappear” representing the fear of death (Salinger
Through life we all experience events both physically and emotionally destructive causing us to feel down, but most of us bounce back. These feelings are a part of life. Holden Caulifield comes off as a controlled, passive, typical teenager. As the story progress we learn he is far from it. Holden’s actions, thought process, his outlook on life and the way he grieves all suggest that he is suffering post traumatic stressed syndrome better known as PTSD. PTSD, also known as disorder of extreme stress, is found among individuals exposed to prolonged traumatic circumstances especially during, childhood according to pyscholgytoday.com . Two specific events where Holden may have developed PTSD include, …show more content…
Holden purposely alienates himself from others and doesn’t hold many close relationships. He displays lack of interest in his education. It is not straight forward, but Holden believes he has no future, does he even want one? Detachment is also represented when he fails out of every school he is sent to. He rebels against those who wish for him to have a decent life. Mr. Antolini was one of those who cares and stated “ the mark of an immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one” which Holden takes advantage of . Holden is particularly introverted (Salinger 188). He wanders the city, passing hundreds of by standards, he is still all alone. Sure he wants to talk to people but he doesn’t know how to hold a proper conversation. He is a constant critic of others actions although his actions make him come off as an arrogant pest, therefore Holden isolates …show more content…
Anger occurs after a traumatic event because one feels powerless. This can also stem from the feeling of abandonment from the death or loss. After experiencing Allies death, Holden punches the garage windows with his bare fists. When Stradilater would not use Holden’s composition about Allies mitt, he attacks Stradilater. Holden took that as a direct insult to Allie.
Bargaining is the third step in the grieving process. This is the weaker line of defense, the reaction to helplessness. Unlike most bargainers who bargain with god, Holden bargains with Allie as if he is still there. Holden prays for Allie to keep him from disappearing. One could conclude that “disappearing” could be a representation of transitioning into adulthood.
Depression is a grieving process in which one begins to realize the true extent of the death or loss. Holden does not show any responsibility therefore he has a poor performance in school. When Holden wants to escape he turns to drinking to somewhat masks his feelings for the time being. He does not have a relationship with his family. Holden seems to never eat. He never sleeps, instead he stays up walking around and buying prostitutes. He gets agitated at everything. Lastly, the most obvious sign of his depression is his thought of suicide and worries of death. The way he thinks about jumping from a building. Also, the way wants Allie to “not let him disappear” representing the fear of death (Salinger