Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye exhibits strong indications of having a mental illness. Prior to his admittance to a mental hospital at the end of the book, Holden experiences many delusions, such as the belief that people are doing suspicious things all the time and are not to be trusted. An instance of Holden’s paranoia is when he is in the home of Mr. Antolini, his former teacher, to spend the night when he realises a drunk Mr. Antolini “[is] sitting on the floor right next to the couch, petting… [Holden] on the head.” (Salinger 191). In response to his teacher’s actions, Holden insists he must leave immediately, and despite his knowledge of Mr. Antolini’s drunken state, instantly assumes the man will sexually assault him.
