Holden had to cope up with his impulsive acts, erratic and upsetting thoughts and irrationality. Sure I do. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. "I do! He sounded just like a girl (Salinger 69). This was the 1940s, when ADHD was unheard of and autism was new, so adults in Holdens life assumed he was a bad kid and punished him. In his confusion, he sees this behavior as a weakness that may even call for psychotherapy. The schools are filled with lies and cruelty, ranging in degree from the relatively harmless Pencey school motto ("Since 1888 we have been molding boys into splendid, clear-thinking young men.") The Catcher in the Rye is a literature classic that follows the story of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old student. Updates? ", "One thing? The result is depression and hospitalization. LitCharts Teacher Editions. They got out of break a little earlier so I could see that she was hanging out at the skating rink with these two other girls. Holden interacts with homosexuality in a variety of ways throughout the novel. That was the only good part (Salinger 83). They never asked me what I thought of the directions, of course, because they were lousy. The trouble was, I just didnt want to do it. She wasnt very good at conversation. It could also be a result of him overcorrecting by reiterating himself because he has grown up with people misunderstanding what he is saying, leading him to say the same thing in multiple ways before people ask him to. These events are being told by Holden from a hospital bed in California. It has been suggested that Salinger himself related so closely to Holden that he was protective of the character. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. I dont blame them. Especially in English class. The man falling isnt permitted to feel or hear himself hit bottom. I tried to read it a few years ago; I couldn't get more than halfway through it. I've already wrote and printed out my essay. EVerything is internal, his thoughts Salinger, Free revision, title page, and bibliography, Get original paper written according to your instructions. Holden is joined by Joe Montana. I want you to learn how to let yourself trust other people. The main character, Holden Caulfield (or Holden Cauliflower, as I affectionately call him) is a bit controversial and a bit polarizing. Green Day wrote a song titled "Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?" I could puke every time I hear it (Salinger 57). As in the trauma he might have experienced before he was with Trench. One of the reasons why it matters that Holden may be gay is because of his unique sexuality. Holden talks about his siblings and refers to them both as smarter than he is, but we can see that Holden is quite an articulate, observant, and creative boy. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. It's interesting Hes sarcastic, nasty, and completely unlikeable. She is hysterical, old Pheobe. This includes pretending he is interested in different things than he actually is. He wandered around from place to place because he refused to go home to his family. After meandering silently through the zoo. I said. He is very untrustworthy of people. equinn, Joined: 11 Apr 2008Gender: MalePosts: 117. to paraphrase family guy.. Boy did that guy like to hear himself talk. You could go there a hundred times, and that Eskimo would still be just finished catching those two fish, the birds would still be on their way south, the deers would still be drinking out of that water hole, with their pretty antlers and their pretty, skinny legs, and that squaw with the naked bosom would still be weaving that same blanket. The rephrasing might be evidence that Holdens brain moves at a different speed than his mouth does, which is something some hyperverbal NDs have trouble with. I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it, and how theyd wonder what the hell it meant, and then finally some dirty kid would tell themI hardly even had the guts to rub it off the wall with my hand, if you want to know the truth. The hat reminds him of Allie and he feels safe in the hat. This indicates that he does not share their lifestyle or views on sexuality. Aspergers is a term that is insulting. And I was wonderingwhat psychological "disorder" does Holden (main character) have? Whenever Brian showed up or was mentioned on screen I immediately thought he was autistic. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Jesus carries a raven on his shoulder; Jesus carries The Ravens on his shoulder. Holden later refers to Sally as the queen of all phonies (Salinger 63) and calls her snotty, She was still being snotty on account of her ankles when she was skating (Salinger 70). In The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger gives us many hints suggesting that Holden may be gay. A third reason why Holdens sexuality matters is that it impacts his relationships with other characters in the novel, particularly Stradlater and Phoebe. He seems to be getting the help he needed. I dont have a real profile. He probably got in trouble for misbehaving in the past too, when it was really impulsivity and trouble with following instructions. The main character of the book is Holden Caulfield, he is also the narrator of the book but he is not very specific about where he is telling this story. Holden Caulfield is the main character of J. D. Salinger's renowned coming-of-age novel, The Catcher in the Rye (1951). Sometimes when this happens, he calls on his dead brother, Allie, for help. WebHolden Caulfield is teen angst bull-crap with a pickax. It makes me depressed to think about it. Wed have to go downstairs in elevators with suitcases and stuff. However, it can stem from trauma and other bad experiences from the past, Early childhood trauma can cause depression. He claims to see through the insincerity and inauthenticity of adult society, branding people around him phonies even people who perhaps dont deserve I think its a parallel showing the otherside of sociopath. He was singing that song, If a body catch a body coming through the rye. He had a pretty little voice, too. Dont say that. He has a strong connection with certain males throughout the novel. WebI felt that both Holden and Brian were on the spectrum - in modern terms they'd both be classed as autistic, but if we were still using older terminology I'd say that Holden shows I asked her if shed care to have a hot chocolate or something with me, but she said no, thank you. 2021 Aug 04 [cited 2023 Mar 3]. Several other details match those found in the first chapter of Catcher, including a reference to the mother of one of Caulfield's schoolmates and to his own mother sending him a gift of ice skates, but the story ends with his returning home instead of running away from school. Also, the meeting with Carl Luce is considerably briefer in the story than in the novel. D. Salinger: Rare Quixotic Gesture, 1961: On the surface, Holden Caulfield is Salingers typical quixotic hero in search, once again, of the simple truth. He wants time itself to stop. But no matter what I said, he asked me to say it again. I just finished reading the book, Catcher in the Rye. Autistic people tend to see rules and lines in places they might not necessarily be. On edge because of the play and because of Sallys question about Christmas Eve. What did you just say?. I dont know what she was thinking. Holden is a 16 years old teenager living in America. Holden Caulfield, fictional character, the teenaged protagonist and narrator of J.D. He asked me if I think anyone really loved me other than Allie, and then he told me he loved me. WebThe character of Holden Caulfield in J.D. I really am. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. The events occur just after the death of Kenneth (later renamed Allie) and reveal the anxiety of Mary Moriarity, an actress and Caulfield's mother. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. The Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel written by J.D. Contact Toward the end of the story, Kenneth and Vincent are on the beach. What brought me to this blog was me randomly thinking of Holden today and connecting the dots that maybe he is autistic I dont even like to think about it. He doesnt seem to be able to relate to women at all and never asks any questions that would suggest he is interested in them as people. WebWATCH: Holden Caulfield Diagnosed By Psychiatrist. Joined: 12 Nov 2007Age: 65Gender: MalePosts: 7,015. Instant PDF downloads. Holden Caulfield is much more than a whiner--he sees the underbelly of a person and he is a saint--the world troubles him, and he's right, it sure is troubling. Their dialogue is similar to that which appears in the later chapters of The Catcher in the Rye. I do. Although J.D. This is exactly the sort of thing a neurodivergent person who thinks concretely and does not understand social facades would be mad about. He also has some unusual ideas of what is important, such as his recurring question about where the ducks go when the pond freezes over. So in order to cope with their emotions, they turn to alcohol and other forms of substance abuse, Among individuals with recurring major depression, roughly 16.5 percent have an alcohol use disorder and 18 percent have a drug use disorder (Substance Abuse and Depression). WebIf Holden were just autistic, he might have returned home toward the familiar immediately, but as an ADHD-autist, his novelty-seeking brain led him through several new She hates them, that old Pheobe. It was the third school I had flunked out of, and my Dad was going to be sore as hell. Can Humans Detect Text by AI Chatbot GPT? Removing #book# Have no time to work on your essay? Sometimes its hard to concentrate. He has extreme social issues because he feels as if he can't fit in with his peers. No game. Chapters 25-26, Next For example, Stradlater is a very rude and inconsiderate roommate for Holden. A second reason why Holdens sexuality matters is because of how people treat him differently depending on whether or not they think he is gay. After the play, Sally and Holden see, Holden sees all the people and views them all as phony, At the end of the first act we went out with all the other jerks for a cigarette. Often considered a symbol of teen angst, key traits of Holden's include: a feeling of Ill bet I woke up every bastard on the whole floor. Get the help you need from a therapist near youa FREE service from Psychology Today. Holdens psychological situation and his personality traits seem to branch out and touch a lot of different known psychological disorders. Character Analysis Holden Caulfied looks at things in such a negative tone throughout the novel, Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has a very negative view on everything besides his little sister, Phoebe, he loves her and cares so much for her. The story was reportedly sold to a magazine, only to be taken back by Salinger before publication. All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid shed fall off the goddam horse, but I didnt say anything or do anything. Posted on 26/01/2012 Anyone whos read The Catcher in the Rye probably thought, at one point or another, that Holden Caulfeld is flat out bipolar. These characters might have been in the protagonists life before the book began, or they may have barely been mentioned, but they still have a profound impact on the story. Essay Service Examples Literature Holden Caulfield. Holden resents the adult world and resists entry into it, but he has little choice. Terms of Use, Holden Caulfield: A Troubled Character With Signs Of Clinical Depression., Holden Caulfield: A Troubled Character With Signs Of Clinical Depression [Internet]. Ive been thinking about it, and he does show some symptoms (special interests he likes talking a lot about, inability to read social cues, and general social unawareness). Holden is actually questioning what happens when children become adults (or when they are forced into the winter or adult world) this concern can apply to other children or Holdens feelings about himself. At that time, D.B. But they are pretty catty. Returning to the bar after his phone conversation with Sally. Then, when the dough runs out, I could get a job somewhere and we could live somewhere with a brook and all and, later on, we could get married or something (Salinger 71). Holden is not interested in men and does not seem to understand homosexual relationships or attractions. Lately, a lot of people on this sub have even been comparing his mannerisms to Connor from the video game Detroit Become Human. I could hardly see straight (Salinger 80). By the time my train stopped, I didnt feel like seeing Sally anymore so I decided to just go talk to Pheobe. From here on out, Holden was never the same. I have 26 followers and I dont post that much. When I read Holdens point of view, I felt that I had some things in common with him. The trouble was, I couldnt concentrate too hot. This was the reason he was unwilling to allow filming of the book or use of the character by other writers.[2]. I love you both so much! This story appears to form the basis for several key scenes in the first several chapters of The Catcher in the Rye. What Holden probably didn't realize in the novel was that his idea of those who are innocent is not very accurate. And who can forget phony? In addition, some believe there isn't much a difference between sociopath and psychopath; they are the same disorder expressed differently. What do we make of Holden Caulfield? But why should I have to memorize something that I could Google anytime I wanted. He never made any sense. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Society and his own body are telling him that it is time for him to change. Some people see him as a whiny proto-emo, some see him as just a stupid teenage boy, and some see him as a misunderstood anti-hero. Then he started asking me about Allie. You dont like a million things. This fiction reveals more truth about the world than an individuals reality can often supply. Where are you going? CliffsNotes study guides are written by real teachers and professors, so no matter what you're studying, CliffsNotes can ease your homework headaches and help you score high on exams. If they fall off, they fall off, but its bad if you say anything to them. WebCite This Essay. I had pills too. WebHolden Caulfield character explanations intentions communication concepts 03 Share This fall I think youre riding forits a special kind of fall, a horrible kind. Id just be the catcher in the rye and all. Since he ends up in a hospital at the end and consistently has those fainting fits towards the end of the book, I guess that that has something to do with it. The other notable feature of the story is that his sister Viola gets her first, and only, mention in the Caulfield saga. Salinger, Catcher In The Rye By J.D. There can be high functioning on the autism spectrum though. One kid posted a picture of himself that made him look like a goddam model or something. I felt lonely, so I started looking through profiles of a few people from my dorm. Another symptom attributed to depression is a loss of interest in many things, People typically exhibit multiple of the following behaviors and symptoms Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports, (Depression (Major Depressive Disorder)). Thousands of little kids, and nobodys aroundnobody big, I meanexcept me. I also assumed Brian had autism but as the show progressed I felt his odd behavior was more mental health related. WebCaulfield is a brutally honest character in terms of his thoughts and questions. I wasnt feeling sexy with her at all and I didnt want to lead her on. Initially, he gave up on reading it after dropping out from Pinole Valley High School when he was 18 years old. This leads to a number of bad decisions that occur over three days. I agree he most definitely is ND. The beginning of the book is pretty good. Another short story of note with relationship to Caulfield is "The Boy in the People Shooting Hat", which was submitted to The New Yorker sometime between 1948 and 1949 but was never published. Holden Caulfield. I couldnt wait to get out of Pencey. WebHe is consumed with pointing out hypocrisy and phonies because he sees it and thinks about it. He mocks a past roommate for wanting to make sure his suitcases were visible because it would make both of them appear rich and rolls his eyes about the headmaster of his school acting totally different on parent night than he does with the students during the school day. Shes really pretty, but sometimes I cant stand listening to her talk. Yes, I do think he's an aspie--red hunting cap, inappropriate comments, mimicing adults in order to make conversation, analyzes everything, repetitive (keeps asking the same questions over and over--where do the ducks go in the winter?) You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? bookmarked pages associated with this title. That little lake? But there was something about the way his face looked, like he never had a goddam pimple in his life or something that looked off. "Because you dont," she said. He was pushed around from school to school, failing and being expelled from the majority of them due to his poor behavior. The man falling isnt permitted to feel or hear himself hit bottom. His life was complicated by the death of his younger brother, and the negative reaction that it invoked from his parents. Feeling terrible for running from Ernies. Bye.. If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then its a game, all rightIll admit that. She was a very nice, polite little kid. They also looked like he had worn them for about sixty years. Another mistake is not owning up to his being expelled from his parents and instead, running away. When he asks, she responds with, Thatd be grand (Salinger 57). I read a lot of books and I am pretty smart. Corrections? If Holden were just autistic, he might have returned home toward the familiar immediately, but as an ADHD-autist, his novelty-seeking brain led him through several new experiences instead. As Mr. Antolini holds forth with his advice. It might be that Holden feels stupid because things that are difficult for him, such as reading between the lines socially and picking up life skills, are easy for Phoebe and the late Allie. Get your paper done in as fast as 3 hours, 24/7. Experiences like Allie dying and D.B going to Hollywood [164] to become what he hated most (phonies) could have severely impacted and changed Holdens personality early on in his life. It drove me damn near crazy. Thus, the caul in his name may symbolize the blindness of childhood or the The answer to that question is complex. (Never mind that even museum displays change.) She doesnt always have anything good to say, but she never stops talking. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. She put up some pictures of her play. That makes sense. Holden, just home from camp, is waiting on the porch with his suitcases as Vincent comes back with Kenneth's unconscious body. Holden becomes very upset and spends the next several hours talking about her. There is some ambiguity here because Holden is both alive and a high school student in Catcher, which was written and published after the war, so it is not possible for him to have been a soldier during the 1940s and a high school student in the early 50s. The problems that Holden and Mark face are distance, selling out and character. On the train back to New York, I checked my Instagram and thought about posting some crap about Pencey, but remembered that my mother and father followed me, and I didnt want them to know I had gotten kicked out. he's a PHONY, a big fat PHONY! And Im standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. In particular I thought it was really interesting to watch Holden "mask" trying to learn social cues. He was just singing for the hell of it, you could tell. He just keeps falling and falling. He talks all week about the players he thinks are the best and what he thinks are the biggest problems with the other team each week, but I see him read all of that stuff from a blog. All of these factors contributed to the mental hardships that he dealt with on a daily basis. Because they do it too, and I dont want them to think I dont like them she told me. Thats where youre wrongthats exactly where youre wrong! He begins to see the world as unfair, after Allies death. ! she wrote in the caption, and those two buffoons wrote comments saying the same thing. When he goes to his old school and sees a curse word scratched on the wall in chalk, he thinks a "pervert" must have snuck in during the night to write it, when it was most likely another kid. "This is a people shooting hat," I said. mso-wrap-style:square'> In school, he expresses this to his professor saying, That is all I know about the Egyptians. Thats good. While the cause of death in Catcher is leukemia, here it is due to an unspecified heart condition. equinn, Joined: 2 Dec 2006Age: 36Gender: FemalePosts: 408Location: somewhere else. His life was complicated by the death of his younger brother, and the negative reaction that it invoked from his parents. I decided to untag myself from that picture. When I was all set to go, when I had my bags and all, I stood for a while next to the stairs and took a last look down the goddam corridor. So they figured I had a problem and I started taking medicine. https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/styles/article-inli. Holden had a traumatic experience as a child, the loss of his brother, Allie. He carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. I think he's definitely on the spectrum! The novel's narrator and protagonist, Holden is a high school junior who has flunked out of prep school several times. Holden acts this way to hide his own insecurities. The ducks are migrating and he wants to know where they are going. Did You Know Anxiety Can Enhance Our Relationships? Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. He tells her when he leaves Pencey that he would like to sleep with her in the same bed. I really dont think I could. Suicide and suicidal thoughts often are only a part of a bigger issue, Roughly 50% of people who died by suicide had a known mental disorder (Risk of Suicide). Vincent announces that his brother, Holden, has been declared missing in action. Holden Caulfield in experiencing adolescence in J.D. Holden Caulfield grew up with little to no parental guidance. I am not diagnosed with ADHD or Autism but my son is and As a teenager I thought and felt exactly like him and even as an adult I would have to say still do and still am I hear that youre frustrated. I could do what they wanted when it made sense to. Somebodyd written "Fuck you" on the wall. He was probably just getting up because our session ended. We are here 24/7 to write your paper in as fast as 3 hours. Joined: 10 Oct 2006Age: 43Gender: FemalePosts: 1,054. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. By constantly asking him about girls, he makes Holden uncomfortable. We were about to arrive in New York, but I wasnt tired. I also had my biggest major elopement (during which I ended up temporarily homeless and didnt return home) during the most intense manic episode of my life just recently. Holdens depression has led him to contemplate suicide. Asperger/HFA people CAN have social conversations, I had thought, because they learn how to say the right things in a somewhat timely manner-almost like actors. You cant ever find a place thats nice and peaceful, because there isnt any. He is attracted to the trappings of adulthood: booze, cigarettes, the idea of sex, and a kind of independence. He also struggles to grasp the subtleties of communication, such as not getting right away that Stradlater is annoyed with him. The ending of the novel has no real resolution, but Holden seems to be taking steps in the right direction. You dont like any schools. You dont see what I mean at all. Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs The only good thing, I knew she wouldnt let old Phoebe come to my goddam funeral because she was only a little kid. Only if you guys had replied earlier Holden has some interesting rules in his head about the world around him, such as every Catholic he meets wanting to find out if he is also Catholic above all else. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. If anything, society might label him as having ODD (Oppositional Defiant At the same time as he detests the adult world, he wants to be a part of it, which is why he smokes and drinks and attempts to be with a prostitute. The main character, Holden Caulfield (or Holden Cauliflower, as I affectionately call him) is a bit controversial and a bit polarizing. Allies death took away Holdens innocence. Salingers little window into the life of a certain adolescent, is an untapped well, brimming with educational merit beyond what those ignorant institutions are capable of appreciating. However, when looking at all of the data together, it seems more likely that Holden is heterosexual. He gets creeped out by Mr. Antolini stroking his head, but the narration implies that this type of behavior has been a pattern, and that is why Holden knows it is wrong. After this, a noticeable change in his behavior occurs. But, in my opinion he isn't autistic, just has some personality "disorders". When they stop at a red light, Ernie starts caressing the steering wheel lovingly. Mitch Prinstein, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Term Professor and the Director of Clinical Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. WebHolden is a highly layered character, and to make a distinction as black and white as him being good or bad diminishes his humanity. The whole arrangements designed for men who, at some time or other in their lives, were looking for something their own environment couldnt supply them with. Yes I do. He is the most relatable fictional character I have ever come across. Then, just to show you how crazy I am, when we were coming out of this big clinch, I told her I loved her and all. My Dad always was sore as hell. Salinger's various stories (and one novel) featuring a character named Holden Caulfield do not share a cohesive timeline, and details about "Holden Caulfield" and his family are often inconsistent or completely contradictory from one story to another. Holden does the same. They made me see a therapist for a bunch of years after that. He was consumed with nuns eating dry toast and how this is saintly and how can he reconcile with the rest of us slobs eating regular food--steak and potatoes. Pencey is a good school, everyone always says, but it was filled with a bunch of phonies. Gladwaller's relationship with his younger sister can be seen as a parallel to Caulfield's relationship with Phoebe. >In the late 1970s two FBI agents expand criminal science by delving into the psychology of murder and getting uneasily close to all-too-real monsters. For example, one might argue his chronic depression [141] and his inability to emotionally connect to people fit in with a form of Autism known as Aspergers Syndrome. Im lonesome as hell. Holden interacts with homosexuality in a variety of ways and at different points in his life. . I dont know what that has to do with anything, but he seemed to really want to know about how he died and whether I talked to anyone about it. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye. It begins with Caulfield standing on a hill at Pencey Prep watching a football game below, and develops as Holden visits with his history teacher, Mr. Spencer, for a talk about his expulsion from school and his future. Those reading this will probably recognize Catcher in the Rye as one of those books you had to read in high school, one of those classics. About Wrong Planet It focuses on a fight between two characters named Bobby and Stradlater over Bobby's feelings about Jane Gallagher. "Last Day of the Last Furlough" relates the final day of Babe Gladwaller before he leaves to fight in World War II. An interpretation of Holden Caulfield on the cover of the 2012 book, Learn how and when to remove this template message, The Catcher in the Rye - and related matters, Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction, A Young Girl in 1941 with No Waist at All, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Holden_Caulfield&oldid=1142721913, Fictional characters with psychiatric disorders, Characters in American novels of the 20th century, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from October 2016, All articles needing additional references, Articles needing additional references from March 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, In Japan, most of the short stories are already translated into Japanese (compiled in two volumes) and still commercially available with the approval of Salinger's agents (, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 00:58.