Re: Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes
Rebecca McCallum (remc@uhura.cc.rochester.edu)
Tue, 16 Dec 1997 00:32:18 -0500 (EST)
Thanks to all those who helped explain the story on this one. (at least,
some of the possible intepretations of it, that is. Is there ever a
"Definite Story" anyway?) Brendan's post, particularly, really struck
home. Perhaps one of the reasons that I had such a hard time dealing with
"Pretty Mouth..." was precisely because the guy on the phone had gone SO
FAR over the edge, that the rational part of my mind couldn't even
acknowledge such madness. ("He can't be that crazy. I must have read the
whole thing wrong....") Thank you for your words of wisdom.
-Rebecca
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 22:35:31 -0700
> From: Brendan McKennedy <the.tourist@mailexcite.com>
> To: bananafish@lists.nyu.edu
> Subject: Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes
> Message-ID: <PMCAEDLDBOBLAAAA@mailexcite.com>
>
> I agree with a few people that "Pretty Mouth" is primarily about the man in bed,
> and his use of people and his questionable moral role in their lives, but I have
> to disagree that the guy on the phone was simply trying to save face.
>
> A lot of Salinger's stories--
> "Uncle Wiggly" and "Franny",
> as well, of course, as "Catcher"--
> end with nervous breakdowns, due to
> the duplicities of upper class life,
> as well as spiritual/moral crisis in
> a world that ignores the
> responsibilities of the spirit.
>
> I get a very bad feeling from the man
> on the phone at the end. I don't
> think he really knows that he's lying
> to the man in bed. I think he's finally
> been pushed over an Edge, over
> Holden's cliff, maybe--or more
> accurately, Mr. Antolini's cliff--
> and now he's sort of reeling in this new sense of nothingness. He's finally let
> go of reality.
>
> I get the feeling that the guy on
> the phone is either about to sink into complete delusion, or kill himself.
>
> It's about the madness that is
> the product of the American priveleged.
> Think of "Gatsby": the guy who worked
> in the gas station, who, suspecting his wife's infidelity, begins to worship the
>
> eyeglasses billboard behind his house.
>
> It's possible to just read Salinger and
> enjoy it--in fact, I highly recommend
> it, as "Pretty Mouth" shares status
> with "Eskimos" as some of the most brilliant, entertaining dialogue ever written--
>
> but once you penetrate that skin of
> enjoyment and dip your feet into the
> characterization, no one is simple
> enough that they just lie to save face.
>
> That's what I think, anyway.
> Brendan
>
>
>
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>
> End of BANANAFISH Digest 184
> ****************************
>