Re: Bananafish
Camille Scaysbrook (verona_beach@geocities.com)
Mon, 31 Aug 1998 20:21:02 +1000
> However, I have not yet worked
> through the first half of the story that illustrates his wife's
> character. She just seems kind of oblivious to him.
> Please tell me when the next chat session is scheduled and how to get
> there. I would love to attend.
I've thought long and hard about the implications of pedophilia in both
TCIR and the Seymour narratives - with the former I'm pretty convinced it's
there, murmuring beneath the floorboards, but with the latter I'm still
making up my mind. It did occur to me that the
similarity between Charlotte (Seymour's first love) and Muriel could be a
kind of Humbert Humbert thing - trying to reincarnate a childhood love in
another (in this case, older) person, and his death realising that she is
no Charlotte. Or alternatively, Seymour threw the rock at Charlotte because
she was so beautiful, yet in this case he is `throwing a rock' of a
different sort at himself, possibly for a similar reason - he is (as
Charlotte - and Muriel?) made him, perfectly happy. I recall also there is
a yellow dress fixation - I have a feeling he alluded to either Charlotte
and/or Muriel's memorable yellow dress, something which is returned to in
Sybil's bathing suit (and the colour of bananas of course)
Hmmm ... I'm going to have to think about this one.
Camille
verona_beach@geocities.com
@ THE ARTS HOLE
www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Theater/6442
THE INVERTED FOREST
www.angelfire.com/pa/invertedforest