Borderline personality disorder is a dreadful mental illness that affects every aspect of a victim’s life. Holden Caulfield, the main character in The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, seems to be suffering from BPD. Holden is a sixteen year old boy who was recently kicked out of his school, Pencey Prep, and he decides to travel to New York City and live there by himself for a few days. During his time in New York, he shows undeniable signs of the mental disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder. Borderline Personality Disorder is “characterised by a pervasive and persistent pattern of instability and impulsivity” (Cailhol, Gicquel, and Raynaud). Most of the symptoms for this illness relate to the behavior of the individual, including extremity
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For example, some behavioral symptoms include: “impulsive and often dangerous behaviors, such as spending sprees, unsafe sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, and binge eating” (Borderline Personality Disorder). In the small section of his life described, Holden is involved in over spending, drinking illegally, and smoking. After only a couple of days, he has spent the majority of his money and is left with, “three singles and five quarters and a nickel left-boy, [he] spent a fortune since [he] left Pencey” (Salinger 172). The majority of his money has gone to drinking at bars and buying cigarettes. He describes himself as a heavy smoker and he smokes continuously throughout the novel. Many people know about Holden’s smoking habit including his roommate at Pencey Prep and his old teacher, Mr. Antolini. When Holden visits Mr. Antolini, Mr. Antolini offers him a cigarette and they smoke together. Holden is also quite a heavy drinker for his age. While he is at New York, he visits many clubs to order alcohol. Some places deny him due to his age, but at bars where he is allowed to get drinks, he becomes intoxicated. One such bar is called Ernie’s, and Holden says, “I ordered a Scotch and soda, which is my favorite drink, next to frozen Daiquiris. If you were only about six years old, you could get liquor at Ernie’s… nobody cared how old you were...There wasn’t anything to do except …show more content…
His extreme reactions, his interactions with friends and family, and his various emotions are all symptoms of BPD. Furthermore, the way he impulsively spends money, drinks alcohol, and smokes cigarettes are also signs that he suffers from BPD. These actions were not due to Holden’s nature itself, but to the mental illness. They are also not a consequence of the process of growing up or of anything natural and ordinary. Borderline Personality Disorder does indeed affect youth and adolescents, as well as adults. Holden is suffering from the symptoms of BPD and at the end of the novel, it is discovered that he is at a type of mental institution. It is highly probable that he is admitted into this kind of hospital because others believed him to have a mental disability, even if they were unable to identify it specifically as Borderline Personality
For example, some behavioral symptoms include: “impulsive and often dangerous behaviors, such as spending sprees, unsafe sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, and binge eating” (Borderline Personality Disorder). In the small section of his life described, Holden is involved in over spending, drinking illegally, and smoking. After only a couple of days, he has spent the majority of his money and is left with, “three singles and five quarters and a nickel left-boy, [he] spent a fortune since [he] left Pencey” (Salinger 172). The majority of his money has gone to drinking at bars and buying cigarettes. He describes himself as a heavy smoker and he smokes continuously throughout the novel. Many people know about Holden’s smoking habit including his roommate at Pencey Prep and his old teacher, Mr. Antolini. When Holden visits Mr. Antolini, Mr. Antolini offers him a cigarette and they smoke together. Holden is also quite a heavy drinker for his age. While he is at New York, he visits many clubs to order alcohol. Some places deny him due to his age, but at bars where he is allowed to get drinks, he becomes intoxicated. One such bar is called Ernie’s, and Holden says, “I ordered a Scotch and soda, which is my favorite drink, next to frozen Daiquiris. If you were only about six years old, you could get liquor at Ernie’s… nobody cared how old you were...There wasn’t anything to do except …show more content…
His extreme reactions, his interactions with friends and family, and his various emotions are all symptoms of BPD. Furthermore, the way he impulsively spends money, drinks alcohol, and smokes cigarettes are also signs that he suffers from BPD. These actions were not due to Holden’s nature itself, but to the mental illness. They are also not a consequence of the process of growing up or of anything natural and ordinary. Borderline Personality Disorder does indeed affect youth and adolescents, as well as adults. Holden is suffering from the symptoms of BPD and at the end of the novel, it is discovered that he is at a type of mental institution. It is highly probable that he is admitted into this kind of hospital because others believed him to have a mental disability, even if they were unable to identify it specifically as Borderline Personality