Subject: Re: Janet Malcolm article: NY Review of Books, June 21, 2001 issue
From: Suzanne Morine (suzannem@dimensional.com)
Date: Tue Jun 12 2001 - 22:03:20 GMT
At 01:43 PM 6/12/2001 -0700, Cecilia Baader wrote:
>First of all, thank you Tim for posting the link for the NYRB. The
>Janet Malcolm article was well worth the read.
Definitely worth the read.
>I guess that the thing that I'd most like to discuss is Zooey's "Just
>don't, that's all. Don't admire my goddam back" because I think that
>statement is just as much about Bessie as it is about Zooey.
>[..] It is only when he goes to the
>bedroom and surrounds himself with the wisdom of his dead brother, using
>the telephone and wisdom of that same brother, that he is able to get
>through to poor Franny.
>
>Yes? No?
I like it.
Thinking of that "Just don't" moment in the book and the other moments
Malcolm mentioned, I felt that she was saying that Bessie was risking
openness, kindness, letting her son know that something struck her about
him, touching him. Malcolm quotes late in the article that one of the
scariest things to do is kindness. Openness about an honest regard is
kindness in my book. In that light, the honest moments of appreciation are
surprising, unexpected. In the first split second they seem to be too much
to take in. "Stop it," say the receivers of the honest moment. That "Just
stop," reaction is a big part of the risk of kindess.
But like I said I like your interpretation, too. An irony for Bessie of
having only her unfavorite son with her and not only that but solving a
problem. Zooey's irony of only being able to touch/reach Franny via the
damn help of the poetic wise brothers' ghost, the last think he'd have wanted.
It's been a while since I've read the book. Hopefully I didn't remember it
all wrong.
Suzanne
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