Taxi Driver and CITR
Graham Preston (ac109@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca)
Mon, 06 Dec 1999 19:38:27 -0600 (CST)
Bannanafish-ites,
Has anyone noticed the similarities between the classic Scorsese "Taxi
Driver" and our old man in Cornish's CITR? During my annual Christmastide
reading of CITR, I rented"Taxi Driver" and was loored by the similarities,
as well as the differences.
First of all, Travis' distaste for the "scum" of New York, parrallels
Holden's outright hatred of phonies.
TD's Betsy (played by Cybil (!) ) and Catcher's Sally Hayes are another
parralels. After Travis can not make another date he calls her like the
rest, Holden on the other hand has no illusions that Sally is anything but
a phony.
Both film and book are set against New York, and use the bustling
metropolis as a backdrop for the growing isolation of both characters.
Iris and Sport and Maurice and Sunny are both pimp/hooker combinations and
Holden and Travis both pay for their "services".
Holden wants to save kids from phonyness by standing in the field of rye,
but Travis saves Iris by using violence and bloodshed, in an act that the
"yellow" Holden probably wouldn't have the guts.
That's all I think.
P.S. I also finished reading Lord of the Flies and struck a parrallel with
CITR. Are the forces of Ralph vs. Jack just Nice vs. Phony?
Comments?
Graham
"Just because some of us can read and write and do a little math, that
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