I read a post where someone was questioning why Holden Caulfield was committed because it didn't seem like anything he went through was that bad, and I really wonder if I read a different book than the author of that post.
His behavior the entire two (three?) days can only be described as Manic. He barely sleeps or eats and he has wildly impulsive behavior. He was kicked out of a 4th school and was basically living rough for the duration of the book.
He has extreme reactions to sexual situations. He attacks his roommate when he assumes he sexually assulted his date. He hires a prostitute then freaks out about it then is attacked by her pimp. (Whether it was sexual or not) he was molested by one of the only adults he trusted and hinted that it was not the first time he had been targeted by pedos.
He witnessed a friend either commit suicide or be murdered (that's vague) and obsesses over the fact he was wearing his borrowed sweater. His brother had also tragically died recently.
The whole book is basically a first person narrative of a mental breakdown.
I think this is why I don't trust people who say they love the book and identify with Holden Caulfield. They are stuck on his jaded anti-phony attitude and miss that he's a messed up kid playing like he's already an adult.
