Catcher In The Rye: The Problem Of Depression

Depression. A common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home. Holden Caulfield is a sixteen-year-old boy who for his age has gone through more than any teen should. Going through a death in the family is hard on anyone, and for someone so much younger, it makes it even harder. Not only so but being in a school where you have no established friendships that are genuine, leaves you to deal with everything by yourself. It is clear that Holden has depression because he’s been consistently walking with feelings of loneliness and his pessimistic thoughts.

Although many may be opposed to the idea, it’s clear that Holden is suffering within himself. It is clear from what he writes in The Catcher in the Rye that he’s been dealing with these issues for a while. Often times people tend to use that and say that instead of depression it is actually Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (ADHD.) They tend to claim that he was traumatized from earlier on experiences such as the death of his younger brother Allie. Although he did go through some hard situations at a younger age, his symptoms are not aligning with those of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. For starters, the main symptom of PTSD is having anxiety as well as flashbacks that are triggered by a traumatic event. Basing off of the text, Holden has yet to have any sort of triggering flashback that affects his mood negatively or prevents him from doing something. But in fact, Holden shows symptoms of depression such as agitation over minor circumstances. An example would be the argument he got into with Sally after asking her something extreme which was to run away and start new, leaving everything behind and completely going off the grid. After Sally respectfully disagreed, we see Holden’s agitation and anger begin to rise up when Sally says “ ‘Stop screaming at me, please,’ she said. Which was crap, because I wasn’t even screaming at her.”(71) We can tell from the text that Holden was angry, and on top of that, we see him going through denial when he attempts to put the blame on Sally instead of taking the blame for raising his voice. Holden is constantly twisting the blame on other people and the world around him instead of taking responsibility which is why everything he sees and experiences is in a bad light and a pessimistic view which is why his mood is impaired so negatively. This view can also expand to how he views himself which would only further explain and confirm the fact that Holden has depression.

Throughout the mood, we do see Holden being somewhat content every so often. Because of this, people tend to believe that Holden does not have depression. They claim that he just goes through bad moods and bad days just like any other regular person. Although Holden may be appearing as happy at certain points of the book, people who are depressed are not always all day every day sad and hurting. It also doesn’t work like clockwork. It comes and goes every so often. Not only so, but on top of that, we have seen instances where Holden occasionally has suicidal thoughts. An example would be “I didn’t answer him. All I did was, I got up and went over and looked out the window. I felt so lonesome, all of a sudden. I almost wished I was dead.” (26) Sure people have bad moods and bad days, but not to the point where you genuinely wished that you’d rather be dead than to continue living. Suicidal thoughts are often associated with depression and it something very serious and it usually occurs at the stage of chronic depression which is why it is clear to see that Holden is, in fact, dealing with depression and it needs to be treated, whether that be through therapy, medication or both.

From what is shown, it’s clear that Holden is dealing with depression and needs to be treated. We see his first few symptoms early on in the novel when he struggles with an extreme amount of loneliness. A young sixteen-year-old boy who is alone in New York City with just about no friends and nobody to confide in or to be able to enjoy their company. We see this when Holden is walking through New York City and he says “New York’s terrible when somebody laughs on the street very late at night. You can hear it for miles. It makes you feel so lonesome and depressed. I kept wishing I could go home and shoot the bull for a while with old Phoebe.” (44) As you can see, Holden admits to feeling depressed and how terribly his loneliness is affecting his everyday life. By simply walking through New York City and seeing the joy of others it immediately makes him realize how alone and sad he is, worsening his mood.

In conclusion, Holden does indeed have depression regardless of other arguments and he needs to get help, whether that is through therapy or medication. His views of others around him, as well as his pessimistic thoughts, have clearly taken a huge toll on his life. Depression is something very serious and is not something that should be taken lightly or be pushed to the side. Holden has clear issues that based on the ending of the book, they should be treated well with.

Works Cited Page

1. Salinger, J. D. The Catcher In The Rye. Boston: Little, Brown And Company, 1991, c1946. Print.

Evidence –

“I didn’t answer him. All I did was, I got up and went over and looked out the window. I felt so lonesome, all of a sudden. I almost wished I was dead.” (PG 26) Here Holden speaks of his huge feeling of loneliness and depression to the point where death seems like a better option. ‘You don’t like anything that’s happening. It made me even more depressed when she said that.”

“New York’s terrible when somebody laughs on the street very late at night. You can hear it for miles. It makes you feel so lonesome and depressed. I kept wishing I could go home and shoot the bull for a while with old Phoebe.” (44)