Re: Nuns

Fluxis (Fluxis@aol.com)
Mon, 22 Dec 1997 03:49:04 -0500 (EST) 

There were several questions being posed there, so I'll answer in the form of
a lumped comment. 

As far as De Daumier (sp?) and Holden's "attraction" to nuns, I think they
operate on very different levels.

Smiths, which I'll call him since its easier to spell, was operating more on
the lines that Holden was in the case of the nuns than Holden was. I mean to
say, Smith was trucking through these pictures done by people who had no
understanding of life and art besides the desire to be artists. Most of them
were pretentious to say the least; Bambi Kramers (yes, I had to look that up)
painting of the boys fishing in the lake witha  no-fishing sign with "Forgive
them their tresspasses?" Then Howard Ridgefield, the "Society photographer,"
whose pictures reflected a young girl with cartoon sized breasts being
sexually assaulted by a preist. I think after all these, the nun caught his
attention not because she was a nun but simply because she wasn't
pretentious...she actually wanted to learn while everyone else who submitted
anything wanted to be told they were brilliant. I think for Smith it was also
a matter of Holdens attraction to keeping kings in the back row because they
looked nice. The nuns resume was full of that, including one that he felt
important enough to quote directly; "Collecting leaves but only when they are
lying right on the ground." 
I think for Smith it wasn't so much that she was a nun but rather that she had
left all her paintings unsigned, or something along those lines. 

As far as Holden, (God, am I long winded) I believe it was just a matter of
desperation in him to find someone who wasn't a phoney. I think it was a
matter of his being alone on a train and seemingly in his state of mind, and,
forgive me here for any over simplification, I think his thought process was
more or less, "I've never talked to a NUN before, and they must have it, they
must see it..." I don't think he was dissapointed, really. I think maybe he
just wished they weren't nuns so that he could hold hands with them. Not to
mention I think he was a little leary of the nuns out of fear that they might
turn out to be phoneys like everyone else he met. 

Eh?

-ecas