Subject: Re: Everybody is a Nun
From: John Page (JHPAGE@worldnet.att.net)
Date: Sun Jan 30 2000 - 20:27:10 EST
Thanks for that post, Catherine. -Jared
>That was an amazing post. It agrees with a lot of my ideas on things, but I
>saw a few other things in it. First of all, the wall between the girl in
the
>shop and DDS is a glass wall. There is perhaps some relation to the Glass
>family, but even more a glass wall seems clear. He thinks he can see
through
>the wall, and understand her, but he can't, because there is still a wall
>even though it seems invisible. He simply cannot know her from those
seconds
>of contact. It seems to say that in order to break her fall, and help her
he
>would have to go inside the shop, behind that wall, but he can't. It seems
>JDS is saying that we can't really know anyone, or love anyone until there
>exists no boundary, no matter how invisible it may seem. I guess that's
what
>love is. Coming out from behind your walls of safety and meeting at the
>corner. Which is dangerous-- when you put too much of yourself out to
>someone else, and let your guard (wall) down you can get hurt. But it's the
>only way to really love anyone completely. And not loving can hurt worse
>than getting hurt from allowing yourself to love someone. Maybe that's why
>the girl in the shop falls, because there is a barrior between her and
>everyone else that prevents her from loving. I think there are walls like
>these throughout Salinger, but I promised myself I would go do all the
stuff
>I need to do and not start getting books out, so I'll just leave one little
>thing. In the bathroom scene with Zooey and Bessie there was something
>wonderful about the way they are sharing this space. Although Zooey says he
>wants her out, when she does leave he almost wants her back. The walls of
>the bathroom are the most private, and that they are able to share it
really
>shows something beautiful about their communication. Although there is
still
>a shower curtain in between...
>
>Catherine
>
>>Maybe
>>that line "Everyone is a nun" simply means that everyone gets close to god
>>(or God) more than they realize, but that, like nuns, we need to realize
>>that we can't know god completely, as some people might try to, and see
>>that
>>we are all students, who can never understand everything, not teachers. I
>>am
>>being forced off this computer, but hopefully will get a chance to
continue
>>this later.
>>Catherine------------------------------------------
>>
>>I originaly thought this "Everybody is a nun" was the same type of
>>statement
>>we find in F&Z and Teddy about everyone being god or holy. I am thinking
>>now
>>that JDS was saying that everyone is in a cloister or behind a wall. When
>>the shop girl starts to fall DDS reaches out to stop her fall and his
>>fingers hit the glass.
>> he also realizes that she doesn't share his mind, thats why she is
>>startled
>>by his presence, she has a mind and life seperate from his and doesn't
>>really know why he should be standing there looking at her. He realizes
the
>>same thing about the nun. She knows nothing of his ideas and dreams about
>>her, she is living her own life unaware of him. In part this is a
>>deliverance from a creeping solipism for DDS.
>> The wall theme is present in "For Esme". What does one wall say to the
>>other? Meetcha at the corner. without this meeting at the corner we are
>>either isolated behind our own wall or just solipisticaly assume that
>>anothers experience is the same behind their wall as our own. DDS's
>>experience is, I think, a direct seeing of the reality of other selves.
>> After re-readind this a few times, DDSBP has moved up in my opinion
>>somewhere not too far below "For Esme" my all time favorite.
>> Charles's meetcha at the corner is more than a riddle, it's essential
>>for real honest communication of the life and soul saving variety.
>>
>> HELLO HELLO HELLO HELLO
>>HELLO
>>
>> HELLO HELLO HELLO HELLO
>>HELLO
>>
>>
>>
>>Paul M
>
>
>
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