Is Holden Caulfield a Lunatic? According to Alan Stewart, Holden is a raving madman who should be avoided at all costs, but is this really the case? Holden may not be the most stable individual and, for a time, theres no question he takes a dive off the deep end. However, the madness although serious, lasts only a short period during the novel and, in fairness to Holden, he was under great emotional stress at the time. Such stress can adversely affect ones psyche greatly. Holdens temporary madness can also be attributed to the harsh experience of being expelled from Prep school as well as having the few adults he respects lose faith in him. These feelings build up in Holden until he confides in his younger sister, triggering their rapid release which is too much for him. At this point, Holden descends into his own imaginary world. Holdens apparently lunacy at times may products of his extensive idealism or selflessness. Holdens thoughts are some instances are incredibly antisocial leading me to believe that instead of being insane he is just has more than the typical amount of eccentric traits. ...
