Examples Of Nirvana In Catcher In The Rye

Many people would easily agree that having self acceptance, being successful, and understood are two necessities of having nirvana in one’s lifestyle. Nirvana is a state with total consciousness, and peace one needs have without deep feelings of hatred, or depression. One with depression lives with severe inner sadness, and rejection. Depression would be considered the opposite of nirvana in one’s individual state of mind. In the novel, The Catcher In the Rye By J.D. Salinger, the main character Holden shows that he is depressed because of the death of his little brother Allie, has a low ego that leads to suicidal thoughts, and the fact that he feels out of place. To start off, Holden is mainly depressed due to the grieving of Allie everyday. …show more content…
In the story, Holden is constantly comparing himself to his siblings, which makes him feel unacceptable. He mentions D.B.’s success, how admirable Phoebe is, and Allie’s loving heart whenever Holden is facing his issues with school. When Holden reflects on Phoebe he says “I mean she had all A’s ever since she started school. As a matter of fact, I’m the only dumb one in the family. ”(67). Holden is more than likely feeling like the “screw up” child in the family, and this makes him upset with himself internally leading to more of his depression. Since Holden has such a low ego and doesn’t meet his family’s standards, he often fakes his identity (such as his name). Holden fakes his name when he meets Ernest Morrow’s mother on the train, and when he is in the Lavender room at the hotel when he meets the three ladies from Seattle. “‘ Rudolph Schmidt’ I told her. I didn’t really feel like giving her my whole life history.” (55). Holden lies about who he is because he simply cannot accept himself for who he is. Holden wants to not only fool the people he is talking to that he is a fine young man, but he also wants to fool himself that he is doing just fine. With all of his issues combined, his depression really is highlighted when he has visions of himself being shot in the stomach. Holden acts as if he was shot in the stomach after his fight with Maurice, and after Luce …show more content…
Holden is a young adult discovering new aspects of life. He should feel excited to go on with life, except everyday has been a struggle for him. Depression is a serious topic in one’s life and can seriously affect someone. Holden throughout the story has shown signs of depression and has explained how these issues are affecting his