Catcher In The Rye PTSD

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Most people, when they hear someone say something about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), may think it’s related to soldiers and war combat. Although that is very true, there’s more to it. Anyone at any age can be diagnosed with PTSD. PTSD is caused by a stressful event that someone witnessed or experienced in their life such as a death of a loved one, natural disaster, accident or other traumatic situations. In the book, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield goes through a mental breakdown after getting kicked out of Pencey and goes through a change of how he sees life since his brother’s death. J.D. Salinger shows readers what PTSD looks like through the thoughts and actions of sixteen year old Holden Caulfield stemming from his childhood. …show more content…
When someone is trying to cope with something so traumatic, they won’t be able to think reasonably. This anger will boil up inside and and could make the person sensitive to everything. Adolescents are “more likely than younger children or adults to exhibit impulsive and aggressive behavior” (National Center for PTSD). In the novel, Holden has multiple physical interactions with different characters. In one particular scene. Holden punches Stradlater because Stradlater wouldn’t tell him what happened on the date with Sally Hayes. “ All I know is I got up from the bed, like I was going down to the can or something, and then I tried to sock him, with all my might, right smack in the toothbrush, so it would split his goddam throat open“ (Salinger 43). Although the punch from Holden was completely uncalled for, he couldn’t think clearly at the moment. Holden was so traumatized from the sudden death of his brother that he couldn’t function the way he did before.
The author of The Catcher in the Rye, gives his readers a good understanding of how Holden Caulfield deals with PTSD at just 16 years old from his childhood. If Holden had the proper support and help from his family, he could’ve been able to cope with his experience in a completely different way. If he stayed with his family, he would have been happier and more successful. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder may be very scary for people who witnessed things like war combat all they way to dealing with a death of a loved one. No matter the situation, everyone can overcome
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