Subject: RE: Reverence v. Subversion?
From: Sean Draine (seandr@microsoft.com)
Date: Wed Jun 13 2001 - 12:55:45 GMT
Great post, Cecilia - you've inspired me to read Zooey again. I love
this story, too, and it kills me to see it dismissed.
-----Original Message-----
From: Cecilia Baader [mailto:ceciliabaader@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2001 9:27 AM
To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
Subject: Reverence v. Subversion?
--- Sean Draine <seandr@microsoft.com> wrote:
> Interesting. I've always thought there was something subversive about
> Zooey's relationship to Buddy and Seymour, especially his
> impersonation of Buddy on the phone. What you describe sounds more
> like reverence.
I've always thought of it like this: Zooey's been abandoned, by first
Seymour and then Buddy. So he lashes out, angry that they turned him
into a freak when they educated the hell out of him. He can't talk to
anybody because they make him bored or angry, etc. So yes, there is
that facet to the relationship.
But I think that there's something more. The story opens with Zooey in
the bathroom reading an already much-read letter from Buddy, no? It
sort of gives you the idea that Zooey's had much to deal with in the
years since he's received it, and he refers to it every time he's in
need of help. So he reads Buddy's letter, and Buddy's letter dispenses
all sorts of advice that doesn't help. He goes back out to talk to
Franny and is unsuccessful. Again.
So he goes to a higher source. He wanders into Buddy's and Seymour's
room and reads the things that they found important enough to put up on
the quotation board and wanders over to the telephone.
The telephone is the one aspect of this story that slays me. Buddy
cannot bear to disconnect it because he needs the comfort of opening the
phonebook every year and seeing the S. Glass listing there. It's a
powerful thing, that telephone, and Zooey is calling upon the strength
of both brothers when he picks it up. It's subversive in that he's
assuming Buddy's persona to do the talking and Seymour's words to do the
convincing, but hasn't Zooey already told us that he is a product of
them?
Don't forget that this is Buddy "writing" the story, too. Buddy
assuming the shape of Zooey who assumes the voice of Buddy who spouts
the words of Seymour. It's fantastic, that's what it is.
And isn't the beauty of this that he finally drops the intrigue and
pulls this out all by himself? Zooey doesn't need anyone but Zooey.
He's the healthiest of them all.
Cripes. I love this story. Every time I read it, I love it more.
Regards,
Cecilia.
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