Holden Caulfield's psychological battle in The Catcher in the Rye serves as the basis for the entire novel. Salinger's portrayal of Holden, which includes incidents of depression, a nervous breakdown, impulsive spending, sexual exploration, vulgarity, and other erratic behavior, attributes to the authentic nature of the novel. Salinger creates a real and relevant story by focusing on Holden's thoughts and impressions of the events described in the novel, rather than the events themselves. The novel shows that the plot of the story is not that important in terms of importance, The Catcher in the Rye focuses more on what and how Holden thinks, creating an interesting and relevant story based on the psyche of a single character. Holden's thoughts indicate a personal struggle with depression, which strongly influences him. Several times throughout the novel, Holden conveys to the reader a feeling of deep sadness; This depression is often unreasonable and triggered by minor events and situations. When he explains his feelings about a former principal's "phony" and "long-winded" discussions with well-built, well-dressed parents, it makes him "so depressed he goes crazy" (19). His feelings toward the principal reveal that he is prone to excessive emotional reactions and depressive thoughts. Holden even contemplates suicide on several occasions. After a night where he had no particular luck socializing, he feels so depressed that he wishes he were dead. This is crucial because it is obvious that his depression and emotions are influencing his thoughts. This becomes interesting and relevant to the reader because he can identify with the influencing power of his emotions, and he can observe throughout the novel Ho...... middle of paper ......ge and psychological problems related to intimacy. Through the use of flashbacks and digressions on various topics, the reader learns a lot about Holden without the presence of many significant events in the novel. This, combined with Holden's internal monologues and constantly expressed thoughts, makes The Catcher in the Rye a memorable novel. Everything that happens in Holden's head in the novel adds to the story as a whole. His many psychological problems help reveal the theme and purpose of the story. The Catcher in the Rye does not exist without Holden's depression, erratic behavior, and cynicism. The first-person narrative allows each reader to step into Holden's life, in so much detail that the reader can imagine certain aspects of Holden's life as their own. The novel is based on his thoughts rather than his actions, which produces a story that is accessible to all..