Childhood in The Catcher in the Rye and My ntonia Essay

Childhood means something different to everyone. To some, memories of happiness come to mind. To others, tragic events conquer their memories. Some many not remember anything at all. In the books, The Cather in the Rye and My Antonia, childhood is represented in many of the same ways and these representations play big roles in both novels developments. While many dont think much of their life as a child, My Antonia and The Catcher in the Rye prove the great significance it can have on the rest of ones life.

Ones childhood has an enormous impact on their outlook as an adult. In The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, Holden has a very negative view of the world around him. This view stems from the death of ultimately all he found to be right, innocent and pure, his brother, Allie. Allie dies of leukemia three years prior to the beginning of the novel. This sort of event would emotionally cripple anyone. Holdens handicap is seen in how he keeps Allies baseball glove. Old Allies baseball mitt. I happened to have it with me, in my suitcase (Salinger 39). Some may even see Holdons hat as a link to Allie. Allie was said to be a red head and this red hat may be a reminder of him. Also, as a symbol, this hat could represent that Allie, and what he means to Holdon, is always on Holdons mind. Either way, Holdon always seems to have this yearning to be close to Allie. Which is why he yearns for the past. Holdon yearns for days before Allie was gone, back to a time of innocence.

This perfectly innocent time that Holdon depicts childhood to be creates greater contrast in the novel. The novel is not bound by good and bad. It almost becomes a fight of righteousness versus evil. Holdon creates this enormous gap by the very high pedestal he puts childhood on. If Holden didnt idolize children and childhood so much, then bad things in the novel wouldnt be looked down on so much. For example, the graffiti on the walls of the museum. Thats the whole trouble. You cant ever find a place thats nice and peaceful, because there isnt any. You may think there is, but once you get there, when youre not looking, somebodyll sneak up and write Fuck you right under your nose (Salinger 204). Holdons attitude here shows his inability to overlook the bad things in life, the very small things. To anyone else, this would not mean very much. However, because of the way Holden has created childhood to represent a perfect innocent time and because of how much he longs for it, this minor offense crushes him. He instantly feels personally attacked. He also takes the act of one person, and applies it to the world. He makes it seem like everyone has been corrupted and is out to get him. In reflection to the entire novel, without this representation of childhood, there would not be as much contrast and a portion of Holdons absurdity would not be as clearly seen.

My Antonia, by Willa Cather, shares The Catcher in the Ryes emphasis on childhood and its fleeting nature. In the beginning of the novel, readers meet their protagonist, Jim. He is riding the train and talking with someone of his past. Our talk kept returning to a central figure...More than any other person we remembered, this girl seemed to mean to us the country, the conditions, the whole adventure of our childhood. (Cather 2). The reader is introduced to Antonia, but not only Antonia. The reader is also introduced to the narrators nostalgia, feelings which they share with Jim. Jims longing for his childhood and for the person he associates with his childhood, just as Holdon yearns for Allie. This longing emphasizes the changes that had happened to the characters. Which out it, the changes in the characters would be less recognizable. Later in the novel, the reader discovers that Jim had not seen Antonia in twenty years. He did not visit in efforts to preserve his childhood memory of Antonia, all full of life. Learning this, the reader begins to build an image in their mind of all the changes that could have occurred. Jim eventually goes to visit Antonia. She was a battered woman now, not a lovely girl; but she still had that something which fires the imagination, could still stop ones breath for a moment by a look or gesture that somehow revealed the meaning in common things. (Cather 169). Without the novels focus on childhood and how it is full of live, this description would not have meant as much. To see how far Jim and Antonia had come, it is necessary to see where they began, growing together during childhood.

Some may see childhood as being no longer relevant in their lives today, but My Antonia and The Cather in the Rye show how these short-lived moments affect us forever. Just as the meaning and representation of childhood helped develop these novels, ones childhood helps oneself to develop. Whether the memories are good or bad, they help to shape ones personality and further outlook on life. The easiest way to know how one had gotten somewhere, is took look from where they came.