Holden Caulfield, the protagonist from The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, consistently struggles throughout the novel. He lost his younger brother, Allie, and his parents sent him away to boarding school. Now, Holden is sick and writes the novel from a type of hospital though it is unclear his full diagnosis. J.D. Salinger’s personality is seen periodically in Holden and the people he meets. Salinger and Caulfield have many similarities seen during Salinger’s life and the novel. J.D. Salinger’s experience coping with World War II is reflected through the PTSD Holden developed due to the lack of attention he received from his parents after the death of his brother Allie.
Holden Caulfield shows signs of PTSD throughout the entirety of the …show more content…
Salinger was one of the most prominent writers of his time with his most famous work being The Catcher in the Rye. This makes Holden Caulfield a highly pivotally character. Salinger never enjoyed the spotlight and shortly after the release of The Catcher in the Rye “he retreated to a primitive country house in Cornish, New Hampshire, ...he signed no autographs and refused to give lectures or interviews” (Gale). Salinger lived alone in the country away from people which was a dream of Holden towards the end of the novel. Holden takes this dream of living in the woods secluded one step further by saying he would “pretend I [he] was one of those deaf-mutes. That way I wouldn't have to have any goddam stupid useless conversations with anybody” (Salinger 199). Holden wants to completely end all chance he would be able to have at developing a normal human interaction because he believes it would be easier to go through life without the judgement of others. Salinger completely agrees with Holden. When one of Salinger’s works was criticized he “annoyed critics with his outright refusal to participate in a debate of his works” (Gale). Both Salinger and Caulfield dislike conversations with people and find peace in