T4 - Helen Keller

Some say the glass is half full; others say it is half empty. Helen Keller once said,”…although life is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” In other words, although pain and hardship are part and parcel of the human experience, so are hope and redemption. People do find ways to move past difficult situations. Two works of literature which explicate the meaning of this quote are The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Through conflict and characterization, Salinger and Bronte explore the idea that there is a light at the end of every tunnel.

Although Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye, masks his grief and depression behind a cavalier façade, he is, in fact, still struggling to come to terms with the death of his beloved younger brother, Allie. His disillusionment about the phony adult world is expressed through his conflicts with his Pencey roommate, Stradlater, and his sometime girlfriend, Sally Hayes. Holden sees through his roommate’s suave, virile personality to the insincere, predator Stradlater really is. Holden thinks he loves Sally at the beginning of their date, but by the time they finish ice-skating at Rockefeller Center, Holden is insulting and abusive. For Holden, both of these characters have turned their backs on the innocence and sincerity of childhood, and have embraced the phony, corrupt world of adulthood.

The final blow for Holden comes when he spends the night at the home of his former teacher, Mr. Anotlini. Salinger employs flashback to record an incident in which Mr. Antolini displays enormous kindness, resulting in Holden’s regard for his teacher as a protector of the innocent. However, when the same teacher makes what Holden believes is a pass at him, Holden returns to the cold, wintry New York night, asking his deceased brother not to let him disappear. Desperate and lonely, Holden has reached his bottom. The full despair of his internal conflict is realized; there is no lower he can go.

Redemption comes in the form of his kid sister, Phoebe. Through symbolism, Salinger suggests that through his relationship with his younger sibling, Holden can resolve his grief for his brother, Allie. While together in Central Park, Phoebe reaches for the golden ring on the carrousel, and Holden acknowledges that he must risk her falling – he can’t protect her from everything. The ring symbolizes the inherent risks in being alive; Holden’s epiphany allows him to look at the world in a new way.

Jane Eyre begins her childhood at Gateshead as an intruder in the home of her Aunt Reed, a woman who takes a palpable dislike to her homely, recalcitrant niece. Unloved and rejected, Jane is sent to the harsh environment of the Lowood, a school run by Mr. Brocklehurst, a demanding and hypocritical Christian. Jane is surrounded by suffering at Lowood; disease and malnutrition are rampant and the students are regularly reprimanded by the teachers. Jane watches her best friend, Helen Burns, die of consumption. When she is old enough to leave, Jane asserts independence in her search for identity and acquires a position as a governess at Thornfield Hall, falling in love with its owner, Edward Fairfax Rochester.

Jane’s persistent refusal to give in to miserable circumstances proves to be an impregnable part of her character. She will not compromise her principles and they sustain her in her darkest moments. When she is forced to choose between her self-respect or a life as Rochester’s mistress, she doesn’t hesitate. She flees Thronfield and almost dies in the wilderness of the moors. As a result of her resolve not to sacrifice her integrity, Jane not only survives, but flourishes. She finds her family, her fortune, and, eventually, marriage with Rochester, her true love.

Helen Keller once said, “… although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” Charlotte Bronte affirms the truth of this statement by testing the will of her protagonist and finally rewarding her with a fairytale ending. J.D. Salinger’s Holden Caulfield journeys through a troubled weekend in New York City, only to emerge with a new sense of hope. In both cases, the characters find that the glass is, indeed, half-full.