With Love and Squalor
blah b b blah (jrovira@juno.com)
Fri, 19 Feb 1999 19:28:38 -0500 (EST)
It's a DANGEROUS thing to try to Explain to an English Prof a story
he/she didn't "get," but I guess I can tell you what I "got" out of it...
:)
It's the With Love and Squalor thing. You need to contrast the
inconsiderate boorishness of the man visiting Sgt. X, and the violent
aftereffects of War upon Sgt. X, with Esme's charm, consideration, and,
above all else, love. She saved him by sending him that watch. It was
nothing more than saying, "you mean something to me," when everyone else
-- the whole world, in fact -- was saying, "your feelings and life are
meaningless."
Esme was an oasis of love and civility in the middle of a WW II
battlefield.
Jim
On Thu, 18 Feb 1999 08:44:57 -0600 MEPIERCE <mepierce@sfasu.edu> writes:
>>
>> <<last thing: i am of the opinion that "for esme" is salinger's most
>> accomplished and beautiful work of art. any thoughts?
>>
>> rick >>
>
>I wish I could see the "beauty" of Esme. I feel like such a fool or a
>traitor to Salinger for not liking this famous story. Frankly, oh
>dear,
>I really hate to say this--but we are all being oh-so-honest
>today--Esme
>irritates me. I just didn't "get it."
>
>I love Franny, and Bananafish, and Uncle Wiggly, and most especially
>Teddy. . .but not Esme. Perhaps a second reading would help. . .
>>
>>
>--
>M.E. Pierce
>Dept. of English, SFASU
>http://TITAN.SFASU.EDU/~f_pierceme/
>"I loaf and invite my soul. . ." Uncle Walt
>
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