re: less talked-about stories
Brendan McKennedy (the.tourist@mailexcite.com)
Tue, 02 Dec 1997 09:14:12 -0700
emily wrote:
i read my friend "Pretty Mouth
>and Green My Eyes" while he was ill and was struck by how much there is
>in there that is not apparent on a first reading.
...what is the key, if it is something you find
>articulatable?
I'm not sure it's possible to articulate any feelings about Salinger...after all,
that's what his writing is there for, isn't it...?
You're absoultely right, I think, about things that don't surface upon a first reading,
which is one of the things that makes Pretty Mouth such a brilliant story. I personally
don't know if I believe that anything is really going on that the reader isn't privy
to from the conversation--aside from the obvious climax, where the guy (I can't remember
anyone's name!) on the other end of the line says that his wife (Joanie?) has just
walked in...
I've wondered about that climax for very long, and my only conclusion is that he's
just sort of slipped into madness--the sickness and PHONINESS of the world where
he lives has finally destroyed him, and he's finally decided to just let go.
Much like the mom in Uncle Wiggly.
The suburban ratrace finally destroys her at the end.
I don't know; I'm not the one who should be answering this probably...
But it was a good question, and I thought I'd put in my ideas.
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