Subject: Re: john lennon and catcher--just say know
From: LR Pearson, Arts 99 (lp9616@bristol.ac.uk)
Date: Thu Apr 25 2002 - 15:54:24 EDT
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Wow! Will, that is one of the most thoughtful and moving posts that's
appeared on here for a long time. It's good to hear that there are so
many people out there who feel that way. I agree that it is sad how
often 'Catcher' is connected with crazy, violent people. It is easy to
see why the book appeals to these kinds of people as they are usually
outsiders who feel uncomfortable with living in the society they were
born in, but I'd like to think most people on this list will agree with
me when I say that it is the problems these people have which lead them
to pick up a gun, not the book itself. Chapman did give the book a lot
of bad press, unfortunately, since he did use it to 'justify' what he
had done. Personally, I feel that there have been times when it was
only reading Salinger which _stopped_ me from doing something equally
crazy. For me, his work is ultimately a celebration of ordinary people.
When I read 'Catcher', I see a young man who is slowly learning how to
live in acceptance of the foibles and phonyness of other people.
Actually, the paper I am writing is very pertinent to this subject, I'm
looking at the theme of redemption in Salinger. Is your kind offer to
read it for me still open, Will? I know it must seem ages since I first
mentioned it but I've had a variety of other papers to complete before
I had time to make a start. When it is finished, I will post it on the
list for everyone to read, if people would like? If I posted it as an
attachment to a message, would that be ok? I'm not very technical so
please warn me now if that will cause a problem!
Well, I had better go and do some work!
Love, Lucy-Ruth
PS Will, I remember you mentioning that your grad student had completed
her thesis? I didn't have time to post a reply at the time, and I now
can't remember her name, but I would like to wish her congratulations
and well done! L-Rxxx
On Thu, 25 Apr 2002 10:09:56 -0400 Will Hochman <hochman@southernct.edu>
wrote:
> Dear Bananafish, When this strand came up, I had decided not to
> participate. It's just wrong to connect a murderous, insane person
> with a great artist or great artwork. Sure, there was a lot of press
> about how one person interpreted a novel and let it drive him to
> murder or whatever, but the thing that bothers me is that too many of
> us want to think about how one particular novel may be a catalyst for
> a murder when the truth is that I wouldn't trust Chapman to read an
> aspirin label well, much less a book. This drive to connect Catcher
> to murder is just a sad, small, literary footnote. It is not, as,
> Holden would say, 'a very big deal.'
>
> Last night I was the keynote speaker at an awards ceremony for prize
> winning middle school and high school writers and their parents. When
> I asked the audience of approximately 200 people how many had read
> Catcher, I watched at least 75% of the people raise their hands and I
> can still see many of the young folks shoot their hands up high and
> fast with a sense of pride and fondness that should make us really
> think about what Catcher can mean to most people. I may be making
> more out of this quick image than is right, but my interpretation of
> that moment is strong and deep. I can still see a few young writers
> arch their backs and reach their arms and hands in the air with a
> grasping confidence that said, yes, I know and love this book...yes,
> I am proud that I read this book...yes, I know Holden as a gentle
> soul who can show us how to love people and he's even able to help us
> understand our awkward, adolescent selves a little better than we
> could without him.
>
> The hands in the air that I saw didn't have guns in them. There
> wasn't murder in their hearts, and the only insanity or confusion
> they may have suffered was in applauding me at the end of my remarks.
> I just dislike it very much when Catcher is connected with murdering,
> and I hope this email changes the strand to thinking about how
> Catcher affects real readers, will
> --
> Will Hochman
>
> Associate Professor of English
> Southern Connecticut State University
> 501 Crescent St, New Haven, CT 06515
> 203 392 5024
>
> http://www.southernct.edu/~hochman/willz.html
>
>
>
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LR Pearson, Arts 99
lp9616@bristol.ac.uk
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