Re: I luv Holden
Matt Kozusko (mkozusko@parallel.park.uga.edu)
Wed, 01 Jul 1998 18:12:54 -0400
Cheryl Cline wrote:
> he disappearing seems to betray a mental disturbance. Also, admitting
> that the stories are "about people getting better" mentally suggests
> that there is a mental problem that they are recovering from.
Not necessarily getting better "mentally"--just getting better. Having
a bad time and then beginning to have a good time again.
>
> I don't mean that Holden's some kind of raving lunatic-I just want to
> hear others' opinions on whether Holden is really mentally clear
> throughout the novel or if he does in fact have schizophrenia or some
> other problem. I was told that Holden's fear of disappearing is a
> symptom of schizophrenia-I heard an example of a man imagining himself
> to be an orange, who then fears being peeled, eaten and gone. Of
> course, Holden doesn't have such extravagant delusions, so I could be
> wrong.
How do we know? What's the scope of Holden's delusions, if he has
any? How can we be certain (even though as readers we are, after all,
certain) that Allie isn't an invention of Holden's? There is really no
way of securing the veracity of a fictional character's fictional
narrative.
--
Matt Kozusko mkozusko@parallel.park.uga.edu