The protagonist Holden Caulfield in "The Catcher in the Rye" is often seen as a representative of rebellious teenagers, but from the perspective of psychoanalytic theory, his behavior reflects more of a depressive psychological trauma. Holden's contempt for adults, alienation from peers, and appreciation for children's innocence all point to his inner conflict and desire and rejection of love. He constantly escaped from his family, school, and society, and ultimately had to face the confession of a psychologist. The death of Holden's brother in the novel had a profound impact on him, but this is often overlooked in traditional criticism. This article will explore how Holden's psychological trauma transformed into depression, and how "unfinished mourning" affected his psychological state, revealing the psychological issues behind his rebellious behavior.

1、 Holden's Dual Crisis

In depth exploration of the psychological state of the protagonist Holden in 'The Catcher in the Rye', particularly his disconnected behavior and emotions from reality. Holden's behavior has been analyzed as a typical manifestation of adolescence rather than a mental issue, although he did experience profound mental distress. This pain partly stems from the death of his brother Airy, which had a profound impact on him and prevented him from mourning and continuing his life normally. Holden's grief was ignored by his family, who failed to understand his psychological needs and instead rushed to restore him to normal, exacerbating his psychological distress.

2、 Death impulse under the shadow of depression

Holden experienced a series of chaotic and lonely behaviors while wandering in New York, which reflected his deep attachment and mourning for his brother Airy's passing. His actions, such as fighting, self punishment, prostitution, and fantasizing about death, were all attempts by him to alleviate his self blame and pain for Ali's death through self attacks. Holden's death impulse and disgust towards reality indicate a tendency towards depression, and his behavior is an unfinished mourning for the loss of Airy.

3、 Insight: "If they fall, then fall

After discovering the foul language on the walls of the museum, Holden realized that he couldn't escape reality and began to accept the pain and changes of growing up. In the park, he watched Phoebe and other children on the carousel, realizing that falling in their growth was inevitable, and he chose not to intervene, accepting the process. In the heavy rain, he chose to sit on a bench and appreciate rather than escape, symbolizing his attitude of connecting with reality. Through these experiences, Holden completed his mourning for Ali and his childhood, as well as his guardianship of Phoebe. His new insights marked the end of the mourning process, and he became the Watcher, partying with Ali and Phoebe on the carousel and in the heavy rain.