Both Hamlet and Holden Caulfield have extreme psychological issues that stem from the tragic deaths that occured within their families. However, literary critics have questioned the authenticity of Hamlet’s so-called “insanity” for centuries. Holden’s mental illness is much more believable than the psychological issues that Hamlet claims to have. This is shown through Holden’s obsession with suicide, Hamlet’s soliloquies about his pretend madness, and Hamlet’s odd, irrational behavior that is so exaggerated, it is almost unbelievable. Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield makes many remarks and allusions to killing himself and to death. For example, in chapter 14 Holden says “It took me quite a while to get to sleep- I wasn’t
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About halfway to the bathroom, I sort of started pretending I had a bullet in my guts… What I’d do, I’d walk down a few floors- holding onto my guts, blood leaking all over the place…As soon as old Maurice opened the doors, he’d see me with the automatic in my hand and he’d start screaming at me, in this very high-pitched, yellow-belly voice, to leave him alone. But I’d plug him anyway. Six shots right through his fat hairy belly.” (Salinger 56) As demonstrated in the quotes above, Holden clearly has serious mental issues. He imagines killing himself or being killed many times throughout the novel, a popular symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD. PTSD has three main stages, each of which Holden clearly goes through throughout his life. The first stage is called the Impact Phase. This phase begins immediately after the traumatic incident occurs. A person going through this stage “... may be manifested by… standing in harm’s way, or wandering aimlessly, seemingly out of touch with their surroundings” (“PTSD: National Center for PTSD.”) The night of Holden’s brother, Allie’s, death, Holden broke all of the windows in his garage, and was sent to the hospital. This shows that Holden put himself in harm’s way
About halfway to the bathroom, I sort of started pretending I had a bullet in my guts… What I’d do, I’d walk down a few floors- holding onto my guts, blood leaking all over the place…As soon as old Maurice opened the doors, he’d see me with the automatic in my hand and he’d start screaming at me, in this very high-pitched, yellow-belly voice, to leave him alone. But I’d plug him anyway. Six shots right through his fat hairy belly.” (Salinger 56) As demonstrated in the quotes above, Holden clearly has serious mental issues. He imagines killing himself or being killed many times throughout the novel, a popular symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD. PTSD has three main stages, each of which Holden clearly goes through throughout his life. The first stage is called the Impact Phase. This phase begins immediately after the traumatic incident occurs. A person going through this stage “... may be manifested by… standing in harm’s way, or wandering aimlessly, seemingly out of touch with their surroundings” (“PTSD: National Center for PTSD.”) The night of Holden’s brother, Allie’s, death, Holden broke all of the windows in his garage, and was sent to the hospital. This shows that Holden put himself in harm’s way