1. Holden
1.1. Unstable
1.1.1. mentally
1.1.1.1. He knows he has issues
1.1.1.1.1. "i was only 13 and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all" (pg.49)
1.1.1.1.2. "i swear to god i'm a mad man"(pg 174)
1.1.2. socially
1.1.2.1. He isn't able to connect with anyone
1.1.2.1.1. "people never believe you"(pg 48)
1.1.2.1.2. "Nobody. Me, myself, and i. Boy i was drunk!"(pg 151)
1.1.2.1.3. "All the athletic bastards stick together"(pg 32)
1.1.3. emotionally
1.1.3.1. Traumatic Events in his life have shaped who he is and how he deals with situations
1.1.3.1.1. "My brother Allie had his left-handed...... He's dead now"
1.1.3.1.2. "I kept thinking about Jane, and about Stradlater having a date with her and all"(pg 34)
2. J.D. Sallinger
2.1. Unstable
2.1.1. mentally
2.1.1.1. "Salinger did not escape the war without some trauma, and when it ended he was hospitalized after suffering a nervous breakdown. (Biography.com)"
2.1.1.1.1. This connects to my main idea and thesis because it depicts a real event in Salinger's life that shows his mental instability and maybe even a cause.
2.1.2. socially
2.1.2.1. "There, Salinger met a Professor Whit Burnett, who would change his life. (biography.com)"
2.1.2.1.1. Just as in the book, Salinger confided in one teacher
2.1.2.2. "In 1953, Salinger moved from New York City and led a secluded life, only publishing one new story before his death. (Biography.com)"
2.1.2.2.1. Once again, we see that Salinger lived a secluded life. away from people, places, and things, i believe because he has issues connecting with people socially so he chooses to stay away in general
2.1.2.3. "...while undergoing care he met a woman named Sylvia, a German and possibly a former Nazi. The two married but their union was a short one, just eight months long (Biography.com)"
2.1.2.3.1. This shows how Salinger connects to his character Holden. he attempts to connect and wants relationships but he cant keep any.
2.1.3. emotionally
2.1.3.1. "Despite his apparent intellect, Salinger—or Sonny as he was known as child—wasn't much of a student. After flunking out of the McBurney School near his home in New York's Upper West Side, he was shipped off by his parents to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania. (Biography.com)"
2.1.3.1.1. This DIRECTLY supports one of the events portrayed in the story. after flunking out of school, his parents sent him to a much more strict boarding school just like what happened to Holden in Catcher.