Mr. Antolini
Brendan McKennedy (the.tourist@mailexcite.com)
Tue, 02 Dec 1997 07:43:45 -0700
One thing that has always bugged me about Catcher is the incident with Mr. Antolini.
I've never understood it, and I've never been satisfied to dismiss it by simply
thinking that Mr. Antolini was making a homosexual pass at Holden, or even molesting
Holden in his sleep. (As with everything in that novel) I believe there's something
more important, more duplicitous involved. After all, besides the nuns and Phoebe,
Mr. Antolini was about the only character appearing in the story who didn't disappoint
Holden with phoniness.
Until the last time I read Catcher, I always dismissed the Antolini incident with
some discomfort, and kept reading. But last month, when I read it, I got stuck on
it and couldn't get past it.
For the first time, Mr. Antolini started to remind me of Buddy Glass, as well as
Seymour in "Bananafish". (Although I suppose that's still Buddy, since in S:AI, Buddy
admits that Seymour's character in "Bananafish" was more himself than Seymour--but
that's for another day...) He also reminded me of Sergeant X a little.
Mr. Antolini reminded me of Buddy in the way he analyzed everything with this ridiculous
wit. But that's not really important.
The reason he reminded me of Sergeant X and Seymour in "Bananafish" is because Seymour
seems to, er...I don't know how to put it tastefully!
Seymour seems a little bit interested in his little friend. I don't mean to say
that he's a child molester, but I do think that he's idealized children so much that
he's sort of fallen in love with them, in a very adult way. I haven't got any evidence
to support that; it's just a feeling I get. I get the same feeling between Sergeant
X and Esme. I almost get the same feeling between Holden and Phoebe. When Holden
is dancing with those three Seattle girls in the Lavender Room, and he's trying to
make a move on the blonde (Laverne?), all he can talk about is Phoebe. Salinger
was too conscientious a writer to let so important a character as Phoebe just waltz
meaninglessly into one of Holden's sexual escapades.
Writing about it, I was just thinking that Mr. Antolini is what Holden will become.
I think Mr. Antolini has fallen in love with innocence in the same way Holden has.
Mr. Antolini is also drunk, and I know that when Holden gets drunk is the point
where he begins to fall.
I don't know. I've just always been intrigued with Mr. Antolini. Someone let me
know what you think.
Brendan.
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