Re: the lurkers
AntiUtopia@aol.com
Thu, 30 Dec 1999 12:09:15 -0500 (EST)
Josh, even with his narrative he's still a prep school loser :) And we don't
know that Holden is a good paradigm for EVERY weirdo, just the most
sensitive, intelligent and humane ones. Most weirdos became the way the are
by being Anything But sensitive, intelligent and humane. Trust me on this :)
Now, if you want me to Understand him, see beneath the surface, I'd tend to
ask...why? Why do I owe that to him? I choose to because I prefer
understanding people to not, but I don't feel any obligation to do so. I
have to give Holden credit, he does attempt to understand others and be
somewhat sensitive, and I'm tempted to say, "more than most," but then I'd be
falling into the narrative trap. That's what Holden wants me to think. It's
not necessarily true. Isn't it possible Holden judges phonies because he
hasn't looked closely enough?
But otherwise I think you've nailed the character pretty well--esp. regarding
the lying. However much it is relatively harmless, it still does distance
him from those around him. I tend to place Holden within the context of the
Glass family struggles -- frustrated idealist unable to cope with a world
that invalidates his ideals. You don't see too much of a proposed solution
in Catcher, but in Franny and Zooey and For Esme you do. Holden's
development is somewhat arrested...
Jim