Re: names, Seymour
Emily Moore (evmoore@hotmail.com)
Sat, 17 Jan 1998 17:04:41 -0800 (PST)
It's funny to talk about Seymour becoming more accessible after his
death, since I've always seen it as the other way around--him being put
up on a pedestal, a role model/hero/martyr, idealized by his family, who
can't get around his memory/image which seems very much larger than
life. He's a bit like a saint. And as far as the names (especially of
the Glass family) what about Boo Boo? She is forever the little girl,
even as an adult and mother. You can't take anyone seriously if they're
named Boo Boo. Buddy? Why doesn't he go by his given name? He's sort of
an every-man figure, like there are people who call every female "lady"
and every male "buddy." And there's Zooey, who has a feminine nickname
though a regular masculine given name. Which of the twins was the monk?
Waker, I believe? (ie awakening?) Interesting that the children (or at
least Zooey, do any others? I don't remember) call their parents by
their first names but are still known by their childhood nicknames. Does
any Salinger character ever call their parents "mommy" or "daddy"?
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com