Ultimately, it is up to the reader to decide Holdens sexuality for themselves. My mom brought me to a pediatrician as soon as my kindergarten teacher said that I wasnt listening. But I didnt feel like it most of the time. Salinger never explicitly stated that Holden was Holden starts off by telling us that he has been kicked out of another school, Pencey Prep. Holden wants to tell what happened over a two-day period the previous December, beginning on the Saturday afternoon of the traditional season-ending football game between his school, Pencey Prep, and Saxon Hall. WebAs a not autistic person myself, but someone who is emotionally intelligent/empathetic but introverted and awkward around people IRL, I also relate to Holden a lot. After a night of drinking, Holden decides to sit out in the freezing cold with no jacket on and he almost dies, Anyway, I kept worrying that I was getting pneumonia, with all those hunks of ice in my hair, and that I was going to die (Salinger 83). I now know I have adhd and autism. Webduncan hines devils food cake brownies. It affects the ability to make decisions as it clouds judgment, Another symptom attributed to depression is a diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day (Depression Symptoms). The exact causes of depression are unknown. He shows that he is suffering, even though, to everyone else he may seem fine. And I was wonderingwhat psychological "disorder" does Holden (main character) have? WebIts the LXVIIth time theyve met. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He is attracted to the trappings of adulthood: booze, cigarettes, the idea of sex, and a kind of independence. Holdens story communicates an important perspective on idealistic world EduBirdie considers academic integrity to be the essential part of the learning process and does not support any violation of the academic standards. Game, my ass. The novel is a frame story (a story within a certain fictional framework) in the form of a long flashback. "Thats a deer shooting hat. What do we make of Holden Caulfield? The significance of this is that his brother, Allie, had red hair. Imagine that you are living in the middle of the 1950s and you are located in the middle of New York City, ordering a smoothie from a store with your girlfriend. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. 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). I didnt want her to get the wrong idea. In "The Stranger", published in Collier's December 1, 1945, Babe Gladwaller and his sister Mattie (a proto-type for Phoebe) visit Vincent Caulfield's former girlfriend, now married, to tell her about his death and deliver a poem he wrote about her. Omissions? Though it is not clearly stated, it can be inferred from the story that he is in a mental institution. Depression has a huge impact on ones mental state. Holden is constantly running away from his problems, like being expelled, and avoids them. He sounded just like a girl (Salinger 69). Holden interacts with homosexuality in a variety of ways and at different points in his life. My theory is that Holden has too much of a sense of himself, he knows that he is different, and he is attempting to mask because being Holden has been shown to be a negative thing. 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. "You dont like anything thats happening.". In this blog post, well take a look at some of the evidence that suggests Holden might be gay, and well also discuss why his sexuality matters. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Salinger himself is a reclose and 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 Wed have to go downstairs in elevators with suitcases and stuff. No kidding (Salinger 80). Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. He decides to head back to New York City, where he is from, but he doesnt go home. 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 ducks are migrating and he wants to know where they are going. You dont.". Sometimes when this happens, he calls on his dead brother, Allie, for help. Autistic people tend to see rules and lines in places they might not necessarily be. She doesnt always have anything good to say, but she never stops talking. It's interesting They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Salinger, Catcher In The Rye By J.D. Especially my roommate. I don't remember the story well enough to even remember that happening. 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. Having one train of thought is a foreign concept to him. Holdens teachers know he is smart, but they assume he does not put in effort because he struggles to initiate tasks and manage his time. I also assumed Brian had autism but as the show progressed I felt his odd behavior was more mental health related. Expulsion from Pencey Prep. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. I could puke every time I hear it (Salinger 57). What I really felt like, though, was committing suicide. 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. He is kicked out of a boarding school and told not to return after Christmas break. This is because some events impact the way the body reacts to fear and stressful situations (Depression). I mean, you couldnt deny that. However, Salinger wrote that Vincent died in World War II, and The Catcher in the Rye was published in 1951. The man falling isnt permitted to feel or hear himself hit bottom. That kills me. I cant stand all of the phonies on their profiles with all of their pictures of themselves and all of the comments about how good they look and how they just went to these great places. equinn, Joined: 11 Apr 2008Gender: MalePosts: 117. to paraphrase family guy.. By constantly asking him about girls, he makes Holden uncomfortable. 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. He often wears the hat when feeling awkward, embarrassed, or uneasy. None of them played football, and they didnt give a damn about our schools team until they got here at Pencey. 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. EVerything is internal, his thoughts Holden acts this way to hide his own insecurities. Youre by no means alone on that scoreMany, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now. Holden, just home from camp, is waiting on the porch with his suitcases as Vincent comes back with Kenneth's unconscious body. (The Ackley thing might be a bit of internalized ableism poking through, now that I think about it). Salingers Catcher in the Rye. She just kept dancing, and then asked me for a selfie so she could post it on her profile. Her green dress hanging in the closet and all. He is the most relatable fictional character I have ever come across. What brought me to this blog was me randomly thinking of Holden today and connecting the dots that maybe he is autistic Holden Caulfield. Since Aspergers syndrome is ruled out, and is within the highly functioning part of the Autistic Spectrum, anything lower such as LFA (Lowly Functioning Autism) can be ruled out. WebHe is consumed with pointing out hypocrisy and phonies because he sees it and thinks about it. equinn, Joined: 2 Dec 2006Age: 36Gender: FemalePosts: 408Location: somewhere else. He even takes notes while he reads it so he can copy what it says. Terms of Use Nothing. Holden is acting like a duck in the way he avoids having to deal with his issues. Why do you always post about them then? I asked her. They never asked me what I thought of the directions, of course, because they were lousy. I was afraid some teacher would catch me rubbing it off and would think Id written it. Vincent announces that his brother, Holden, has been declared missing in action. Contact I never found out what happened to Carl. Where are you going? Itd be entirely different. It was depressing really. You dont like any schools. Open your ears. I couldnt wait to get out of Pencey. I don't think Holden has any sort of disorder at all, and I also don't think he is "better" than the people around him. The 2 Most Psychologically Incisive Films of 2022, The Surprising Role of Empathy in Traumatic Bonding. Instant PDF downloads. I want you to learn how to let yourself trust other people. Did You Know Anxiety Can Enhance Our Relationships? Sure I do. Although J.D. Holden Caulfield would probably have two hemorrhages if he heard someone say this, but its true that even for thoughtful and otherwise independent people it simply feels good sometimes to know youre doing the exact same thing as I could hear them screaming from three floors up. This fall I think youre riding forits a special kind of fall, a horrible kind. Gladwaller spends part of the day with his little sister before Vincent Caulfield arrives. Some game. But she never posts any selfies. he's a PHONY, a big fat PHONY! Instead Nancy dug into her denial and whisked him away. Happily, some of them kept records of their troubles. Holden Caulfield was kicked out from Pencey Prep and he felt that his decision wasnt guided by any of his known adults. We will write an essay sample crafted to your needs. Holden Caulfield, fictional character, the teenaged protagonist and narrator of J.D. In a dialogue between Holden and his sister Phoebe, he confesses his fear of people thinking he is queer: He is very attached to his younger sister, Phoebe. I said no, there wouldnt be marvelous places to go to after I went to college and all. The only good thing, I knew she wouldnt let old Phoebe come to my goddam funeral because she was only a little kid. Especially in English class. Life is change. Change). He claims to see through the insincerity and inauthenticity of adult society, branding people around him phonies even people who perhaps dont deserve Those suffering from depression tend to avoid admitting that they have a problem, Many people who have depression do not get help (Suicide and Depression). Shouldnt we review our homework for this week and talk about our plans for your next appointment?, Yeah, Ill email you. WebHe has grown 6 1/2 inches in just one year. He even has a memory of getting frustrated in class because he kept changing topics during a speech and his classmates kept shouting digression at him. Attached: 220px-Rye_catcher.jpg (220x346, 33K) April 2, Holden begs him to stay, Have just one more drink, I told him. I really dont. Thus, the caul in his name may symbolize the blindness of childhood or the For example, Stradlater is a very rude and inconsiderate roommate for Holden. By the end of the novel, however, Holden realizes you cant protect anyone and you shouldnt to begin withyou should let them figure it out for themselves. At the very end, he went on Adolescence is defined as, the period of life when a child develops into an adult, the period from puberty to maturity terminating legally at the age of majority, the state or process of growing up, a stage of development (as of a language or culture) by the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Then I got the hell out. Often considered a symbol of teen angst, key traits of Holden's include: a feeling of It would also fit in with the theme of the 1970s/80s being different from our time and socially acceptable and perfectly okay things today were looked at as taboo/bad (Wendy being a lesbian for example). There are many reasons why Holden Caulfield is straight, but the most convincing evidence is that he does not exhibit any of the common signs or symptoms of homosexuality. In school, he expresses this to his professor saying, That is all I know about the Egyptians. Ill bet I woke up every bastard on the whole floor. Joined: 5 Jul 2004Age: 42Gender: FemalePosts: 5,039, Joined: 7 Nov 2006Age: 30Gender: MalePosts: 398Location: Ann Arbor, MI. But assume then your girlfriend disappears one day and leaving you with an untouchable smoothie all alone. There is no definite answer to whether Holden Caulfield is gay or straight, but there are several pieces of evidence that can be used to make a case for either side. And I was wonderingwhat psychological "disorder" does Holden (main character) have? Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Those suffering from depression often, blame others, push others away, and refuse to help themselves. This essay sample was donated by a student to help the academic community. Seems common for most people to go through that "wahhh I hate my privileged lifestyle and family" phase at that point in their lives now. WebThe obvious signs that Holden is a troubled and unreliable narrator are manifold: he fails out of four schools; he manifests complete apathy toward his future; he is hospitalized, and visited by a psychoanalyst, for an unspecified complaint; and At one point, Holden begins picturing his funeral, I kept picturing her not knowing what to do with all my suits and athletic equipment and all. I just finished reading the book, Catcher in the Rye. It focuses on a fight between two characters named Bobby and Stradlater over Bobby's feelings about Jane Gallagher. He also has a very negative view of homosexuals and calls them perverts and queers. 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. Holden is a 16 years old teenager living in America. In chapter twenty, Holden is feeling very lonesome so he calls a friend to have a few drinks with. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. It drove me damn near crazy. He does lie, but most of his lies are random and outrageous, such as when he tells two different strangers that he is twelve and forty, despite being seventeen, suggesting impulsivity. You dont see what I mean at all. Privacy Policy Good old Carl another kid that started taking pills in kindergarten like me. As an ADHD-autist myself, I have to agree. I do. 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). He simply didn't fit into a NT world as hard as he tried. Available from: https://edubirdie.com/examples/holden-caulfield-a-troubled-character-with-signs-of-clinical-depression/. In J.D Salingers The Catcher in The Rye, the reader is presented to Holden Caulfield, a 17-year-old whos retelling the story of him at 16 facing rough times. She is hysterical, old Pheobe. He begins to see the world as unfair, after Allies death. 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. Hes sarcastic, nasty, and completely unlikeable. Terms of Use, Holden Caulfield: A Troubled Character With Signs Of Clinical Depression., Holden Caulfield: A Troubled Character With Signs Of Clinical Depression [Internet]. Its full of phonies, and all you do is study so that you can learn enough to be smart enough to be able to buy a goddam Cadillac some day, and you have to keep making believe you give a damn if the football team loses, and all you do is talk about girls and liquor and sex all day, and everybody sticks together in these dirty little goddam cliques.. In his confusion, he sees this behavior as a weakness that may even call for psychotherapy. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. She had a horrible face, but she was a great dancer. They didnt get sanctioned as severely as Holden expected. From here on out, Holden was never the same. That's what i suspect too especially over season 2. My English teacher in fourth grade wanted us to memorize the goddam Declaration of Independence and we had to listen to every goddam kid get up and recite it from memory. The term was used by the NAZIS to describe ppl inthe spectrum taht were 'useful'. He talks about all children (his brother Allie and his sister Phoebe) as if they are perfection personified, even though it becomes clear Phoebe isn't as nice or innocent as Holden thought her to be. Why do you think you are frustrated?. It made me feel not so depressed any more. He often insults others and makes fun of them, criticizing their problems without recognizing his own. She was a very nice, polite little kid. For example, I, lacking theory of mind almost entirely, view everything as fake and am very cynical. 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. People scream forever like anyone cares what they are complaining about as much as they do. I could do what they wanted when it made sense to. My Dad always was sore as hell. WebHolden Caulfield was a seemingly unsolvable anomaly. Something went wrong, thoughI dont even remember what any more. Do you know what that means?. I had to stop taking them every few weeks so it didnt stunt my growth, and there was no difference in how well I listened when I was on them or off them, so my mother stopped giving them to me by the end of that year. for their second studio album, Kerplunk (1991) after lead singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong read The Catcher in the Rye. You should have seen all of the comments on his post. Interestingly, Holden also struggles with his own authenticity. The only thing that would be different would be you. Boy, was she depressing me. 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. I dont have a real profile. Shes really pretty, but sometimes I cant stand listening to her talk. Corrections? He is consumed with pointing out hypocrisy and phonies because he sees it and thinks about it. He asked me if I think anyone really loved me other than Allie, and then he told me he loved me. He is reportedly "killed during one of the landings in the Pacific".