Approximately 1 in 5 or 21.4% of youth aged thirteen through eighteen experience a severe mental disorder at some point during their life. In the book Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, it is debated whether the main character Holden has a mental illness or a unique personality. A mental illness is a disorder that affects mood, thinking, and behavior. A unique personality, however, are characteristics of an individual that are seen as different from the “norm”. Although, Holden may have distinct characteristics and be quite an unusual individual from time to time, but he in fact has a mental illness. Holden experiences a traumatic childhood, isolates himself from society, and experiences drastically changing moods and behaviors. His thoughts
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Holden Caulfield comes from a respectable, well-off family. He has received countless opportunities. However, his life would not be described as perfect. The events that have occured during his lifetime have undoubtedly shaped him into the individual he is. During his childhood he experienced the death of his youngest brother, Allie. Holden was thirteen years old, when his eleven year old brother passed away from Leukemia. As a result of this horrific event, he became distraught. He develops many traits an individual exhibits when they posses a mental illness. According to Maia Szalavitz, “childhood trauma has long been known to raise a childhood’s odds of developing depression and addiction later on.” This traumatic event has increased Holden’s chances of developing depression, and it is evident that it has done so. Childhood trauma may occur early on in a person’s life, and can have a huge affect on the individual if they do not get necessary …show more content…
Throughout the story we see Holden go through episodes in which he thinks about death. For instance, a scene that takes place in the park in the early morning, where he sits and ponders what would happen if he were to get pneumonia and die. He imagines what his funeral would be like and thinks about the people who would attend. Another example of this is the time when his oldest brother D.B talks about the war. Holden states, “he would rather, be shot by a firing squad or sit on top of an atom bomb.” He is emphasizing that he would rather die than have to live a depressing life in the war. Both of these examples show that Holden thinks about death, and sometimes feels like dying would be the easiest way out. An article written by Lexi Herrick states, “Not every person with depression has felt suicidal. However, depression often invokes a unique and complex thought process about life in general.” Holden is currently undergoing and questioning life as a whole. In a similar manner to this drastic change in thinking, there is also an evident change in behavior and actions. Holden becomes obsessed with alcohol and smoking. We witness on several occasions Holden getting extremely intoxicated. According to WebMD , “Nearly one-third of people with major depression also have an alcohol problem. Often, the depression comes first. Research shows that depressed kids are more likely to have problems
Holden Caulfield comes from a respectable, well-off family. He has received countless opportunities. However, his life would not be described as perfect. The events that have occured during his lifetime have undoubtedly shaped him into the individual he is. During his childhood he experienced the death of his youngest brother, Allie. Holden was thirteen years old, when his eleven year old brother passed away from Leukemia. As a result of this horrific event, he became distraught. He develops many traits an individual exhibits when they posses a mental illness. According to Maia Szalavitz, “childhood trauma has long been known to raise a childhood’s odds of developing depression and addiction later on.” This traumatic event has increased Holden’s chances of developing depression, and it is evident that it has done so. Childhood trauma may occur early on in a person’s life, and can have a huge affect on the individual if they do not get necessary …show more content…
Throughout the story we see Holden go through episodes in which he thinks about death. For instance, a scene that takes place in the park in the early morning, where he sits and ponders what would happen if he were to get pneumonia and die. He imagines what his funeral would be like and thinks about the people who would attend. Another example of this is the time when his oldest brother D.B talks about the war. Holden states, “he would rather, be shot by a firing squad or sit on top of an atom bomb.” He is emphasizing that he would rather die than have to live a depressing life in the war. Both of these examples show that Holden thinks about death, and sometimes feels like dying would be the easiest way out. An article written by Lexi Herrick states, “Not every person with depression has felt suicidal. However, depression often invokes a unique and complex thought process about life in general.” Holden is currently undergoing and questioning life as a whole. In a similar manner to this drastic change in thinking, there is also an evident change in behavior and actions. Holden becomes obsessed with alcohol and smoking. We witness on several occasions Holden getting extremely intoxicated. According to WebMD , “Nearly one-third of people with major depression also have an alcohol problem. Often, the depression comes first. Research shows that depressed kids are more likely to have problems