Now that I know more about neurodivergence, I feel confident in headcanoning Holden as ND, specifically as an ADHD-autist. He viewed Allie as innocent and didnt believe he shouldve died, I know its only his body and all thats in the cemetery and his souls in Heaven and all that crap, but I couldnt stand it anyway. Near the beginning as well as the end of the novel, he feels that he will disappear or fall into an abyss when he steps off a curb to cross a street. Good old Carl another kid that started taking pills in kindergarten like me. I asked her if shed care to have a hot chocolate or something with me, but she said no, thank you. Salinger never explicitly stated that Holden was Holden Caulfield is a character close to my heart, and I see him as an example of a teenager with a misunderstood brain that no one knew what to do with. That reminds me of my therapist back from a few years ago. Corrections? In terms of interpersonal relationships, Holden seems to do all right on the surface, being able to name friends and ex-girlfriends confidently. About Wrong Planet I wasnt feeling sexy with her at all and I didnt want to lead her on. "Okay.". I seek novelty, but tend to burn myself out pretty quickly when 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). I started sweating like mad when he said that. Joined: 12 Nov 2007Age: 65Gender: MalePosts: 7,015. They made me see a therapist for a bunch of years after that. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Salinger 's novel, Catcher in the Rye, is an excellent example of a psychologically sensitive portrayal of a child with autism spectrum disorder. [Ackley] took another look at my hat []. Holden Caulfield is a troubled character who shows clear signs of clinical depression. I want you to learn how to let yourself trust other people. My Dad always was sore as hell. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. Everyone was in the lounge watching the football game on TV. 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. No matter how much I text with others or follow their profiles, I just feel lonely. It was a lie, of course, but the thing is, I meant it when I said it. He wants this innocence back. 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. Salinger, Holden Caulfield Its interesting that this book has been censored in many schools, I suppose people are scared away by all the goddamns. He often insults others and makes fun of them, criticizing their problems without recognizing his own. Thoughts of Allie lying in his grave in the cemetery in the rain, surrounded by dead bodies and tombstones, haunt Holden. WebHolden Caulfield character explanations intentions communication concepts 03 Share This fall I think youre riding forits a special kind of fall, a horrible kind. 7 Ticking Time Bombs That Destroy Loving Relationships, An Addiction Myth That Needs to Be Revisited, 5 Spiritual Practices That Increase Well-Being. He begins to see the world as unfair, after Allies death. Throughout the book, we get to see how Caulfield develops and emerges into adulthood and his feelings towards it. The cars zoomed by, brakes screeched all over the place, his parents paid no attention to him, and he kept on walking next to the curb and singing If a body catch a body coming through the rye. It made me feel better. I really dont. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. "This Sandwich Has No Mayonnaise" (Esquire, 1945) has a mention of Holden missing in action during the war. Funny thing was, they were always talking about how much they annoyed the hell out of each other. Holdens depression has led him to contemplate suicide. He bought a red hat at the beginning of the novel. He was pushed around from school to school, failing and being expelled from the majority of them due to his poor behavior. Hopefully I can explore this intersection more in the future. Hes sarcastic, nasty, and completely unlikeable. I do not have this exact diagnosis, but a lot of people close to me do, including Tech, and I have noticed that certain traits line up with Catchers main character and most likely contributed to his trouble with education and generally fitting into the world. But I rubbed it out anyway, finally. 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). Holdens rebellion is not against some spooky threat like the establishment or capitalist America, but rather against something far more threatening to teenagers: maturity. I didnt know what the point was. WebHolden Caulfield is gay because of the way he speaks about women, his interests, and his overall demeanor. He mainly shows signs attributed to depression. In second grade there was other kid who lost his game in the playground. 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. But he despises the compromises, loss of innocence, absence of integrity, and loss of authenticity in the grown-up world. Yes! prince george's county town hall meeting; baptist church long beach; why is it important to learn about serial killers The night he died is when the change first occurs, I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it. He also has a very negative view of homosexuals and calls them perverts and queers. Mitch Prinstein, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Term Professor and the Director of Clinical Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Loved his connection with Bills son and thought that might also suggest it. The 2 Most Psychologically Incisive Films of 2022, The Surprising Role of Empathy in Traumatic Bonding. 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. Most kids are. The books title is of great importance. I really am. Sometimes its hard to concentrate. 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. Available from: https://edubirdie.com/examples/holden-caulfield-a-troubled-character-with-signs-of-clinical-depression/. Because they do it too, and I dont want them to think I dont like them she told me. In fact, he seems to be disgusted by the idea of having a relationship with a woman. But assume then your girlfriend disappears one day and leaving you with an untouchable smoothie all alone. By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over? He is attracted to the trappings of adulthood: booze, cigarettes, the idea of sex, and a kind of independence. Caulfield also figures as a character in the short story "I'm Crazy", published in Colliers (December 22, 1945), and other members of the Caulfield family are featured in "Last Day of the Last Furlough", published in The Saturday Evening Post (July 15, 1944) and the unpublished short stories "The Last and Best of the Peter Pans" (c. 1942) and "The Ocean Full of Bowling Balls" (c. 1945). The ending of the novel has no real resolution, but Holden seems to be taking steps in the right direction. A fantasy Holden has is to run away and live in the forest with Sally, I know this guy down in Greenwich Village that we can borrow his car for a couple of weeks What we could do is, tomorrow morning we could drive up to Massachusetts and Vermont, and all around there, see Well stay in these cabin camps and stuff like that till the dough runs out. At that time, D.B. Holden Caulfield grew up with little to no parental guidance. The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. No kidding (Salinger 80). This includes pretending he is interested in different things than he actually is. She wasnt very good at conversation. He is from New York "Name one thing. Thats important. The dorm was empty. I decided I couldnt take it anymore, so I just packed up my things and left. Depression is a serious issue and if it goes untreated for long enough, it can lead to one taking their life, Depression is a key risk factor for suicide (Suicide). It drove me damn near crazy. 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. He will not allow book to be made into movie. 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. One of the reasons we like Holden is that he is so candid about how he feels. He never made any sense. While the cause of death in Catcher is leukemia, here it is due to an unspecified heart condition. I was afraid some teacher would catch me rubbing it off and would think Id written it. I said. 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. I want you to be happy. Change). You look ahead and watching her eyes glow beautifully. The bullies that pushed James to his death were merely expelled from school and let off the hook. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Design a site like this with WordPress.com, Open Letter to a Recently Diagnosed AutisticAdult, Why School and Holden Caulfield Failed EachOther. Holden Caulfield tells his story with surprising honesty from a hospital in California in a cynical and jaded language. Holden wants to keep running away from his problems and never face them. Ultimately, it is up to the reader to decide Holdens sexuality for themselves. Ultimately, it is up to the reader to decide what they believe based on the information presented. WebHe is consumed with pointing out hypocrisy and phonies because he sees it and thinks about it. Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. I felt like jumping out the window. Should you have any questions regarding our Unlike the similar sequence in the novel, Caulfield is on a Christmas break from school, and, in the story, the interlude with Sally is split into two occurrences. Theres a word I really hate. Holden Caulfield in experiencing adolescence in J.D. 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). I think, even, if I ever die, and they stick me in a cemetery, and I have tombstone and all, itll say Holden Caulfield on it, and then what year I was born and what year I died, and then right under that itll say Fuck you. Im positive, in fact. (including. Still trying to answer Phoebes question, Mr. Antolini elaborates on his ideas, telling. This retarded his mental health devolpment. He often wears the hat when feeling awkward, embarrassed, or uneasy. He was beyond his years and astute in his observations of people and their motivations. He is our first representation of ADHD as well as autism on this blog. When And How Does Holden Interact With Homosexuality? When he asks, she responds with, Thatd be grand (Salinger 57). Real-world depression patients often have a cynical outlook on life and are untrustworthy to cope with their depression, Cynicism is part of a defensive technique taken as protection (Depression and Cynicism). Im pretty yellow. He wandered around from place to place because he refused to go home to his family. Holden acts this way to hide his own insecurities. From his outlook on the world to his actions, and even his past, it is very easy to see that he 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. Despite his limited experience, his attitude toward women is actually admirable and mature. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. That's what i suspect too especially over season 2. The story is set at the Caulfield summer home on Cape Cod. . This is because some events impact the way the body reacts to fear and stressful situations (Depression). Try it sometime, I said. An edited version of this short story later became the basis of several chapters in the middle-late section of The Catcher in the Rye dealing with Caulfield's date with Sally Hayes, during which he confesses his desire to run away with her, meets Carl Luce for drinks, and makes a drunken phone call to the Hayes' home. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Allies death took away Holdens innocence. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Salinger himself is a reclose and By the time my train stopped, I didnt feel like seeing Sally anymore so I decided to just go talk to Pheobe. They were right. Also, the meeting with Carl Luce is considerably briefer in the story than in the novel. 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. Ill send you an email right away. Why do you think you are frustrated?. Contact No game. Holden resents the adult world and resists entry into it, but he has little choice. You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? He was crying and crying. His feelings are typically adolescent, feelings shared by virtually everyone who is or ever has been his age. He isnt autistic. I think you need to let yourself get closer to others. He stood as soon as he said that. I could hardly see straight (Salinger 80). 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. 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). So they gave up looking. I tried to read it a few years ago; I couldn't get more than halfway through it. When they stop at a red light, Ernie starts caressing the steering wheel lovingly. (LogOut/ One thing Holden constantly brings up is the ducks in Central Park. I dont blame them. Advertising on Wrong Planet. Holdens biggest problem with other people is the lack of authenticity he often encounters. I dont know what she was thinking. Boy, was she depressing me. I think you care deeply about many people, especially children. Did You Know Anxiety Can Enhance Our Relationships? 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. The way Holden treats sexuality is reflective of the time period in which the novel was written, when society was just beginning to accept alternative lifestyles. He wants time itself to stop. So I google searched. Those goddam pills didnt really do much for me. 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). I told him that my mother felt pretty bad and I didnt want to upset her by talking about it. I read a lot of books and I am pretty smart. Their dialogue is similar to that which appears in the later chapters of The Catcher in the Rye. Essay Service Examples Literature Holden Caulfield. But you know he loved hearing it. 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. The main character, Holden Caulfield (or Holden Cauliflower, as I affectionately call him) is a bit controversial and a bit polarizing. The friend doesnt like the immature conversation they are having, so he decides to leave. Are you sure you want to remove #bookConfirmation# He was suffering the sins of the people and he couldn't move forward. Caulfield is a stubborn idealist but does experience mind-altering changes throughout his particular human experience, and his story brings to light universally recognizable themes. The hat reminds him of Allie and he feels safe in the hat. 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. He never had a girlfriend. After his friend leaves he stays at the bar, getting very drunk, Boy, I sat at that goddam bar till around one oclock or so, getting drunk as a bastard. When talking about a student in his school, Ackley, he says, He hardly ever went anywhere. Holden is self-medicating with alcohol because he doesnt know what else to do, or who else to turn to. Some game. "I do! If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then its a game, all rightIll admit that. This essay is available online and was probably used by another student. He seems best at the rites of passage (smoking and drinking) that are themselves artificial if not self-destructive. Game, my ass. I don't remember anything they said about it other than that they claimed he was hallucinating a voice saying "F*** you" or something. 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. 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)). I never did email him, however. path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> None of them played football, and they didnt give a damn about our schools team until they got here at Pencey. The man falling isnt permitted to feel or hear himself hit bottom. Holden Caulfield, the 17-year-old narrator and protagonist of the novel, speaks to the reader directly from a mental hospital or sanitarium in southern California. The only good thing, I knew she wouldnt let old Phoebe come to my goddam funeral because she was only a little kid. Psychology Today 2023 Sussex Publishers, LLC. 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. Holden Caulfield is one of the most enduring characters in 20th-century American fiction. On a side note, I definitely think Bill's son might be on the spectrum. 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. I was sort of crying. Inability to keep attention in one place is a classic ADHD thing, and a skewed idea of importance is something relatable to ADHDers and autists alike, since we actually prioritize things in our heads based on interest. She had a horrible face, but she was a great dancer. 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. 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. WebHolden Caulfield (identified as "Holden Morrisey Caulfield" in the story "Slight Rebellion Off Madison" , and "Holden V. Caulfield" in The Catcher In The Rye) is a fictional character in the works of author J. D. Salinger.He's most famous for his appearance as the lead Joined: 8 Mar 2008Age: 35Gender: FemalePosts: 10, This is my favorite book, and coincidentally, my college class just reviewed it as a young adult novel. And I was wonderingwhat psychological "disorder" does Holden (main character) have? Having one train of thought is a foreign concept to him. This was the reason he was unwilling to allow filming of the book or use of the character by other writers.[2]. LitCharts Teacher Editions. To those whom have read the book, you can see that he has some Aspie traits like social awkwardness. 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. Sometimes people can seem callous or unemotional. She didnt answer me. Holden is constantly running away from his problems, like being expelled, and avoids them. Holden starts off by telling us that he has been kicked out of another school, Pencey Prep. Salinger: The Normalcy Of Holden Caulfield, Explanation Behind The Sporadic Actions Of Holden Caulfield, Evaluation Of Holden Caulfield in Catcher In The Rye By J.D. Why the hell do you have to say that?" Privacy Policy WebHolden Caulfield is a typical anti-hero from the 20th century who features as the main character from the novel, Catcher In The Rye by J.D Salinger. In chapter twenty, Holden is feeling very lonesome so he calls a friend to have a few drinks with. He states, The worst part was, the jerk had one of those very phony, Ivy League voices, one of those very tired, snobby voices. It is the title that summarizes the book in a few words and in this case, it is The Catcher in the rye. He was pushed around from school to school, failing and being expelled from the majority of them due to his poor behavior. This is exactly the sort of thing a neurodivergent person who thinks concretely and does not understand social facades would be mad about. 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. 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 All rights reserved You could tell they didnt cost a lot of money. 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. I decided to take a look at that post on her profile. So they figured I had a problem and I started taking medicine. Yes I do. I felt more depressed than sexy, if you want to know the truth. Those suffering from depression often, blame others, push others away, and refuse to help themselves. 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. For example, Stradlater is a very rude and inconsiderate roommate for Holden. But I fee like I relate to him because of my own ASD-related issues. 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. character) might have been the same person, but simply renamed in a later work. It took me quite a while to get to sleepI wasnt even tiredbut finally I did. Down felt and thought like Holden but apparently they dont. It made me feel not so depressed any more. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Holden is acting like a duck in the way he avoids having to deal with his issues. It has been suggested that Salinger himself related so closely to Holden that he was protective of the character.