Throughout life, an individual may endure several emotionally or physically straining moments. In The Catcher In The Rye, Holden Caulfield suffers much verbal abuse, as well as physical. Both forms of the abuse, combined with other factors, eventually leads Holden to suffer a mental breakdown. Holden’s actions prove that ** “A blow from a whip raises a welt, but a blow from the tongue smashes bones.” Holden experiences several fights throughout the story. Near the …showed first 75 words of 742 total…

…showed last 75 words of 742 total…actions that the physical blows meant little to Holden, while the emotional blows meant much more. He was able to basically ignore his injuries, but could not possibly take the emotional pain out of his head. Even when he didn’t think about it, it was always there subconsciously, proving that a blow from the tongue smashes bones, while a blow from a whip only raises a welt. ** denotes the Biblical quote found in Sirach 28:17