> << Is it not possible that Antolini's gesture is completely unsexual and > innocent in itself, an act of humanity that does nothing but illustrate the > depth of > Holden's confusion? Holden is genuinely unloved and unprepared. Naturally, > he would react as he did. >> I remember when I first read Catcher when I was a teenager and had no sexual experience and a lot of naiveté about the world, that whole episode with Antolini I felt was too vague for me to get a grasp on how my own emotional reaction to it would have been. But now that I'm many years and much experience removed from that time and place, I better understand Mr. Antolini, especially because I've met people like him whom I knew in the bottom of my heart had pure motives yet I could also sense that their expression of love was pretty much inextricably entwined with a sexual expression of love. It's a very delicate situation for an adult to love a child or minor with agape and not have it be interpreted as eros. For all you Van Morrison fans, think of the song "Madame George." I think Van was addressing these very issues in that song. I wonder if this culture will ever understand the difference between those two forms of love, especially since this nation was founded by (arguably) perverts: the Puritans. Malcolm