Should Holden Catch a Break?
J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye has been popular for young people since its release, and a staple for high schoolers for decades. But, whether this tradition should be continued for today’s high school students is in question. Being a teenager in today’s technological world is different than it was in Holden’s. It is reasonable to think that a student in a modern English class wouldn’t benefit from or relate to Holden’s struggles, and this brings doubts about whether the book should be kept in the curriculum. Despite his dated slang, teenagers still share Holden’s basic struggles with depression, transitioning to adulthood, and adult society.
Holden deals with depression, which also affects many other teenagers. Throughout his travels, he finds himself feeling down. This is …show more content…
He couldn’t deal with the sadness the place brought him, so he tried to escape it. As a result of this impulsive decision, Holden had a mental breakdown after only a few days alone in the city. Throughout the book, he repeats this behavior of trying to escape depression by doing new and daring things, but it usually only gets him deeper into a bad situation. This issue is one that high schoolers today still encounter. While depression is something that can affect anyone, it can be especially bad for teenagers, since they have to deal with the stress of school and their social lives. In addition, they are often as emotionally cut off as Holden is and aren’t comfortable talking about their issues. However, some argue that with treatment for mental illness being less stigmatized and more widely available, those with depression don’t relate to Holden’s struggles with it. Patrick Welsh, a high school English teacher, says that when “so many teens are being diagnosed with depression” and being medicated for it, “the fact that Holden is struggling on his own
J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye has been popular for young people since its release, and a staple for high schoolers for decades. But, whether this tradition should be continued for today’s high school students is in question. Being a teenager in today’s technological world is different than it was in Holden’s. It is reasonable to think that a student in a modern English class wouldn’t benefit from or relate to Holden’s struggles, and this brings doubts about whether the book should be kept in the curriculum. Despite his dated slang, teenagers still share Holden’s basic struggles with depression, transitioning to adulthood, and adult society.
Holden deals with depression, which also affects many other teenagers. Throughout his travels, he finds himself feeling down. This is …show more content…
He couldn’t deal with the sadness the place brought him, so he tried to escape it. As a result of this impulsive decision, Holden had a mental breakdown after only a few days alone in the city. Throughout the book, he repeats this behavior of trying to escape depression by doing new and daring things, but it usually only gets him deeper into a bad situation. This issue is one that high schoolers today still encounter. While depression is something that can affect anyone, it can be especially bad for teenagers, since they have to deal with the stress of school and their social lives. In addition, they are often as emotionally cut off as Holden is and aren’t comfortable talking about their issues. However, some argue that with treatment for mental illness being less stigmatized and more widely available, those with depression don’t relate to Holden’s struggles with it. Patrick Welsh, a high school English teacher, says that when “so many teens are being diagnosed with depression” and being medicated for it, “the fact that Holden is struggling on his own