Re: The Inverted Forest

>
>--- Aaron Sommers <adsommers@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > Seymour is a classic lunatic.
>
>then salinger sure wasted a lot of time creating the
>subsequent glass family stories if seymour is to be
>viewed as you say. why not simply leave it at
>'bananafish'?
>
>kim
>
>

Because Seymour exemplifies everything Salinger respects. He is a lunatic,
an "intricately calibrated" man with depth and torment. These stories are
like some kind of religious quest for him.
I am glad Salinger introduced him with a bang. It's so unorthodox it defies
explanation. Good thing we've had to wait so long for that war novel.
Also, remember Holden says he is "crazy" Ford is described as mad, and when
the Matron asked Buddy if the deaf-mute is crazy he says:
"I hope so". So Salinger may consider crazy as one indicator of a poet, one
who lives with beauty, forced to live in a world where, as Teddy says
"everyone thinks you're nuts".

jim says regarding details of Seymour's life that we find ourselves "sifting
through available material" this is well put! Also great point that Inverted
should have been considered for book format not 'that letter'.
We have to read only what Buddy provides, and the diary entries are only the
ones he chose to tell us about. He gives us images of him at 7, 14 and 21.
Just bookends.
I have never understood why Bessie would send the Hapworth letter to Buddy
in the first place. Maybe it has to do with the "very consequential party"
but Ive always though it to be her purging some of Seymour's demons. He
really sticks it to his parents in that letter.
SO much for championing indiscrimination...
Especially Les. Give the old man a break, he was likely right on target
telling S. that Buddy only misses Seymour and no one else in the family.
Even Zooey later says "[Buddy] does everything Seymour did"
There is no making sense of the suicide without the war novel awaiting our
readership and Salinger's demise. These are the years M waits for him, he is
in combat and also breaks down. Buddy can not be relied on for our
understanding of Seymour Glass, and SAI affirms this.

-ADS

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Received on Wed Mar 19 15:18:43 2003