> In a message dated 98-06-30 22:21:20 EDT, you write: > > << What confuses me is that both Holden and Franny seem to work out their > problems by the end of the book, while the real-life Salinger seems to > have simply retreated from it all. >> It's funny that you should view retiring from the world as not having worked out his problems. I'm not sure I agree with this point of view, especially in light of what the cult of Salinger had become by the time good ole' JD retired to the North Woods. And of course what it has become since. Does the name Mark David Chapman mean anything to you? > Just a suggestion, I know we don't know much about Salinger's personal life, > but I believe I have read he has been hospitalized for psychological reasons. > I tend to think that Seymour is Salinger's way of expressing himself (compare > the numerous symbols and possibilities from A Perfect Day for Bananafish). As > well as Seymour, I think Salinger expressed himself through Holden, and that > suggests to me, that the ending of TCitR, if you would consider it a > breakdown, was definitely psychological. But that's just my opinion, and I > would be even amazed if anyone were to agree. > If I remember my Hamilton correctly, wasn't our favorite author hospitalized at the end of his tour of duty in the army? I've been thinking a lot lately about what attrocities our GIs in WWII experienced. I mean, for as long as I have been aware ( I'm 27) the horrors of Vietnam have been put on display numerous times in the media. With WWII it seems like we have a much tidier picture of what went on, than the actuality. With the new Spielberg movie nearly getting a NC 17 rating for its depiction of the D day invasion along with a few other things that have recently come across my radar concerning this era, I'm starting to realize that this war was not all war bonds and USO shows. What I'm trying to say, I think, is that it would seem almost normal for our beloved JD to have been put in a looney bin after taking part in the European liberation forces. To have it otherwise would be a sign of a less sensative soul, surely not one capable of writing the works we've all come to know and love. Just my two cents on this matter. Robert Morris winboog@gis.net >