Re: Re: Curious Reactions
Brendan McKennedy (the.tourist@mailexcite.com)
Tue, 30 Dec 1997 23:31:27 -0700
Somehow, his silent understanding and
>communication was at the heart of
love--maybe why muriel and semour got
>hitched can't be said with words?
Maybe why the small man quickly became
>buddy's
>best friend in a car and room full of
>vulgarians trying to understand what can
probably only be understood by
>the couple. (Even Seymours' journal doesn't
really explain things.) Love
>is simply too confusing to explain well and
with words,
I still think the old man's presence was some manifestation of Tao, Wu Way...But
I'm agreeing
with you.
Love isn't to be understood, let alone discussed--simply felt...right?
Then why were Seymour's professions of love
so moving, and important? Well...maybe
because he wasn't trying to understand...just
to feel. Sorry; I'm just thinking out
loud--er, thinking on-screen, as it were.
But my real question isn't about the old
man
so much as Buddy's change in attitude
toward him...
Buddy wasn't trying to understand love...
Buddy was simply trying to make it through an accidental day, defending his brother
from
lies and misunderstanding...
But upon reading Seymour's journal, he's sort
of thrust himself into the emotions that
are the substance of the sort of logistical Seymour that he's been protecting all
day...
Why did this seem to upset him...? To throw
him from the sort of innocence--no not
innocence...at least detachment...? I don't
know. His reaction just seemed curious to
me, and Salinger's use of his drunkenness
(which I discussed in my earlier post) suggests something sadder to me than simple
exhaustion.
Brendan
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