Janvi Madhani Depression Essay

Grade IX

August 25, 2012 The Catcher in the Rye

In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the character of Holden Caulfield is experiencing depression. According to Mental Health Americas article about Depression in Teens, if the following symptoms are present in an adolescent, then he/she is experiencing depression. These symptoms include poor performance in school, withdrawal from friends and family, sadness and hopelessness, and lack of enthusiasm, energy, or motivation. Holden experiences poor performance in school, withdrawal from friends and family, and lack of enthusiasm, energy and motivation and thus is depressed. Holdens poor performance in school is clearly evident in the following dialogue; How many subjects did you carry this term? Five sir. And how many are you failing in? Four (Salinger, 10). This shows that Holden doesnt hold much interest in his education. Another quote that portrays his poor performance in school is, Oh why did you do it? She meant why did I get the ax again. It made me sad the way she said it (Salinger, 67). He is constantly changing schools due to his poor performance and this makes him unhappy. Controversially, he also isnt happy when he is in school and cant seem to do well. The second aspect of his depression is loneliness. Holdens loneliness portrays his withdrawal from his friends and family. This is yet another symptom of his depression. His loneliness is well portrayed in the following quote, Then I went over and laid down on Elys bed. Boy, did I feel rotten. I felt so damn lonesome (Salinger, 48). This is one of the most powerful causes of Holdens depression; his feeling isolated from the rest of the world. A lot of the tension in his character arises from his inner conflict of hating the world and wanting to connect with the world.

Janvi Madhani Depression Essay

Grade IX

August 25, 2012 The Catcher in the Rye

The final symptom of depression that Holden possesses is his lack of enthusiasm, energy or motivation for anything in life. This is evident when he says, Almost every time somebody gives me a present it ends up making me sad (Salinger, 52). Generally when people receive presents, they are excited or enthusiastic about it. Holden on the other hand feels sad and unhappy about it, possibly because he feels that he doesnt deserve them. Another example is the dialogue between Phoebe and Holden, One thing I like a lot, or one thing I just like? You like a lot. Alright, I said. But the trouble was, I couldnt concentrate (Salinger, 170). Holden holds no motivation at all for life and thus is having quite a hard time naming even one thing he likes. In conclusion, according to the parallels drawn between Mental Health Americas article on Depression in Teens and J.D. Salingers character Holden Caulfield, it can be proven that Holden is indeed passing through a phase of depression. This statement is made on the basis of three clearly evident symptoms of depression found in Holden. These symptoms include poor performance in school, withdrawal from friends and family, and lack of enthusiasm, energy and motivation.