An Analysis Of The Catcher In The Rye, By J. D. Salinger

In J.D Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is the main character and he could be classified as being depressed. For several reasons being, Caulfield shows signs of being depressed. He is doing poorly in school, he abuses the use of cigarettes, and doesn’t ever feel like anyone can ever live up to his expectations. “As many as 8.3 percent of teens suffer depression for at least a year at a time, compared to about 5.3 percent of the general population.” (“Teen”). In the first chapter of The Catcher in the Rye, Caulfield tells his story of getting kicked out of his school. One symptom of depression is having poor performance in school. Caulfield tells us, “ I was flunking four subjects and not applying myself- especially around midterms ” (Salinger 4). As a result, Caulfield is kicked out of his school and has nowhere to go. One way Caulfield could get help is through Interpersonal therapy. This type of therapy focuses on building healthier relationships at home and at school. A warning sign the teachers or counselors could be aware of would be his severe drop in school interest and performance. This is a leading sign of depression either starting or already occurring with a person. One way someone could help him is by offering help and listening. He doesn’t feel like he has anyone who cares about him and therefore he can’t vent to anyone and this simple task could get him back on track for school. Many people who are depressed often abuse a substance or an emotion. Caulfield depended on cigarettes to cope with his emotions. Throughout several scenes of the book, the reader will find that Caulfield has a cigarette in his mouth or hand. When being confronted by Stradlater, Caulfield lights a cigarette, “I lay on my bed and lit a cigarette. You weren’t allowed to smoke in the dorm, but you could do it late at night when everybody was asleep or out and nobody could smell the smoke” (41). Caulfield was angry that Stradlater didn’t like the essay …show more content…
He views adults as having lost their innocence and being phony. Also, he distances himself from listening to adult or being close to them personally. After he is kicked out of school, Caulfield stays with an old teacher he had in the past, Mr. Antolini. Mr. Antolini offers to let him stay the night with him for as long as he needs and Caulfield accepts at first. Throughout the night, while Caulfield is sleeping, he wakes up to find that Mr. Antolini is stroking his head. Freaked out for obvious reasons, he quickly packs up his stuff and leaves. Still embarrassed as he’s leaving his old teachers house, Caulfield bluntly states, “When something perverty like that happens, I start sweating like a bastard. That kind of stuff’s happened to me about twenty times since I was a kid. I can’t stand it” (193). Clearly experiencing some sort of sexual abuse in his past, Caulfield is very standoffish of adults for this reason partly. A sign of his depression through his act between Mr. Antolini and him is him isolating himself from all adults. A way this could be helped professionally is to see an interpersonal therapist. Throughout J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield showcases many signs of being depressed. With his lack of family communication and his brothers passing, Caulfield feels lonely and secluded. Some signs of depression