Romanticism In Catcher In The Rye

Hope is an idolized concept. It has been credited with freeing nations, inspiring great artists, and saving lives. However, too much hope—too much faith put into idealistic dreams—can lead to unrealistic expectations and, in time, extreme disappointment. On the opposing side, an overabundance of doubt is a gateway to cynicism and bitterness. The key to achieving the model state of mind is to find a healthy balance between the two. While it sounds simple, finding this stability between romanticism and realism is incredibly difficult, as shown in J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye. This acclaimed novel tells the story of the mentally unstable Holden Caulfield as he struggles to find balance of his own. As Holden makes his way through

Phoebe first contradicts Holden’s views when she asks Holden what he likes and the only answer he can come up with is Allie. Phoebe is incensed by Holden’s evasive answer and bluntly replies, “Allie’s dead” (189). Until this point, Allie has been the primary foundation of Holden’s views—the hypothetical Jesus of his religion—and Holden’s image of Allie was not as dead but as eternally youthful, innocent, and, most importantly, alive. To have that image stripped away by Phoebe, a child just like Allie, rattles Holden’s beliefs to the core. Holden attempts to redeem himself and make Phoebe understand by sharing his dream of being “the catcher in the rye” (191), inspired by the line: “if a body catch a body comin’ through the rye” (191), from the poem, Comin thro' the Rye, by Robert Burns. As the catcher, Holden imagines himself as a protector, saving the children of the world from falling off a cliff. This fantasy is a manifestation of Holden’s romanticism concocted by his subconscious in which saving the children from falling is a metaphor that represents saving them from experience, adulthood, and death—the things he could not save Jane, D.B., or Allie from. By saving the children, Holden hopes to atone for not being able to save his loved ones from the same fates. Yet Phoebe again

He turns to his former teacher and wise advisor, Mr. Antolini, who, like Phoebe, is one of the few voices of reason capable of getting through to Holden. Antolini recognizes the same truth Phoebe saw, but understands it more clearly: that Holden is too wrapped up in his own mind and his own world of fiction and needs to come to terms with reality before it is too late. If his ways are not changed, Antolini can picture Holden “dying nobly…for some highly unworthy cause” (207). Antolini fears that Holden has set himself on a path that will lead him to regret, bitterness, and even death if he does not switch out his fantasies for reality. Holden, in a moment of clarity, considers Antolini’s advise and sways towards realism. However, his clarity does not last as Holden relapses into his romantic dreams, planning again to run away and live an entirely improbable life complete with an imaginary wife. The most important component of this dream being that should he and his fictitious wife have children, Holden would “hide them somewhere” (219). This wild fantasy is a last-ditch effort meant to replace his reverie of being the catcher in the rye for, though he would not save all the children of the world or himself, he would at least be able to protect his own children from maturity and adulthood. His certainly insane