A Comparison and Contrast of “Myself” by Edgar Guest

and

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Life is hard. There is no other way to describe it. We struggle on a day to day basis with stress, work, and other serious issues. Our overall attempt is to get by, hopefully achieving a feeling of success and happiness. We are all very different people so it is not to say that there is one rule, one method to attaining that "perfect" life that we all strive for. Yet it can be pointed out that there are specific factors in all of our lives that we can analyze and attempt to alter to get one step closer to that ideal world. Among these many different things, we sometimes consider our views on the world as trivial compared to the trials and tribulations we constantly have to worry about, but our outlook on life is, in actuality, very complex. We often take for granted the significant impact that our lifestyle has, not only on us psychologically, but the way we behave and the ways we are viewed by others. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, and "Myself", by Edgar Guest, both discuss these issues. They write that honesty and being true to ourselves is important and that it determines your outlook on life. Although both advocate this idea, Holden, the main character in the novel, unlike the narrator in the poem, does not succeed in living up to this ideal, thus we can attribute his negative outlook to this failure. Specific examples from these two works as well as key literary elements prove applicable to everyday life and clearly show us how honesty in our own lives will help us achieve a positive attitude.

"Myself", is about a person who has clearly learned some important lessons in life. The narrator recognizes that by being open with the world and coming to terms with past actions you can be fully respected.

I have to live with myself, and so

I want to be fit for myself to know,

I want to be able, as days go by,

Always to look myself straight in the eye:

I don't want to stand, with the setting sun,

And hate myself for the things I've done.

He acknowledges that life is continuous and he will always have to live with his choices. Even though you might be comfortable with a decision at your present state, in the end it all comes back to you and you need to always be cognoscente of how these actions will affect your future and make you feel. Regretting a decision, feeling remorse and sadness about something you have done, although natural, are some of the most painful emotions to feel and can cause a large amount of issue's with your inner self. He wants to be proud of his choices and never have to feel ashamed of past actions.

The narrator does not deny anything that he has done in the past and, instead, has an optimistic outlook geared towards present day and the future. He focuses on what he wants for his life and what he wishes to accomplish rather than complaining about things that he cannot change.

I want to go out with my head erect,

I want to deserve all men's respect;

But here in the struggle for fame and pelf

I want to be able to like myself.

I don't want to look at myself and know

That I'm bluster and bluff and empty show.

All the narrator really wants in life is to be able to know that the "inside him" is comfortable showing itself in the outside world as well. He wants to be able to, with his head held high, know that he is a true person without a fake persona hiding his real identity.

In closing, the narrator points out that, the utmost importance in life, is that you have a positive view of yourself, regardless of what others think.

I can never hide myself from me;

I see what others may never see;

I know what others may never know,

I never can fool myself and so,

Whatever happens, I want to be

Self-respecting and conscience free.

He knows that society is a constantly changing institution but he will always be the same person with the same past. You can move away or avoid a place or a group of people, but you can never disappear from yourself and the things that you have done. Even if the world does not accept him as a person, what matters most is that he is happy and confident with himself because he is able to see the true him in a way no one else will ever. Yet, at the same time, he wants to try his best to portray that sacred part of him as best as possible to his peers. He says that no matter what happens in the world, no matter how people respond to him, he wants to be able to respect himself and never have to question his past.

There are also literary elements throughout the poem that contribute to the success of the portrayal of the message. Repetition is a key part of this poem that is noticed when reading it. The word "myself" is used over and over again to show the importance of self-esteem and coming to terms with past actions, and self acceptance, being proud of who you really are and not being afraid of showing that to everyone. Having some form of a rhyme scheme, although not essential to a poem, is something that definitely adds to "Myself". It gives you the sense that the narrator, or one might even say the author, is having a conversation with you. It allows the poem to flow continuously and in many ways gives the impression that the poetry is like a motto for the narrator to live by.

When we hear someone recite their own poetry it, in many ways, comes off as more personal than a simple essay, which adds to the point of view being expressed. By portraying a very specific point of view in this poem, Guest allows us to come in touch with the narrator and the words hit the reader on a much more sentimental level. The narrator's confessions, fears, hopes, and dreams, emerge from the page and become feelings that we, as the reader, are feeling for ourselves. As you can see, specific lines and stanzas of the poem as well as literary elements help to convey Guest's views about being true to yourself and how this contributes to your outlook on life.

Catcher in Rye is about a teenage boy in search for his place in a society that he cannot seem to relate to. Holden Caulfield believes that there are very few people in his life that he can trust and that have not been enveloped by the phoniness that has encompassed the world that he knows. Throughout the novel he reenacts occurrences over his weekend stay on his own in New York City, which, we can tell, Salinger specifically chose to show key parts of Holden's personality and overall view on life. From all of these instances, we come to the conclusion that Holden is a pessimistic person; he constantly looks at the glass half empty rather than half full. He has a never ending list of criticisms about other people yet does not ever consider how the way he acts and all of his negativity makes other view him.

Another extreme problem that Holden has is his inability to be himself around other people. He understands how not being honest with oneself and to others ruins a person's image and is a horrible thing yet examples in the text show that he himself does not live up to this concept. In many situations Holden falls victim to the pressures of pleasing others with a false personality. This occurred when Holden met Mrs. Morrow, the mother of one of his classmates, while returning to New York City from school.

“May I ask your name, dear?”

“Rudolf Shmidt...It’s me I have to have this operation...I was right away sorry I’d said it but it was too late. It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain...Oh, I’ll be alright and everything! It’s right near the outside. It’s a very tiny one (54,58).”

It is understandable that Holden did not want to tell this boy’s mother that he had been kicked out of school and that was why he was returning home, yet of all the things to say as an excuse he picked something as absurd as a brain tumor. He obviously has a need for drama in his life and is constantly unsatisfied with the way things in his life occur. Holden would be a much happier person if he had more control over what happened in his own life. An excellent step to this would be to create solid goals based on his true self. By having an idea of where he wanted to go in his life rather than watching events play out on their own, and structuring them around his inside personality not the various characters he makes up for the public would most definitely work to his advantage. Although the people around him would still be phony he might be a happier person and not find the need to be so concerned about the way these other people live their lives.

Besides experiences that show that he lies to other people he even clearly states it for us, “I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It’s awful. If I’m on my way to the store to buy a magazine,even, and somebody asks me where I’m going, I’m liable to say I’m going to the opera. It’s terrible (16).” He admits to himself that it is not the right thing to do yet he does it anyway. It is often very hard for people to come to terms with their faults. It is a shame that Holden cannot take advantage of his understanding of himself and try to correct this imperfection rather than continue to practice it. He could be a happier, likable, more comfortable person if he was honest with those around him.

Holden not only has a hard time being himself with others, he also has a hard time being honest with himself.

“I figured maybe I’d give old Jane a buzz...The only trouble was, her mother answered the phone so I had to hang up. I didn’t feel like getting involved in a long conversation and all with her...I should’ve at least asked her if Jane was home yet, though. It wouldn’t have killed me. But I didn’t feel like it. You really have to be in the mood for that stuff (page 116).”

He knew that he wanted to talk to Jane, yet he was nervous so he backed out. Of course being scared about this is completely natural but he makes up excuse after excuse to justify his actions. In much of life, you must just acknowledge that there are some things that are scary and that you have to overcome your fears to get what you want. If Holden had just tried to get over his anxiety over calling Jane rather than finding reasons why he wouldn’t be able to talk to her, and admit that he really wanted to talk to her he might have been able to focus on getting what he wanted and making himself happy. If Holden was more honest with himself about what he wants for his life he might be able to be more truthful with those around him and become an overall happier person.

The main reason that the portrayal of Holden’s character is so effective is Salinger’s ability to create a stream of consciousness. Hyperbole, or exaggeration, over accentuates Holden’s emotions and to clearly convey his opinions. Using slang also gives a more realistic approach. By writing with language that we use on a regular basis makes the plot and its characters more plausible. Like “Myself”, Salinger also uses point of view. This also makes the novel more realistic for us. By taking someone’s specific ideas, regardless of how right or wrong they may be, and freely sharing them and showing the public that not everyone is perfect and that we all have problems helps to achieve this sense of realness. Holden has very distinct opinions and beliefs that make him who he is. His point of view composes the entirety of the novel and without it Salinger loses much of his message to the reader. Holden has a hard time conveying his point of view to the rest of the world and instead hides it deep down within himself. By doing this he ends up taking on various other points of view of other phony people that aren’t really his, hence his poor take on life. If Holden could gain the courage he needs to express his point of view to society and not feel that he has to hide who he really is he would have a better outlook on life. When examining the poem and the novel, it can be seen that they have many similarities as well as differences. Both works share the same overall message, if you are true to yourself then you will have a positive outlook on life. They both use point of view in portraying their specific ideas and feelings to create a personal mood. The main difference is that because the narrator in “Myself” truly attempts to live up to what he is advocating, Guest’s writings appear more optimistic than Salinger’s. The way Holden talks has a negative connotation and the way he lives his life is of a more pessimistic type. Using lines such as “I want to go out with my head erect, I want to deserve all men’s respect,” Guest wants readers to go out and live their life as who they really are and shows that this concept is really possible through his narrator. Holden states over and over again throughout the novel how phony people will get no where in life yet he himself retains some of these phony images when meeting new people and he doesn’t really share all that he is feeling. He says at the end of the novel, “I’m sorry I told so many people about it...Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody (214).” Besides being nervous about getting too close to people, Holden never wants to let people in on the real him. This is another key difference between the two works.

In conclusion, both Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and “Myself” by Edgar Guest explore the idea of self-honesty. Through careful thought and analyzation both the narrator in the poem and Holden from the novel agree that people who are true to themselves live a more honest life. Where the two characters differ is that although both support this notion, the narrator from “Myself” makes a serious attempt to live up to it while Holden hides his true personality from the rest of society. Seeing this difference, we can establish that those who purge themselves of their secrets and share their inner self with the outside world are happier people and have an overall more positive outlook on life.