Essay on J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye"

One who experiences and knows the world will undoubtedly become mentally unstable. In J.D. Salinger's morbid work, "The Catcher in the Rye", Holden Caufield, the main character, undergoes a series of hallowing experiences that lead the reader to inquire of his mental stability. Holden, through his withdraw from society, has an irrational and overwhelming sense of sadness that may appear spontaneous and triggered by the slightest irritation, and continually has suicidal thoughts. Through the sadness and the suicidal thoughts, Holden can be diagnosed with clinical depression.

The sadness that Holden feels is often sudden and unprovoked. When he hires the prostitute, Sunny, Holden through no active willing of his own, becomes disinterested and falls into despair despite the situation. On a whim, "[he] felt much more depressed than sexy." (Page 95) This sadness is attributed to his case of clinical depression. Another instance of this sadness is seen when Holden is found mulling over the memory of his late brother, Allie. For no reason, Holden begins to think about his brother when "It was getting [bright] outside." (Page 98) There is a disconnection between these two happenings, as daylight usually does not carry a depressing connotation. He "... felt miserable. [He] felt so depressed..." (Page 116) and these feelings are also accredited to his case of clinical depression. There is one more occurrence of his sadness and it is when he contemplates the movies. Even though the movies are by in large, innocent, Holden is still depressed when he thinks about them. This feeling of sadness surpasses the traditional sense in that he is chronically sad. This is what pushes Holden into the territory of clinical depression. His sadness is a clear indicator but there is another mark of clinical depression that Holden displays.

Holden's thoughts of suicide clearly signal the severity of his case of clinical depression. Along with the thoughts, Holden's sporadic impulses to commit suicide are another indication of his mental stability. After looking out of a window, "[Holden] felt so lonesome, all of a sudden. [He] almost wished [he] was dead." (Page 48) Holden has no "reason" to want to commit suicide. He just feels sad and an urge to do so which classifies him as clinically depressed. He feels these urges often and even when he visits a bar, he fells "Depressed and all. [He] almost wish that [he] was dead." (Page 98) The last bout of suicidal feelings occurs after the incident with the pimp, Maurice. In order to hide from the shame of being humiliated, Holden "... felt like jumping out the window." (Page 104) Holden's tendency towards thoughts of suicide affords the reader to diagnose him with clinical depression.
Holden is impulsive and quick to become sad and think of suicide. With the impulse, sadness, and suicide, Holden obviously qualifies as clinically depressed. His case of clinical depression deters him from moving on and becoming a productive member of society. As Rollo May effectively stated, "Depression is the inability to construct a future"