Recent studies show that depression is common among teenagers. Although the research may be new, it is not a new disease that has occupied teenagers. In the novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main character Holden Caufield is a depressed young man searching for good in the world; scenes in this story push Holden over the edge until he has an epiphany that eventually causes him to have a breakdown.

Holden's constant inquiry about the location of the ducks in Central Park and his conversation with Sunny, instead of sexual intercourse, signify a lost boy in desperate need of help. Holden interrogates two taxi cab drivers about the location of the ducks during winter in Central Park. As Holden questions the second driver, Horwitz, the taxi cab driver responds by relating the ducks to the fish in the lake. The taxi cab driver irritably responds to Holden's barrage of questions by replying, "If you was a fish, Mother Nature'd take care of you, wouldn't she?" (109) The answer is satisfactory to Holden because he knows that wherever the ducks may be, they are taken care of. Holden's motive for wanting to know where the ducks fly in winter is that he cares for them because they rela

Holden's depression deepens as he has an epiphany both in the museum and at the carousel. For example, Holden stands in a tomb (in the museum) and again he views another "Fuck you" scrawled under the glass in red crayon. Holden narrates, "That's the whole trouble. You can't ever find a place that's nice and peaceful, because there isn't any." (264) Holden now realizes, depressingly, he cannot save all the innocent children from the evil of the adult world; he will never be a catcher in the rye. Next, Holden sees Phoebe as she approaches him with a suitcase. He asks, knowingly, what the suitcase is for and she responds, "I'm going with you. Can't I?" (267) Holden feels as if he is about to faint; he knows that taking Phoebe with him would be destroying her life too. He knows he cannot save Phoebe because he must help himself first. They cross over to the carousel; Holden consequently has a second epiphany. While Phoebe tries to grab hold of the gold ring Holden states, "The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them." (274) Holden realizes you cannot tell a kid not to act as a kid: they will no longer be innocent. It depresses him to know he will never again be innocent and that he cannot warn Phoebe of the adult world because she will no longer be innocent.

te to him. Similarly, Holden is subconsciously searching for help; he believes that by helpi

Some common words found in the essay are:
Holden Antolini, Similarly Holden, I'm Can't, Holden Caufield, Park Holden, Central Park, Mother Nature'd, Rye Recent, Holden Phoebe, catcher rye, Catcher Rye, taxi cab, taxi cab driver, location ducks, adult world, holden realizes, help holden, central park, holden feels, holden caufield, holden's depression, catcher rye holden,
Approximate Word count = 1011
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)