What to make of Holden
Sean Draine (seandr@Exchange.Microsoft.com)
Wed, 04 Aug 1999 16:07:07 -0700
The messages of recent days from our teenagers bananafishers, discussing
things like majoring in philosophy and feeling alienated by phony peers,
have me thinking about dear Holden and what to make of his meanderings.
Holden's preoccupation with phonies (which implies, of course, that some
things are actually real), coupled with his chronic disappointment in the
world and its occupants strike me as symptoms of adolescent idealism. This
idealism is probably what makes Holden so endearing. Most of us can identify
with his disillusionment. However, idealism leads him, inevitably I think,
to his breakdown.
Anyone who becomes engrossed by Salinger should, in my opinion, follow up
with a heavy dose of Shakespeare. Old Bill celebrates the whole of humanity,
including the phonies, lechers, clowns, and cut-throats. Singling out
phonies seems like a waste of time once you discover that all the world's a
stage.
JD is a god man, an ideal man, and as such, has a natural disdain for our
lowly species. JD's writing is brilliant, beautiful, but it's a temple of
loneliness.
-Sean