Allie's Baseball Mitt - an Artifact of One Dream
(Analytical Essay)
In a baseball game, the mitt is used for catching balls and in this way preventing the other
team from scoring more points and winning the game. In Catcher In the Rye by J.D.Salinger ,
Holden keeps his brother's baseball mitt, which "had poems written all over the fingers and the
pocket and everywhere". These poems are written in green ink (33). One of Allie's favorite
poems is written by Emily Dickinson, who has a lot of pieces related to death. In fact, he thinks
that she is the best war poet (126). Allie's baseball mitt and its significance for Holden symbolize
his dream to catch or protect children; the effect that death has on him is shown by Emily
Dickinson's poems; Holden's attachment to his family is presented by the green pieces of writing,
which connect him to his older brother, DB, and his sister Phoebe.
Allie, catching balls with his mitt, represents Holden, who wants to save children from
growing up. The only thing that he wants to do is to "be the catcher in the rye and all" (156). He
wants to prevent kids from falling off a cliff. What is beyond the cliff symbolizes adulthood, and
what is on the cliff represents childhood. Holden is sixteen, and he starts seeing the world around
him from a different point of view. The idea that adults are fakes occurs to him. He hates the
movies because he notices that grownups play roles not only on the big screen, but also in real
life. However, he is "the most terrific liar you ever saw", and that is what scares him the most
(14). He does not want to be a "phony" because that means that he has grown up. That terrifies
him because he admires something good and pure in children, and he does not want to lose this
quality. The mitt is a symbol of this idea. Holden keeps it, so that he could "catch" children. He
wants to prevent the other team, life, from scoring one more point and winning the game. The
prize in this "game" is children's pureness. Furthermore, if all children are playing on a cliff,
that means that Allie is also there, which is Holden's way of coping with the idea of his brother's
death.
Holden has not overcome Allie’s death, and that influences his behavior in many ways.
For instance, when his younger brother died, Holden “broke all the windows in the
garage” (34). He was obviously deeply harmed at this time, and he was searching for an
explanation of everything that happened to him. He could not accept that his brother, who
was “nicest in lots of ways”, was dead (34). Holden thinks of death in his own childish way;
he just does not want to admit that it exists. He still “talks, sort of loud, to Allie” (98).
Holden feels that Allie's death was unfair, and he starts wondering why things like this
happen in live. His way to get over this is his rebel. He hate anythinsg and anybody, or at
least trying to do this. However, one of the people that he still likes is Allie even though he
is dead. That is why Holden still keeps the mitt. It is a kind of "artifact" of his relationship
with Allie. The glove is just something that reminds Holden of one of the few people that he
really loved. Nevertheless, he does not hate anybody. Holden is just feeling lonely and
wants company and answers to all the questions that are in his head. He seeks this in his
family, his sister, Phoebe, and his brother, D.B.
Family is the most important value for Holden, especially his brother and sister. They are
represented by the green poems on Allie's mitt. Green symbolizes life, and in this way
contrasts to Holden's younger brother who is dead, but connects to his older brother and his
sister. The poems are also related to these members of the family, since D.B. is a writer,
and Phoebe always writes stories about a detective called Hazle Weatherfield (84). However,
Holden does not talk much about his parents. It seems that Allie’s death had dug a hole
between their second child and them. Holden blames them, in his own silent way, for
everything that happened. On the other hand, he always asks Phoebe, who is just a
little child, for advice. She reminds him of Allie, since they had similar qualities, and they
both posses the pureness that Holden admires so much in children. D.B. is a more
complicated character. He is not a child anymore. Holden looks up to him in a way, but he
does not approve all the things that D.B. is doing. He agrees with Mr. Antolini’s words that
“anybody that could write like D.B. had no business going out to Hollywood” (163). Holden
loves his brother, but he sees his “phony” side, and that makes him more attached to
Phoebe and Allie. The glove is a symbol of this relationship.
In conclusion, the baseball mitt is the object that connects Holden to his
younger brother, but that is not the only thing that this object represents for
him. It reminds him of Allie, and makes him anxious about his brother's
destiny, but it also becomes the symbol of everything that Holden believes.
It represents his dream in all of its aspects. Even though Allie is dead, he
influences Holden in many ways. That is why, the baseball mitt has an
universal meaning. It does not represent only Holden's story. It shows how
all people that we know influence us. It also represents all unfair things that
happen to us in live. The only thing that we can do is to catch them and
prevent the other team ,our destiny, from winning the game.