Is Holden Caulfield mentally handicapped?
He is NOT mentally handicapped or retarded or anything like that. His brother’s death weighs down on him and by the end of the book he has a nervous breakdown. The whole book is a flashback and he’s looking back at the experience after he’s spent time somewhere recooperating. As for him being “kind of different”, the book is written in a form called “stream of conciousness”. This means that all of the character’s inner thoughts are conveyed. We, the reader, are given an in depth look at exactly what Holden is thinking. His thoughts may seem strange and off balanced, but start looking at the way you think. We all have strange thoughts and think weird things. It’s our ability to filter these thoughts in conversation that determines one’s mentality. Holden may be on the verge of a nervous breakdown and depressed beyond belief, but he is not mentaly retarded.
