A new (or possibly old) thought...

Kidneyboy@aol.com
Sun, 05 Jul 1998 14:10:15 -0400 (EDT) 

       I've been on this list for quite sometime really and I've been both
amazed and disgusted at what can be found in the works of J.D. Salinger.  By
this I mean that although Buddhism and Taoist musing may be very prevalant in
Salinger's stories, this "deeper meaning" may lead to certain prententious
understandings of his works. I think this completey misinterprets, in a way,
the real idea behind J.D. Salinger.  
      J.D. Salinger always left his stories very open ended and up for
interpretation.  The different meanings and connections a person can make with
a single story are endless. That's what I think the beauty of the stories are,
the many ways they can be. The questions left over by his works that can
ponder in the heads of the reader for days, if not a lifetime.  When we as
critical readers, start to breakdown and deconstruct Salinger's work we can
find hidden messages not visible to the naive reader.  Does this mean that
these underlying, obscure messages are what the purpose of  Salinger's works
are supposed to convey, and they are only supposed to be understood by the
highly intellectual?  I disagree with this idea because I believe that
interpretation is the point, not one interpretation but the many as a whole.  
            We've spent much of our time on the is list discussing these
"deeper meanings" of Salinger's works which, although quite fascinating, can
make us lose touch with what really makes Salinger's works special.
Personally, I am far more fascinated with the teenage perspective of
Salinger's works, especially The Catcher in the Rye.  When a teenage boy, for
expample, reads this novel he may not realize the Taoist calling in the book
but instead just simply relates with Holden's both acute sense of the world
around him, and the disillionment that has become of it.  I think the way the
"naive reader" relates to Salinger's works is extremely interesting.  I think
Salinger himself would agree with me and that's why he chose to right the
Catcher in the Rye throught the eyes of a teenage madman philosopher. 
          But then again, maybe I'm wrong ( I realize I've probably
contadicted many statements a million times over but I hope you get the
point). Punk rock.
                                                                              
Matt