Intimate relationships…love, marriage, boyfriends, girlfriends-it is a very high chance that every teen boy thinks about this every day. The only problem is, almost all of these young men’s brains have molded the wrong idea of what a healthy relationship looks like. The novels Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, and Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, portray two brainwashed boys that lack many of the necessities for healthy relationships. When a person has a healthy relationship, he develops higher self-esteem and morals, enabling him to further engaging deeper in relationships.
Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye lacks any healthy relationship; making is very challenging to develop high self-esteem. The idea of isolation from the world is very evident from the start of the novel. Even being at Pencey prep, filled with students, he purposely isolates himself from others. This is shown on the “Saturday of the football game” (2). Holden finds himself “way the hell up on top of Thompson Hill…you could see the whole field from there, and you could see the two teams bashing each other all over the place…you could hear them all yelling”(2). It’s interesting that this is the last football game of the season and he chooses to exclude himself from one of the biggest events of the year for the school. He is only hurting himself at this point. There is no chance of a connection between him and his peers if he isn’t willing to join such a simple event. He desperately wants positive reinforcement in his life. Hafeez Baoku, a widely known published author, writes about many different types of romantic relationships and longing for “the one.” Baoku claims that after putting all of his hope in a “happily ever after,” he realized his problem. Stating “I made singleness my problem and marriage the solution. This is not what God intended. Sure enough, the more I search for fulfillment in others, the more miserable I became. In my singleness, my heart was longing to be satisfied with something greater than a relationship. I just didn’t know what that could be.” He realized that searching for something greater only caused him pain. This is relevant to Holden’s situation because of how much he has searched for the same thing, leaving him with no romantic relationship. Instead, he was given constant amounts of distress, causing isolation and ultimately always wanting more. The desperateness for someone to talk to is clearly shown in the cab ride in New York. Sparking up a conversation with the cab driver was his priority. After that, Holden decides to takes it a step farther and states “well-take me to the Edmonton then. Would you care to stop on the way in and join me for a cocktail? On me, am loaded”(60). Enough, all of the angst in his mind has built up recently, and apparently, he doesn’t know to show it. Not to mention the fact that it is illegal for him to drink in the first place. This puts forward the risk of getting into trouble. At this point, Holden is reaching for anything in the most populated city int he country. The next objective for him is to find a lady. If he were to accomplish the task of finding a genuine girl to have a relationship with, he would not isolate himself from everyone. This would lead to a happier life, knowing that he has someone to fall back on in times of distress. A healthy romantic relationship is essential to bringing one’s self-esteem higher, making sure he feels needed in the world.
Guy Montag from Fahrenheit 451 lacks a connection in his relationship with his wife, leaving him with constant self-esteem that is very low. Montag and his wife Mildred do not have the ideal relationship. Almost all of the blame for this can be put on Montag’s wife. She was a pill-poppin', technology addicted snob who only focuses on materialistic things. For as long as he can remember, constantly rescuing her from this warped society was his only job. Instead of thinking of Mildred as his wife, he began to see her as a duty. This led to him to think that they are not in the same bed at night. As he pondered many thoughts in his head one night, he began to see their relationship as “a winter island separated by an empty sea”(41). This metaphor is a perfect example of their current situation. The winter island represents how cold and distant he is from Mildred. The empty sea stands for the lack of love compared to when they first met and the long distance between Montag and his wife. The absence of communication for years has destroyed their relationship, and as a result, his self-esteem begins to stoop lower and lower, digging an even deeper hole. Montag is frustrated with the relationship he is intertwined with beginning to question her and asks Mildred, “When did we meet? And where?’ ‘When did we meet for what?’ she asked ‘I mean—originally.’ ”(40). Mildred is to the point where it is unclear where and when she met the love of her life. This scene taps into Montag's awakening sense of emptiness and insecurity. It leaves him broken as if one had ripped the strings right out of his heart. The diminished connection between the two makes him realize that without her, he lacks a connection with anyone at all. He doesn’t wish for Mildred to be a perfect wife, all he needs is someone to support him. If he possessed this idea of support, he would not have such low self-esteem or be painstakingly unhappy.
A Christ based life for Holden is the key to rebuilding his self-esteem and feeling wholesome again. It is tough to feel worthy in the world without a faith base. As a result of the absence of religion, he is missing a purpose and drive for life. Specifically, in his world, he finds himself always looking for lust and sexual activities. Romans 1:24-27 reads “Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions." Holden has chosen over time not only to disregard God’s Presence but also for a divine purpose in life. There are many consequences to this choice, but the one that stands out like a sore thumb is unfulfillment. This is not an example of God punishing Holden in any way. Instead, he feels unhappy because he disregards God’s love that He is willing to pour out. The Lord encourages men like Holden to seek relationships that unite together, praising God. It is crucial for him to understand that he was made in the image of God. This world is a creation that the Lord has made. On a big scale, He has placed mountains and cities in specific spots. On a much smaller scale, He will put a woman into Holden’s heart sooner or later. The key for him is to accept God as his savior and all of the missing pieces of the puzzle, including a healthy romantic relationship, will fall together creating no room for isolation or low self-esteem in Holden’s life.
Holden Caulfield loses his morality during the process of searching for a soulmate, whereas Montag’s neighbor Clarisse, attempts to shape his morality throughout their relationship over some time. Holden has feelings for another student at his school names Jane. It is evident that he never acted upon them. Of the millions of people in New York City, Holden decides his best shot for something special is a prostitute. Given finding one of these is not a hard task, Holden makes arrangements with one in a matter of hours. One of the workers inside the hotel offers Holden a deal stating "Uh huh. Well, how 'bout it? Y'innarested? Five bucks a throw. Fifteen bucks the whole night." He looked at his wrist watch. "Till noon. Five bucks a throw, fifteen bucks till noon"(92). It does not take Holden too long to come up with a response saying “ Okay," I said. It was against my principles and all, but I was feeling so depressed I didn't even think. That's the whole trouble. When you're feeling very depressed, you can't even think.”(92). Not surprisingly, Holden makes an impulsive decision. This gives the reader a true idea of how Holden feels about his decision. He specifically declares that he is going against his principles, ultimately tearing his morality apart. Holden needs someone to fill his life with love, not sex or intimate feelings that will last for at the most an hour. A romantic relationship is the only key that can unlock his sad heart. Once he can find that, his morality will be shaped in ways that are better than he can imagine. Jill P. Weber Ph.D., a published author, and writer for Psychology Today writes about the positive impacts a romantic relationship can have on an individual. She states that “going out and spending a few hours one-on-one with someone is both a way for you to become more comfortable with yourself and also a way to better assess your romantic partners. An official date gives you an opportunity to get to know someone. And dating forces you to become comfortable with letting your guard down, and that allows you to be known” Adding “You experience the comfort, well-being, and security that eventually come from being yourself with someone else.” While engaging in a romantic relationship opens many doors for Holden, he will be able to be himself more. Being able to grow with a partner helps positively mold morality. In comparison to Holden, Montag is one step ahead in his interactions with a woman named Clarisse. With the lack of connection between him and Mildred, Montag begins to find interest in something outside of his marriage. Through one of the few interactions he has with Clarisse, he begins to notice something about himself. They have one of their daily conversations, and she begins to state “You're one of the few who put up with me. That's why I think it's so strange you're a fireman, it just doesn't seem right for you, somehow." He felt his body divide itself into a hotness and a coldness, a softness and a hardness.”(24) This conversation made Montag think. Torn between two worlds, one is being a devoted man to his job and community, the other is to realize that what he is doing is wrong. Mildred has never opened Montag’s eyes and heart this way before. To that day, he had never met anyone who was different. Having someone release his true feelings towards his line of work was all Montag needed. Sometimes, this moral support is not given to a kid as he grows up, making it very challenging to step out of his or her comfort zone. It is clear that Clarisse was all the moral support he needed. Imagine if this was given to him since he was born.
To possess a healthy relationship, both partners must coincide with each other. This includes building one another up and helping when they fall. Both Catcher in the Rye and Fahrenheit 451 use emotional symbolism to relate to the reader. It brings us closer into not only a dystopian society, but also a metropolitan filled with lust and the need for a partner. With the acception of the Lord in Holden and Montag’s life, they can continue down this exciting life with the Man above helping along the way. As said in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”. If relationships don’t work out, keep in mind there is always someone that will fulfill that missing puzzle piece in your life; don’t give up.