Holden also explains how it is hard for him to make a fist with the hand he broke, which happened after Allie’s death. He tells the audience about Allie, and how he died of leukemia. Holden displays re-experiencing symptoms when he decides to write Stradlater’s essay on Allie’s glove, which he feels he can write the most detail about. PTSD symptoms are split into three groups, re-experiencing, avoidance and hyperarousal. As Holden is an unreliable narrator, it is difficult to tell if what he tells the audience is truth, but it is still suggested that PTSD may have been developed after Allie’s death. Another possible contender for his mental illness is post-traumatic stress disorder, which is characterized by developing diagnosable symptoms after a traumatic event. I probably would’ve done it, too (Salinger, 94),’” is an example of such thoughts of suicide. The number of times Holden mentions death and suicide within this three-day period is terrifying, especially when Holden himself acts out scenes in which he would be gravely injured. He also indirectly talks about the symptoms he feels as a result of depression, such as exhaustion, loss of interest in activities and subjects, negative emotions, thoughts of death and suicide, pessimism, and irritability. Holden often mentions the word ‘depression’, as in a situation makes him depressed, which just leads to reinforcing this idea. One that is often suggested is depression, an illness with a variety of symptoms, mostly focusing on the victim feeling ‘blue’. As Holden is retelling his story from a clinic, it is safe to assume that he suffers from a severe mental illness or disorder. Some of Holden’s thoughts and actions are a result of mental illness, something that he cannot easily control. While his own actions are destructive at times, he is not at fault for his mental illnesses hindering ‘normal’ function, nor the way teenagers are treated by society. Holden is only partially responsible for his downfall. Holden is a perfect example of the ‘tragic hero’ trope, due to the fact that while he is the protagonist (the ‘hero’), the story he tells the audience is quite tragic, featuring his many flaws and the progress of his mental decline. The question asks whether he himself is responsible for his downfall, if he is only partially at fault, or completely innocent. This novel describes three days of Holden’s life before he suffers from an emotional breakdown. The protagonist of this novel is Holden Caulfield, a depressed sixteen-year-old with a strong hate for anything he considers ‘phony’. The Catcher in the Rye is a Bildungsroman penned by JD Salinger, an American author from the 1950s. To What Extent is Holden Responsible for his Downfall? The Catcher in the Rye is the Story of Holden’s Final Days Before an Emotional Breakdown.
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