Holden's Family Saved Him
Although we can’t diagnose a fictional character with a mental illness, there were signs throughout the Catcher in the Rye that Holden was sending a cry for help. Holden, in my opinion, was struggling with a mental illness that only became more evident, or worsened, throughout the book. As we got to know Holden, he seemed, to me at least, a major whiner that had difficulty applying himself to anything despite his underlying intelligence. What was fronting as the laziness of a classic teenage boy only wanting to mess around with girls and friends unraveled into an isolated kid attempting to sugar coat his competence in the world. Multiple times Holden called himself “Crazy” or a “Madman” but peeling back this layer of absurdity, he admitted his true emotions. Confiding in the readers, he “felt so lonesome, all of a sudden. I almost wished I was dead,” (62). Sure, some kids in modern day will make jokes about wishing they died so they could avoid an exam, although that is a whole different and further serious topic. However, when this book was released talk of suicide was taboo and used most heavily by those who truly were struggling mentally.
As we tunneled deeper into Holden’s accounts, his talk of death occurs more frequently. While in the hotel the first night after leaving Pencey he freely spoke about how he would have no second thoughts about jumping out of the window if not for the sights of his body in disarray after hitting the ground. These thoughts spiraled into a highly specific self-sacrifice offer. “Anyway, I’m sort of glad they’ve got the atomic bomb invented,” Holden admitted, “If there’s ever another war, I’m going to sit right the hell on top of it. I’ll volunteer for it, I swear to God I will,” (183). Throughout the chapter that was concluded with this statement Holden seemed almost in his own world, cycling through past memories and zoning out entirely from the present moment. When left alone with his own thoughts his mental state only deteriorated, which was perhaps why he was always searching for a conversation and a voice other than those in his head.
When he reached home at the end of the book and the comfort of his younger sister, Phoebe, his resilience through his independence faltered. Perhaps this was due to Holden’s true self coming through while speaking to Phoebe; he felt comfortable, understood, and at home. When forced, on his own accord that is, to leave he couldn’t have cared less if he was stopped. “I figured if they caught me, they caught me. I almost wish they did, in a way,” (234). Home was a place where Holden could receive help and have people understand how he was struggling under his confident front, and deep down I think he knew that. As his condition worsened his thoughts of home came around more often, pulling him in as his grip of life floated away. As we see at the end of the book, Holden (presumably) received the help he needed from his family after he returned home with Phoebe. All he needed to answer his call for help was his family’s assistance, bringing him home both physically and mentally.
Hi Annika, I liked your connection between Holden and his home! It's interesting to notice that Holden always appears the most unstable when he undergoes extreme loneliness (thinking of himself as a madman or fancying his suicide), and I completely agree with you that it was home and the relationship with family that eventually grounded him from completely spiraling out of control. Awesome blog :D
ReplyDeleteHi Annika, I appreciate the distinction you made about how, when this book was released, suicide was a much more taboo topic than it is now. It is definitely a more common thing to talk/joke about nowadays. However, back then, the amount of times that Holden joked and talked about wanting to die would have been even more concerning given the context. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteHe had worries with how his family would take the news of him being expelled from Pencey. Even so, these are people who deeply care about Holden. Mr. Antolini said his dad was worried about him. I think the last piece of evidence really shows how he wanted to connect with his family.
ReplyDeleteI like the phrase "bringing him home both physically and mentally." Indeed, the first trip "home" at night doesn't quite go as anticipated, in that Phoebe actually pushes back (with compassion and generosity, but also skepticism) and asks Holden some tough questions. After his ambiguous and disappointing interaction with Antolini, though, he hesitates to return home and is still fantasizing about "running away out west." It's only after the carousel scene that he REALLY "goes home," and I'd say that he "mentally" feels at home already, in that lovely moment when it's raining on him but the red hat (put on him by old Phoebe!) offers "protection."
ReplyDeleteHi Annika, I really enjoyed reading your blog post. I completely agree with you that before Holden reunited himself with the people that cared about him the most, he was a crazy person. I might be misreading the point you're making in your post, but when I first read the book, I thought that Phoebe was the one who really helped him calm down a little, and then the rest of his family were the ones who actually helped him find help (I don't know if that sort of makes sense). You made great points in your blog. Good Job!!!
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