Holden Caulfield
Leave What Happened in the Past, in the Past “It’s easy to blame others for your situation. It’s much more productive to search your own past and find what caused your faults.” In the novel written by J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden Caulfield, has had a traumatic childhood. As he has gotten older, he has not done much maturing. Like many teenagers, he makes irresponsible decisions. Some might say that he has the right to blame others, due to his history of traumatic events. It can be assumed that at points in his life he was sexually abused. Going through something as traumatic as that can have a huge effect on someone. Having this past could lead to why he has a problem with trusting adults in the world.
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After being with Mr. Antolini, Holden had an anxiety attack. He said, “When something perverty like that happens, I start sweating like a bastard. That kind of stuff’s happened to me about twenty times since I was a kid.”(PDF 95). He vaguely explained why he was sweating and freaking out. It was because at at least twenty points in his life he was sexually abused. The reaction that Holden has, for example the sweating, is a normal side effect to having gone through what he has. For children who have been sexually abused, one of the biggest things that they lose is trust. Especially with family members, the main reason trust can be lost with family is because the victim can blame them for not protecting them or because their abuser was family. By losing trust with the people in the world, one can turn to substance abuse. For Holden he did this, he drank many times till he was completely gone. Also, depression and suicide behavior is common. Both of which Holden encountered. Some could argue that Holden has every right to act the way he does and that it is normal and right to run to substances to cope with what happened. But, no matter what kind of traumatic abuse one goes through in their lives, it is not one’s fault. It is necessary to understand that the person/persons that abused you need to be held accountable for what happened, not oneself. It is never too late in life to begin the healing
After being with Mr. Antolini, Holden had an anxiety attack. He said, “When something perverty like that happens, I start sweating like a bastard. That kind of stuff’s happened to me about twenty times since I was a kid.”(PDF 95). He vaguely explained why he was sweating and freaking out. It was because at at least twenty points in his life he was sexually abused. The reaction that Holden has, for example the sweating, is a normal side effect to having gone through what he has. For children who have been sexually abused, one of the biggest things that they lose is trust. Especially with family members, the main reason trust can be lost with family is because the victim can blame them for not protecting them or because their abuser was family. By losing trust with the people in the world, one can turn to substance abuse. For Holden he did this, he drank many times till he was completely gone. Also, depression and suicide behavior is common. Both of which Holden encountered. Some could argue that Holden has every right to act the way he does and that it is normal and right to run to substances to cope with what happened. But, no matter what kind of traumatic abuse one goes through in their lives, it is not one’s fault. It is necessary to understand that the person/persons that abused you need to be held accountable for what happened, not oneself. It is never too late in life to begin the healing