Subject: Olive you, a bushel and a peck
From: Cecilia Baader (ceciliaann@hotmail.com)
Date: Tue Jul 18 2000 - 21:06:13 GMT
Hello again,
First of all, I'd like to thank Catherine, Robbie, Matt K. (welcome back),
and Josh the contributing newcomer for pointing me in the direction of the
Salingerian olives. And will, for his lovely compliment. Thank you so
much, will.
Olives. Let's reexamine the olives, now that we have more examples to
compare. Viola, as we've already discussed, in the story "I'm Crazy", gets
olives, only good olives, from Holden. She couldn't get them from the maid
who takes away her Donald Duck doll, and she's asking the elevator man to
come up and give them to her. Needy olives. Perfect olives.
In "A Perfect Day for Bananafish", Mrs. Carpenter sends Sybil on her way,
promising to bring her the olive from her martini. Sybil later asks
Seymour, in a series of Very Important Questions, if he likes olives and
wax, to which he replies that he "never goes anyplace without 'em." She
then informs him that she likes to chew on candles. Sybil's questions to
Seymour seem to have more bearing on her relationship to a mother who
carelessly bestows olives on her daughter and likely scolds when happening
upon chewed candles. Attention-getting olives?
But then, the olive changes again, for in "Inverted Forest" a more complex
meaning appears to be applied to the olive. Raymond Ford, who finds
something in Bunny that Corrinne cannot give to him. The olive may be our
first clue, or even our answer. She answers something for him, gives him
something that he needs, maybe. Holden shields Viola from this type of
olive, but Corrinne learns about it in all its sublime ugliness. A tawdry
olive, perhaps. But a necessary olive. A completing olive.
And then "Franny". Sweet Franny, looking for something from Lane which he
doesn't want to give. He shares the olive from his glass when asked, but
only with great annoyance. Franny takes it because she asked for it, but
doesn't enjoy it. A begrudging olive?
So though I was looking for evidence to confirm my ollav theory, a different
pattern begins to emerge. Olive. I love. Viola looking for love
everywhere, even from the doorman, and receiving the most pure love that
Holden can give. Sybil receiving careless love from her mother,
lack-of-attention love. Raymond Ford finding his happy completion, though
somewhat tawdry completion, in Bunny. And then Franny, receiving her
begrudging love from Lane. Accepted but not enjoyed. All of them are
actively looking for love, and it is the way in which they receive their
olive that is the best indicator of the relationship with the giver.
Makes sense, no?
Darn. I really liked the ollav idea. But this one rings more true to me.
Sigh.
Regards,
Cecilia.
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