Chapters 25-26, Next Why do you think you are frustrated?. Holden Caulfield grew up with little to no parental guidance. About Wrong Planet Im pretty yellow. 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. The novel's narrator and protagonist, Holden is a high school junior who has flunked out of prep school several times. But if you get on the other side, where there arent any hot-shots, then whats a game about it? This classic tale of Holden Caulfield, told Holden resents the adult world and resists entry into it, but he has little choice. Thoughts of Allie lying in his grave in the cemetery in the rain, surrounded by dead bodies and tombstones, haunt Holden. 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)). equinn, Joined: 11 Apr 2008Gender: MalePosts: 117. to paraphrase family guy.. I did know. It's interesting WebHolden Caulfield is a troubled character who shows clear signs of clinical depression. Very few things keep his interest and it affects multiple aspects of his life. Do you know what that means?. I have always felt like Holden was the same type of alien as me. Change). It was the third school I had flunked out of, and my Dad was going to be sore as hell. It made me feel not so depressed any more. He is reportedly "killed during one of the landings in the Pacific". Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. recalls the day his brother Kenneth (Allie) died. Ill bet I woke up every bastard on the whole floor. The only good thing, I knew she wouldnt let old Phoebe come to my goddam funeral because she was only a little kid. The main character, Holden Caulfield (or Holden Cauliflower, as I affectionately call him) is a bit controversial and a bit polarizing. [170]. Salinger, Free revision, title page, and bibliography, Get original paper written according to your instructions. Do you think you are angry now? he asked me. I felt like jumping out the window (Salinger 57). Previous 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. That was the only good part (Salinger 83). 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. 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. He is out of shape because he smokes too much. You dont like a million things. 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. 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. 2023 EduBirdie.com. WebThe character of Holden Caulfield in J.D. 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. I cant seem to get very interested in them although your lectures are very interesting (Salinger 7). He tells her when he leaves Pencey that he would like to sleep with her in the same bed. "The Last and Best of the Peter Pans" relates the story of Vincent's draft questionnaire being hidden by his mother. As Mr. Antolini holds forth with his advice. (Never mind that even museum displays change.) They never asked me what I thought of the directions, of course, because they were lousy. Holden starts off by telling us that he has been kicked out of another school, Pencey Prep. The answer to that question is complex. Webduncan hines devils food cake brownies. In fact, when he talks about Stradlaters date with Jane Gallagher, he seems more disgusted than anything else.I couldnt see what was so hot about him.. 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. I didnt want a bunch of stupid rubbernecks looking at me when I was all gory. She didnt answer me. Hopefully I can explore this intersection more in the future. At that point Vincent is a fellow soldier about to leave for the war. 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. Im crazy. This indicates that he does not share their lifestyle or views on sexuality. Except Carl really needed them to focus his parents told him. 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. I could do what they wanted when it made sense to. In addition, some believe there isn't much a difference between sociopath and psychopath; they are the same disorder expressed differently. Subreddit for the David Fincher Netflix show "Mindhunter". 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. ", "Like hell it is." One thing I like?" 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 is alternately depressed, confused, angry, anxious, Holden also denies his own interests, namely film and literature, making it seem like he has a poor sense of himself. It just didnt make any sense to me. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Holden Caulfield. Throughout the story, Holden expresses signs of having a mental health disorder. 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. Holden acts this way to hide his own insecurities. 7 Ticking Time Bombs That Destroy Loving Relationships, An Addiction Myth That Needs to Be Revisited, 5 Spiritual Practices That Increase Well-Being. Then I got the hell out. 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). Joined: 12 Nov 2007Age: 65Gender: MalePosts: 7,015. The trouble was, I just didnt want to do it. Joined: 13 Feb 2008Age: 37Gender: MalePosts: 43. The ending of the novel has no real resolution, but Holden seems to be taking steps in the right direction. WebHolden Caulfield is gay because of the way he speaks about women, his interests, and his overall demeanor. This fiction reveals more truth about the world than an individuals reality can often supply. He never had a girlfriend. ., Thats the queerest thing I ever heard, [Phoebe] said. But I didnt feel like it most of the time. He doesnt want anyone to experience his loss of innocence. What did you just say?. Salingers novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951). And all she could talk about was how much those other two girls in the picture were gossiping and being mean to each other. 2021 Aug 04 [cited 2023 Mar 3]. My Dad always was sore as hell. I love you both so much! I never found out what happened to Carl. The novel's narrator and protagonist, Holden is a high school junior who has flunked out of prep school several times. She just kept dancing, and then asked me for a selfie so she could post it on her profile. Youre by no means alone on that scoreMany, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now. 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. Holden is acting like a duck in the way he avoids having to deal with his issues. Ever. I think its a parallel showing the otherside of sociopath. Holden is my hero. The ducks are migrating and he wants to know where they are going. 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 "Thats a deer shooting hat. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye. Holden, just home from camp, is waiting on the porch with his suitcases as Vincent comes back with Kenneth's unconscious body. I couldnt wait to get out of Pencey. 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. I dont know what she was thinking. You ought to go to a boys school sometime. He is kicked out of a boarding school and told not to return after Christmas break. Holden is constantly running away from his problems, like being expelled, and avoids them. By constantly asking him about girls, he makes Holden uncomfortable. 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. I said. The only thing that would be different would be you. WebHolden is a highly layered character, and to make a distinction as black and white as him being good or bad diminishes his humanity. 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. It's all scripted and fake when he speaks. He probably got in trouble for misbehaving in the past too, when it was really impulsivity and trouble with following instructions. He simply didn't fit into a NT world as hard as he tried. I mean, I just have a Finsta. My Dad always was sore as hell. and any corresponding bookmarks? Another mistake is not owning up to his being expelled from his parents and instead, running away. Holden also says things like where do the ducks go in the winter? which seems completely obvious to me and I didnt understand until the 8th time I read this book that it is symbolic. This essay is available online and was probably used by another student. He wants time itself to stop. (The Ackley thing might be a bit of internalized ableism poking through, now that I think about it). Holden is shown to have trouble regulating his attention throughout the book. ", "One thing? This retarded his mental health devolpment. Salinger, Catcher In The Rye By J.D. One thing Holden constantly brings up is the ducks in Central Park. There was a hole in the toe on his right foot. He was a handsome kid and all. Depression has a huge impact on ones mental state. Everyone just started, but no one else went. 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. Good old Carl another kid that started taking pills in kindergarten like me. path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> Once home, he is not shown confronting his parents, who, according to the maid, are playing bridge. 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. The problems that Holden and Mark face are distance, selling out and character. WebIs Holden Caulfield autistic? She hates them, that old Pheobe. The significance of this is that his brother, Allie, had red hair. WebCaulfield is a brutally honest character in terms of his thoughts and questions. I felt like jumping out the window. They didnt get sanctioned as severely as Holden expected. 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. The beginning of the book is pretty good. Bye.. He is only hypercritical of adults, who he sees as phonies and sell-outs. Get the help you need from a therapist near youa FREE service from Psychology Today. I have to go. 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). If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then its a game, all rightIll admit that. He is from New York City, where his younger sister. 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. Most notably, in some Salinger short stories "Holden Caulfield" is a soldier in WWII who was missing in action in 1944 -- something that is thoroughly impossible to have happened to the 16-year-old Holden Caulfield of The Catcher In The Rye, which is set in 1948 or '49. WebHolden is a rebel. She wasnt very good at conversation. This includes pretending he is interested in different things than he actually is. 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. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Holdens most obvious and unique trait is his speech, both inside and outside of his head. 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). None of Salingers works to date have clarified exactly how many Caulfied children there were or who (aside from the Kenneth/Allie Joined: 10 Oct 2006Age: 43Gender: FemalePosts: 1,054. The man falling isnt permitted to feel or hear himself hit bottom. I decided to take a look at that post on her profile. Holdens depression has led him to contemplate suicide. I want you to learn how to let yourself trust other people. He from there decided to leave and head for New York City. [W]hile I was sitting down, I saw something that drove me crazy. When Phoebe finishes riding the carousel, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Complete your free account to request a guide. 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. 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. The name Holden Caulfield was initially used in an unpublished short story written in 1941 and first appeared in print in 1945. Holden is a 16 years old teenager living in America. Are you sure you want to remove #bookConfirmation# https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/styles/article-inli. Well, we do. Holden had to cope up with his impulsive acts, erratic and upsetting thoughts and irrationality. 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 Wed have to phone up everybody and tell em good-by and send em postcards from hotels and allIt wouldnt be the same at all. The darkest form of Holdens social disconnect is when he hints that he has been a victim of sexual violence before, which is more likely to happen with autistic kids because of a lack of a sense of danger. The way the content is organized. Holden has suicidal thoughts multiple times throughout the novel. He has a hard time getting started on his essay until it is too late and then bluffs his way through it, an experience that I have witnessed ADHD friends having frequently. He bought a red hat at the beginning of the novel. Only if you guys had replied earlier When I got up there I kept my head down and couldnt stop looking at the teachers shoes. What a deal that was. It made me depressed, just thinking about old Mr. Langhorn with those shoes. Throughout the book, we get to see how Caulfield develops and emerges into adulthood and his feelings towards it. He was probably just getting up because our session ended. It makes me wonder if Holden is bipolar like me in addition to possibly being an ADHD-autist. I really am. He memorizes what to say. I now know I have adhd and autism. Salinger 's novel, Catcher in the Rye, is an excellent example of a psychologically sensitive portrayal of a child with autism spectrum disorder. These events are being told by Holden from a hospital bed in California. I sort of closed one eye, like I was taking aim at it. o:href="https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/styles/article-inli"/>. He is consumed with pointing out hypocrisy and phonies because he sees it and thinks about it. She added some heart emojis. He was very eccentric in many ways and Holden is, most likely, parts of him. Gladwaller's relationship with his younger sister can be seen as a parallel to Caulfield's relationship with Phoebe. I always just assumed everyone deep He is our first representation of ADHD as well as autism on this blog. Funny thing was, they were always talking about how much they annoyed the hell out of each other. Autistic people tend to see rules and lines in places they might not necessarily be. WebHolden often behaves as if he has been sent onto Earth to point out the wickedness or phoniness of others, but then makes excuses when he behaves [deviant]the same way as the individuals he deems morons. You dont see what I mean at all. He views many things as phony and he doesnt trust many people. 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. Life is change. Returning to the bar after his phone conversation with Sally. Boy, was she depressing me. He isnt autistic. Thats where youre wrongthats exactly where youre wrong! The Catcher in the Rye is a literature classic that follows the story of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old student. -Graham S. The timeline below shows where the character Holden Caulfield appears in, It is several months into 1950, and 16-year-old, that he and his date decided to leave the football game early. Salinger never explicitly stated that Holden was 2023 EduBirdie.com. They said that I had to learn to follow directions. The experiences and thoughts of Holden Caulfield accurately represent those of real-world depression patients. 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?) He was singing that song, If a body catch a body coming through the rye. He had a pretty little voice, too. Please. He has trouble being very intimate unless he knows the girl well and likes her a lot. And if she doesnt want to do something, she wont do it. He often wears the hat when feeling awkward, embarrassed, or uneasy. Instead Nancy dug into her denial and whisked him away. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. And I was wonderingwhat psychological "disorder" does Holden (main character) have? Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. 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. 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.. He asks many adults in the novel where the ducks go, and either they dont have an answer, or they give a nonsensical onewhich shows that adults dont know too much about growing up either. Well, what do you think? Below are five reasons why some people think Holden is a homosexual: Dont tell anybody this, I said, but when I was little I sort of wanted to marry my mother and sleep with my father. All of these factors contributed to the mental hardships that he dealt with on a daily basis. Although J.D. I remember this kid at my first school that was a real pain. Some game. 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 The book is narrated as if he is speaking directly to the reader about events in the past, so everything is in his voice. This is not a personality disorder. But why should I have to memorize something that I could Google anytime I wanted. See ya, doc, I called out. During this three-day period, Holden makes many bad decisions. Where are you going? She was a very nice, polite little kid. His feelings are typically adolescent, feelings shared by virtually everyone who is or ever has been his age. He stops making sexual advances when a girl says "No." 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. I was afraid some teacher would catch me rubbing it off and would think Id written it. However, when examined by a keen eye, J.D. 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. LitCharts Teacher Editions. In school, he expresses this to his professor saying, That is all I know about the Egyptians. I really dont. There can be high functioning on the autism spectrum though. In Seymour: An Introduction a Curtis Caulfield is mentioned in passing as "an exceptionally intelligent and likable boy" who appeared on the same radio show as Seymour and the other Glass children. This story appears to form the basis for several key scenes in the first several chapters of The Catcher in the Rye. I couldnt wait to get out of Pencey. Holden hates this, Grand. WebI don't think Holden Caulfield has ASD, but he is definitely not neurotypical. He also struggles to grasp the subtleties of communication, such as not getting right away that Stradlater is annoyed with him. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. 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. Part of Holden's collapse is due to his inability to come to terms with death. We were about to arrive in New York, but I wasnt tired. Jesus carries a raven on his shoulder; Jesus carries The Ravens on his shoulder. There was this one time, however, that he told me something I really remember. "Okay.". So they gave up looking. Though it is not clearly stated, it can be inferred from the story that he is in a mental institution. What I really felt like, though, was committing suicide. The novel is a frame story (a story within a certain fictional framework) in the form of a long flashback. As an autistic person, I find that I sometimes speak in disclaimers because I am used to people misunderstanding me 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. She is hysterical, old Pheobe. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Dont say that. Ive had quite a few opportunities to lose my virginity and all, but Ive never got around to it yet. It is unclear how many Caulfield children there are and who is who. She put up some pictures of her play. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Ill send you an email right away. That reminds me of my therapist back from a few years ago. Something went wrong, thoughI dont even remember what any more. "Yes I do. He kept telling me to start reciting the Declaration of Independence, like it was so important. The other notable feature of the story is that his sister Viola gets her first, and only, mention in the Caulfield saga. Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs But you know he loved hearing it. I said. He started talking a lot about automatic thoughts, about expecting people to disappoint me, and about anxiety over my relationships.