Catcher In The Rye Quotes For Holden Caulfby - 1805 Words

Holden Caulfield: Timeless or Time or Meds? J. D. Salinger’s Holden Caulfield has long been hailed as the timeless American teenager, but he has also always had his detractors. One such 15-year-old boy from Long Island said that when they read Catcher in the Rye, everyone in his class hated Holden and wanted to tell him â€Å"Shut up and take your Prozac† (www.nytimes.com). How can a character be so hated so much by the teenagers who are supposed to relate to him Holden struggles with issues that transcend time -- teenagers struggle with them regardless of the current trends and world issues. But what are these issues, and how do they lead to Holden Caulfield being hated or loved with such fiery passion? Holden’s main issue is that he†¦show more content†¦Another issue that Holden struggles with is depression. While Holden does not outright say that he is depressed, he still exhibits many of the signs. The most obvious sign, of course, is his suicidal thoughts. According to Mental Health America, between 30% and 70% of suicide victims suffer from depression. Since suicidal thoughts are a precursor to actual suicide, there is a clear correlation between the two. Multiple times throughout the novel he talks about killing himself, such as after Stradlaters date with Jane. As he lay in Ackley’s roommates bed, he thought about Stradlater and Jane in the back of Ed Bankys car, and â€Å"felt like jumping out the window† because of it (Salinger 63). Again, Holden â€Å"felt like jumping out the window† after getting beat up by Maurice, and said that he would have done it if he knew someone would cover up his body afterwards because he â€Å"did not wa nt a bunch of stupid rubbernecks looking at [him] while he was all gory† (Salinger 136). The only thing that stopped him from killing himself was his pride -- that is how close he was. Over and over again (even more times than were mentioned earlier) Holden talks about killing himself. These constant suicidal thoughts are not a sign of good mental health --they are a sign that he is depressed. Another sign of Holden’s depression is his constant reckless behavior, which, according to a website called Help Guide, is another common symptom of depression. Just the