Part One
            
             The Catcher in the Rye and Depression
            
             The classic novel, The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, was published in the 1940's and instantly became a hit. The Catcher in the Rye is a masterpiece within itself. Portraying the impact that depression has in Holden's life, Salinger reveals the causes of depression and how it affects his life.
             Depression is a big factor in The Catcher in the Rye. It is a disorder that causes one to have lack of interest in usual hobbies, have a loss of appetite, and in most cases having many sad feelings associated with the mind altering thought of worthlessness. One who is depressed usually has a negative attitude towards everything. Salinger shows depression in his novel through the main character Holden Caulfield. Holden is a fine example for depression. He lost a brother at a young age and has been thrown out of a variety of schools on numerous accounts. He feels as though he has no purpose in life, causing his lack of interest in just about everything he did on a regular basis.
             Chapter one of The Catcher in the Rye already shows signs of depression in the main character, Holden Caulfield. "You'll probably want to know where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like getting into it, if you want to know the truth" (01). Holden instantly portrays his negative attitude, and
            
             Trask 2
             directly shows the reader that numerous things depress him. "It was even depressing out in the street&...