The Catcher in the Rye: Is Holden really Crazy? Continued…

Shortly after Holden’s fight with Sally, Holden’s thoughts become significantly darker. One comment really surprised me. “Anyway, I’m sort of glad they’ve got the atomic bomb invented. 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.” (Salinger, pg.141) To me, this comment appears very suicidal. In fact, this was the second suicidal comment he makes. Earlier in the novel, when he’s in the hotel he mentions thinking about suicide. But at this point in the story, he seems more unstable than before. Things just keep getting worse, and Holden starts to recognize his mind getting jumbled. After fleeing from Mr. Antolini’s house, he finds a magazine and starts reading it, and starts really freaking himself out, thinking he’s got cancer and is dying. By the time he puts it down he says, “I figured I’d be dead in a couple of months because I had cancer. I really did. I was even positive I would be.” (Salinger, pg.196) He’s thinking outside of his head at this point. Next, as he’s walking through town he says “something very spooky started happening.” (Salinger, pg. 197) “Every time I came to the end of a block and stepped off the goddam curb, I had this feeling that I’d never get to the other side of the street. I thought I’d just go down, down down, and nobody’d ever see me again.” (Salinger, pg. 197) “Every time I’d get to the end of a block I’d make believe I was talking to my brother Allie. I’d say to him, “Allie, don’t let me disappear. Allie, don’t let me disappear. Allie, don’t let me disappear. Please, Allie.” And then when I’d reach the other side of the street without disappearing, I’d thank him.” After, he mentions not remembering how long he walked or where he was going. (Salinger pg 198) That same day he creates this idea of running away, and as he delivers a note about it to Phoebe’s school  he keeps seeing F-you everywhere and his mind goes into lockdown and he passes out in the museum later. Those are just a few examples of times when Holden’s mind seems not in the right place. Now, what do I think? I think that Holden actually loses his grip because he has a stress induced panic attack. On top of that, he’s also getting sick and mentions feeling like vomiting and feeling feverish more than once at this time in the story. I think his wandering and loneliness finally gets to him, and he realizes that he’s going to have to face his parents eventually. He’s also suffering from lack of sleep and also most likely a hangover also, while this is all going on. Personally, I don’t think Holden is crazy. I think he has a panic attack because he gets over-stressed. If his nerves were shot before he even left boarding school, then three days of him wandering New York will have destroyed his nerves completely. So, in my opinion, I don’t think he’s completely crazy. I just thing he snapped and lost it for a little bit. I think Holden is suffering from alot of stress and his body and mind eventually can't take it anymore.

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print.