Holden: Insane or SaneThe Catcher in the Rye, written by JD Salinger, is a classic novel that depicts the problems a teenager faces as he struggles to accept changes in his life. . Holden Caulfield, the main character of the novel, tells his story beginning at Pencey Prep and ending just before Christmas. His story is captivating to most, but many still wonder if he is crazy. From the clues given at the beginning and end of the book, and his behavior towards Allie, we can determine that Holden Caulfield is indeed crazy. According to the Oxford Dictionary, insanity is “a state of mind which prevents normal perception or behavior”. , or social interaction; seriously mentally ill” (Insane np). The beginning of the book is one of the biggest indications that Holden is crazy. This implies that Holden is in a mental institution, due to his mental illness. He says if you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my bad childhood was like, and how busy my parents were and everything before they had me, and all that. David Copperfield is kinda shit, but I don't want to go into detail........Plus, I'm not going to tell you my whole damn autobiography or anything. (Salinger 1). It is clear from this passage that Holden is talking to someone. The story of birth, childhood and parents is usually what one tells their therapist: people treat patients with mental disorders. No one else would want to hear about someone's "ugly childhood" (Salinger 1). Holden then said, "I'm just going to tell you about this crazy stuff that happened to me last Christmas, right before I got pretty wasted and had to come here in the middle of a paper..... .titute using the word “here” again. He also says: “A lot of people, especially this psychoanalyst they have here, keep asking me if I'm going to apply when I start school next September” (Salinger). The psychoanalyst is a type of therapist whose goal is to help the mentally ill person understand themselves better. Holden admits that he is seeing this therapist, implying that he suffers from a mental illness. Holden has been through stressful and difficult situations. He was kicked out of several schools and faced disapproval from his parents and society throughout his life. The greatest stress he experienced in his life was the death of his brother Allie. Holden's inability to accept his death resulted in his madness. He's not so crazy that he can't be cured, but he is so crazy that it prevents him from leading a normal life...