Subject: Re: Uncle Wiggily
From: Jim Rovira (jrovira@drew.edu)
Date: Thu May 02 2002 - 22:49:16 GMT
interesting post, esp. since it's actually about Salinger. One thing to
consider that I never had, until now, is the possibility that Eloise may
have just winded up hating Walt the way she hates her current husband --
Walt's death may have saved him from marriage to someone like Eloise,
someone incapable of happiness. Realistically, there's no guarantee of
happiness with anyone, and we tend to idealize loved ones who have died. I
agree, though, it's hard to tell just exactly what Eloise is on the verge
of, although you do get a sense she's on the verge of something. I can see
parallels with Franny and with Holden in that she clearly perceives the
emptiness of her world, but doubt that she has the ability to vocalize an
escape from that emptiness, or even conceive of it. I think that's what her
tears at the end signify...
Jim
"LR Pearson, Arts 99" wrote:
> Dearest Bananafish,
>
> I've been thinking lately about the theme of redemption in Salinger,
> with a view to maybe writing a short essay on it this semester. It's
> something which got into my head when I did the interview for the
> 'Holden Caulfield, OAP' programme and I was asked what Holden would be
> like if he was a real person and had really grown up. Or if I gave any
> credence to the view that he would commit suicide at the end of the
> book? It seems to me that Holden would be pretty normal, really. I feel
> that 'Catcher' is a first go at what he reworks in 'F&Z', about the
> need to see the world for what it is and then accept it. The rejection
> of 'phonies' that both Holden and Franny go through is necessary, but
> so is the ultimate acceptance of what humanity is really like. 'Everyone
> is the Fat Lady' 'You end up missing everyone'. It's a paradigm which
> has obvious roots in Christianity (the Fat Lady being JC) but also in
> Eastern religions and Buddhist practices such as Metta Bhavana ( a sort
> of universal love and acceptance focus for meditation). So far, so
> obvious. But i've been trying to think about where some of the other
> storuies fit into this idea. One of my favourite stories is 'Uncle
> Wiggily in Connecticut'; I think it is one of the most powerful and
> moving of the Nine Stories, but I find it extremely difficult to
> interpret. I have been thinking about it in the light of this theme of
> redemption and have a few ideas/questions that i'd like to throw into
> the bowl(I've suddenly had an attack of amnesia and
> have a horrible feeling that I'm going to get the names mixed up, so if
> what I say seems mad, try swopping them!):
>
> For me, this story is one of the most perfect, perfect pictures of life
> trapped in suburban hell. Eloise has married this phony man who she
> hates, she can't find any redeeming features about her life, she even
> hates her kid. (I don't believe, by the way, that Ramona is Walt's
> child). The total shallowness of mary Jane is a symbol of how empty
> Eloise's life is. But, at the end, what has happened? When Eloise makes
> Ramona lie in the middle of the bed and stop pretending her imaginary
> friend is with her, then bursts into tears, are the tears a sign that
> ahe is regaining some hope, or are they totally despairing? I feel that
> there is a very deep sense of despair at the end of the story, when she
> pleads with Mary Jane 'I was a nice girl, wasn't I?', but I wonder if
> this total despair is cathartic in some way. I remember the first time
> i read it, feeling totally exhilarated, but there's nothing specific in
> the story that I can put my finger on which allows this reading. It's
> as though, having told Mary jane about Walt (and therefore ended up
> missing him) she catches a glimpse of what was so nice about Walt. The
> way she describes him putting his hand on her stomach and saying that
> he should have his other hand out of the window to even up the score is
> so young-man-hyperbole and yet so unphony. i like to think that the the
> explosive grief of the story heralds Eloise's desire to return to some
> state of being more like that, but it's quite a vague and personal
> idea. I'd like to hear other people's take on the story.
>
> Sorry my little discussion was a bit rambling, haven't really got time
> to write the kind of nice considered posts I would like to make.
> Hopefully this should make sense, though, and provoke a bit of debate.
> If anyone has anything else to say about the general idea of redemption
> and healing in the stories, I'd be interested to hear it.
>
> Oh, and Jessica? My favourite Salinger quote has to be the one on
> Mary-Jane 'a girl with little or no wherewithal for being left alone in
> a room'.
>
> Love, Lucy-Ruth x x x
>
> PS If anyone has a recording of the Holden Caulfield radio programme,
> I'd really like a copy. The BBC were supposed to send me one, but never
> did. Unless someone in Britain has got a copy, it would be difficult
> for me to pay the postage, etc (exchange rates would make it pointless)
> but I could always pay in kind, ie by sending a book or something over?
>
> Thanks, L-R.
>
> --------------------
> LR Pearson, Arts 99
> lp9616@bristol.ac.uk
>
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