Mental Illness Essay

The Mental Illness Behind The Catcher in the Rye “I swear to God I’m crazy. I admit it.” Holden Caulfield, the narrator of J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye. A character with a need to split himself from the ordinary whose impulsive behaviors led to social withdrawal. And behind Salinger’s character is a mental illness that explains the changing mood, thoughts, energy, and behavior of the main character. Throughout the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is shown to have…

Holden’s Struggle with Mental Illness J.D. Salinger is the author of the controversial novel The Catcher in the Rye. The story depicts the short span of Holden Caulfield’s few days in winter after being kicked out of Pencey Prep, a prestigious school Holden was attending. His journey is off to a rough start after Holden still has not completely accepted the death of his younger brother, so he tries forming new relationships with people and rekindle old friendships. After numerous failures,…

perfect life, whether it’s the real or not. Blanche DuBois, a character in Tennessee William’s “A Streetcar named Desire” lived a delusional lifestyle. While it is no secret that Ms. DuBois had dealt with her fair share of difficulty, her underlying mental illness greatly impacted her everyday choices. Her once perfect world is now in shambles and she will do anything to rebuild the life she used to have. Blanche’s fantasy world is shattered when Stanley, her realist brother-in-law sees through…

Personally, I believe Lady Macbeth suffered several mental illnesses. The following are quotes which lead to my belief of so. Bring forth men-children only! For thy undaunted mettle should compose Nothing but males…

A Rose for Emily: The Mad Murderess The short story “A Rose for Emily”, written by William Faulkner. The brand of literature told by Faulkner, Southern Gothic style, which was popular in the nineteenth century. This style emphasized the culture of the south, with hints of post-civil war slavery sentiments and social hierarchies. Faulkner incorporates grotesque themes, such as necrophilia and brings to life odd acting characters with strange behaviors. His protagonist, Emily is no exception…

Holden throughout his daily life. Holden is a very vague and ill-defined character that has no path in life and proceeds to be the more invisible minority. Throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger illustrates the struggles of mental illness through the character of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen year old boy who is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and depression due to his many implied sexual encounters,…

Victorian Era. Mental illness was the subject of many novels and scientific journals published during the second half of the 19th century, many of which went on to become quite popular. Amongst the most famous of these works is Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, which depicts an individual suffering from a personality split and extreme impulses towards evil. Even to a modern reader who has never picked up a psychology text, Jekyll’s and Hyde’s mental instability is…

Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” tells the story of a woman named Emily Grierson that has a mental illness to which she lives in the South where a rigid lifestyle will determine the expectations regarding a person’s behavior and the way society will them. Miss Emily is the daughter of a wealthy upper-class gentleman who is influential to the community. Many accommodations are made for Miss Emily’s extraordinary behaviors due to Mr. Grierson’s standing within his community. Miss Emily’s marriage to…

It is often assumed that mental illness increases the likelihood that an individual will commit violent acts (Elbogen & Johnson, 2009). When examining Chuck’s case, it may be difficult to determine his guilt based on his criminal history, his experience with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED), and the evidence that is being used against him. In order to determine how Chuck’s case should be handled and what type of punishment he receives, it is crucial to examine his history of SED and its…

Depression. A mental illness that seems to be effecting twenty percent of the teenage population (citation). Believed to be a disease that only effects the poor or a specific race, depression is a disorder that is victimizing even the most popular of individuals, such as Marilyn Monroe. The research question that is explored in this essay, explains the many effects of depression on teens aged 10 -16, which are the symptoms or results of an issue. Many times these teens are unknowingly effected…