He has extreme social issues because he feels as if he can't fit in with his peers. The term was used by the NAZIS to describe ppl inthe spectrum taht were 'useful'. The schools are filled with lies and cruelty, ranging in degree from the relatively harmless Pencey school motto ("Since 1888 we have been molding boys into splendid, clear-thinking young men.") The story is set at the Caulfield summer home on Cape Cod. Holden Caulfield grew up with little to no parental guidance. At that point Vincent is a fellow soldier about to leave for the war. She doesnt always have anything good to say, but she never stops talking. From his outlook on the world to his actions, and even his past, it is very easy to see that he has a mental health issue and needed to seek help. Theres a word I really hate. WebFirst of all, there is no such a thing as "high or low functioning" in psychopathy or sociopath. Refine any search. You look ahead and watching her eyes glow beautifully. 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. He often insults others and makes fun of them, criticizing their problems without recognizing his own. Terms of Use When J.D. If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then its a game, all rightIll admit that. I just finished reading the book, Catcher in the Rye. Holden Caulfield is the main character of J. D. Salinger's renowned coming-of-age novel, The Catcher in the Rye (1951). I really dont think I could. He has the potential to be the first realistic teenage homosexual character in English literature, which would give him a special significance. A sensitive, rebellious 16-year-old, Caulfield is expelled from prep school. His general health is poor. 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. I mean, you couldnt deny that. She is hysterical, old Pheobe. The day that old Principal Haas told me I had to leave I went back to my room and played Fortnite for hours. However, when looking at all of the data together, it seems more likely that Holden is heterosexual. (Never mind that even museum displays change.) But I rubbed it out anyway, finally. That reminds me of my therapist back from a few years ago. He wants beautiful moments to last forever, using as his model the displays in glass at the Museum of Natural History, in which the same people are shown doing the same things year after year. For instance, many have speculated that Holdens brother, D.B., is actually Vincent. You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? About Wrong Planet Pencey is a good school, everyone always says, but it was filled with a bunch of phonies. (LogOut/ Several early pieces featuring Holden Caulfield formed the basis of parts of Catcher In The Rye, but were rewritten for the novel. for their second studio album, Kerplunk (1991) after lead singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong read The Catcher in the Rye. Im pretty yellow. Struggling with distance learning? His general health is poor. When And How Does Holden Interact With Homosexuality? 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 didnt know what the point was. 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. Why do you think you are frustrated?. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Holden-Caulfield, National Public Radio - Holden Caulfield: Giving Voice to Generations. He views many things as phony and he doesnt trust many people. From here on out, Holden was never the same. They never asked me what I thought of the directions, of course, because they were lousy. He seems to be getting the help he needed. One time the weather WebIf 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 Why the hell do you have to say that?" I asked her if shed care to have a hot chocolate or something with me, but she said no, thank you. Attached: 220px-Rye_catcher.jpg (220x346, 33K) April 2, He was suffering the sins of the people and he couldn't move forward. The story is notable for the appearance of Phoebe and Vincent's statements about a child crawling off a cliff. Holden is one of the first "teenagers" in American literature, and his main struggle is the realization that he is leaving childhood and entering an unsure world of adulthood. You could go there a hundred times, and that Eskimo would still be just finished catching those two fish, the birds would still be on their way south, the deers would still be drinking out of that water hole, with their pretty antlers and their pretty, skinny legs, and that squaw with the naked bosom would still be weaving that same blanket. I think you feel sad about your own childhood.. Holdens rebellion is not against some spooky threat like the establishment or capitalist America, but rather against something far more threatening to teenagers: maturity. The answer to that question is complex. to the brutally forced suicide of James Castle at Elkton Hills. I just finished reading the book, Catcher in the Rye. Holden also exhibits this behavior. It just didnt make any sense to me. There is no definite answer to whether Holden Caulfield is gay or straight, but there are several pieces of evidence that can be used to make a case for either side. I tried to read it a few years ago; I couldn't get more than halfway through it. And all she could talk about was how much those other two girls in the picture were gossiping and being mean to each other. The Catcher in the Rye is a literature classic that follows the story of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old student. 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 agree he most definitely is ND. I did know. Except Carl really needed them to focus his parents told him. 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. "The Last and Best of the Peter Pans" relates the story of Vincent's draft questionnaire being hidden by his mother. You dont like any schools. He was crying and crying. WebHolden Caulfield is the main character of J.D. 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. Holden does the same. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Her green dress hanging in the closet and all. Get your paper done in as fast as 3 hours, 24/7. Gladwaller's relationship with his younger sister can be seen as a parallel to Caulfield's relationship with Phoebe. Is he gay or straight? She and I kind of have a friends with benefits thing, but I think she wants to be FBO. WebIs Holden Caulfield autistic? 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. In addition to social masking, Holden struggles with executive dysfunction, which is what gets him expelled at the beginning of the book. In particular I thought it was really interesting to watch Holden "mask" trying to learn social cues. Complete your free account to request a guide. Interestingly, Holden also struggles with his own authenticity. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. is alive and working as a writer in Hollywood. I could hardly see straight (Salinger 80). Ive thought Holden is on the spectrum possibly. WebCaulfield is a brutally honest character in terms of his thoughts and questions. The hat reminds him of Allie and he feels safe in the hat. I never found out what happened to Carl. 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. 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.. Holden had a traumatic experience as a child, the loss of his brother, Allie. Suicide rates have spiked in recent years and suicide is a huge problem, Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US (Suicide Statistics). Yes! Holden 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. Have you ever heard of a hostile attribution bias?. Holden is self-medicating with alcohol because he doesnt know what else to do, or who else to turn to. In chapter twenty, Holden is feeling very lonesome so he calls a friend to have a few drinks with. I even tried to break all the windows on the station wagon we had that summer, but my hand was already broken and everything by that time, and I couldnt do it (Salinger 21). Everyone just started, but no one else went. I wasnt feeling sexy with her at all and I didnt want to lead her on. [1] It is possible that Vincent is renamed Curtis, as Seymour was published in 1959, and both Curtis and Vincent are killed in the Pacific during World War II. It was really a bunch of garbage, I thought. 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. Very few things keep his interest and it affects multiple aspects of his life. I took it off and looked at it. He talks all week about the players he thinks are the best and what he thinks are the biggest problems with the other team each week, but I see him read all of that stuff from a blog. This retarded his mental health devolpment. He tells her when he leaves Pencey that he would like to sleep with her in the same bed. 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). While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Boy, was she depressing me. Kenneth dies later the same night. As Mr. Antolini holds forth with his advice. The books title is of great importance. Salingers Catcher in the Rye. WebThe character of Holden Caulfield in J.D. When Phoebe finishes riding the carousel, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. The fact that he lies about his age specifically might also mean he feels disconnected from his chronological age, which is another ND trait. There was another post from this girl who went to the school across from Pencey. While the cause of death in Catcher is leukemia, here it is due to an unspecified heart condition. At the same time as he detests the adult world, he wants to be a part of it, which is why he smokes and drinks and attempts to be with a prostitute. One time in particular, I remember. However, out of all the different psychological disorder symptoms Holdens personality splinters out and touches, I think Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a major one. See ya, doc, I called out. But they are pretty catty. Webduncan hines devils food cake brownies. Some people love the sound of their own voice. Its the 49ers-th time theyve You could tell they didnt cost a lot of money. I dont have a real profile. It focuses on a fight between two characters named Bobby and Stradlater over Bobby's feelings about Jane Gallagher. No game. No kidding (Salinger 80). WebHolden Caulfield was a seemingly unsolvable anomaly. We are here 24/7 to write your paper in as fast as 3 hours. What did he need to look more handsome for? There can be high functioning on the autism spectrum though. Thats important. LitCharts Teacher Editions. He is out of shape because he smokes too much. What I really felt like, though, was committing suicide. Then I got the hell out. Especially in English class. These events are being told by Holden from a hospital bed in California. Edubirdie. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). They didnt get sanctioned as severely as Holden expected. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Holden is 16 years old as the central story begins, tall at 6 feet 2 1/2 inches, partially gray-haired, and woefully skinny. The plot of the book, with Holden running away, having frequent crying spells, freezing in the middle of tasks, and generally losing his grip on his emotions, could be explained as him encountering burnout and fatigue from masking and not knowing how to cope. 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. 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. The book is narrated as if he is speaking directly to the reader about events in the past, so everything is in his voice. A major theme in The Catcher in the Rye is running away. 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). I said. Sometimes its hard to concentrate. He was probably just getting up because our session ended. All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid shed fall off the goddam horse, but I didnt say anything or do anything. Sometimes he seems very comfortable around homosexuals, while other times he clearly rejects them. Itd be entirely different. In "The Stranger", published in Collier's December 1, 1945, Babe Gladwaller and his sister Mattie (a proto-type for Phoebe) visit Vincent Caulfield's former girlfriend, now married, to tell her about his death and deliver a poem he wrote about her. Did You Know Anxiety Can Enhance Our Relationships? In this blog post, well take a look at some of the evidence that suggests Holden might be gay, and well also discuss why his sexuality matters. Chapters 25-26, Next Now that I know more about neurodivergence, I feel confident in headcanoning Holden as ND, specifically as an ADHD-autist. Good old Carl another kid that started taking pills in kindergarten like me. What Holden probably didn't realize in the novel was that his idea of those who are innocent is not very accurate. The man falling isnt permitted to feel or hear himself hit bottom. It is the title that summarizes the book in a few words and in this case, it is The Catcher in the rye. Try it sometime, I said. 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. WebHolden is a rebel. The exact causes of depression are unknown. The main character, Holden Caulfield (or Holden Cauliflower, as I affectionately call him) is a bit controversial and a bit polarizing. Holden Caulfield is the narrator and main character of The Catcher in the Rye. Posted on 26/01/2012 Anyone whos read The Catcher in the Rye probably thought, at one point or another, that Holden Caulfeld is flat out bipolar. WebThe obvious signs that Holden is a troubled and unreliable narrator are manifold: he fails out of four schools; he manifests complete apathy toward his future; he is hospitalized, and visited by a psychoanalyst, for an unspecified complaint; and Id just be the catcher in the rye and all. Holden wants to tell what happened over a two-day period the previous December, beginning on the Saturday afternoon of the traditional season-ending football game between his school, Pencey Prep, and Saxon Hall. Salinger s novel The Catcher in He seems best at the rites of passage (smoking and drinking) that are themselves artificial if not self-destructive. Holden begs him to stay, Have just one more drink, I told him. He kept asking me about my feelings and I was happy to tell him. In school, he expresses this to his professor saying, That is all I know about the Egyptians. Asperger/HFA people CAN have social conversations, I had thought, because they learn how to say the right things in a somewhat timely manner-almost like actors. The trouble was, I couldnt concentrate too hot. recalls the day his brother Kenneth (Allie) died. Holden Caulfield is gay because of the way he speaks about women, his interests, and his overall demeanor. Fair Use Policy or become aware of any violations, please do not hesitate to contact us via support@edubirdie.com. It could also be a result of him overcorrecting by reiterating himself because he has grown up with people misunderstanding what he is saying, leading him to say the same thing in multiple ways before people ask him to. from your Reading List will also remove any For example, Stradlater is a very rude and inconsiderate roommate for Holden. None of them played football, and they didnt give a damn about our schools team until they got here at Pencey. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. character) might have been the same person, but simply renamed in a later work. id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" But assume then your girlfriend disappears one day and leaving you with an untouchable smoothie all alone. Ive had quite a few opportunities to lose my virginity and all, but Ive never got around to it yet. However, there seems to be a wall between Holden and most of the other people he interacts with. When I was all set to go, when I had my bags and all, I stood for a while next to the stairs and took a last look down the goddam corridor. You cant ever find a place thats nice and peaceful, because there isnt any. Thats all Id do all day. ", "Like hell it is." Most kids are. Get the help you need from a therapist near youa FREE service from Psychology Today. To Holden, Pencey and the other prep schools that he has attended represent all that is artificial ("phony" is one of Holden's favorite words to describe this artificiality) and all that is despicable about any institution controlled by adults.