Re: Bananafish the story


Subject: Re: Bananafish the story
From: Tim O'Connor (oconnort@nyu.edu)
Date: Wed Jul 25 2001 - 17:41:56 GMT


On Wed, Jul 25, 2001 at 02:55:33PM -0500, Chris Kubica @Home wrote:

> And what are we to think of this?
>
> Seymour likes the Wasteland?

I think Seymour sees and feels the waste land around himself at the
moment he interacts with Sybil. And that (this is my interpretation)
at this moment, he feels the chasm between himself and the waste land
in which he lives. Which may or may not be the motivating factor
behind what he subsequently does to himself.

> Seymour is literate?

Now I think you're being tongue-in-cheek, but sure, the way that this
literary allusion pops out tells us a lot about Seymour's state of
mind and the way he thinks. I mean, *Sybil* certainly isn't going to
get that throwaway line and say, "Oh, Seymour! I love when you quote
Eliot to me!"

> Seymour felt secure in the winter of his pre-war days and is "surprised" by
> the summer of his post-war days?

I definitely think he is aware of the difference between his state of
mind before the war and his mind after.

> Seymour is surprised by Sharon's name coming up so often the same way that
> the lead of the Wasteland is surprised by summer?

On this I sure can't hazard a guess.

And (with a nod to Paul), all of what I've said are guesses I've made,
speculations I've speculated, and I don't claim them to be absolute
truths for the most part, and at the same time I know I'm going out on
a limb where one of you might feel the need to hack it off. But as
Cecilia observed, sometimes one thrives on that kind of conflict....

--tim

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