Re: paedophilia?
blah b b blah (jrovira@juno.com)
Sun, 28 Mar 1999 18:52:15 -0500 (EST)
That's an Interesting response to an Interesting post by Scottie...
I think if you look at Teddy and Esme, you'll see we're not just dealing
with an attitude toward children in general but toward a particular kind
of child. What Scottie described seemed to be a near perfect description
of Wordworth's attitudes toward young innocence, but less so with
Salinger...even though there is truth to it there too.
I think with Salinger we have a realisitic range of children presented.
Yeah, you have Teddy's sister. And you have the little girl Seymour
spoke to on the beach in Bananafish. She wasn't exactly an icon of
childlike kindness, innocence and sincerity. Very much a selfish little
brat that pokes small dogs, whom Seymour chose to instruct in the window
of opportunity he was given. :)
But then you have Teddy and Esme. And the Glass family children.
They're all rather exceptional, remarkably exceptional. Esme was only
chosen by Sgt. X because she stood out from the rest of the children in
the choir, not because she was a child herself. I think Scottie's
comments RE: the idealization of children in Salinger's literature apply
pretty well to this narrow range of children, not to all children in
general with Salinger.
Speaking directly about the pedophilia issues, I think it's more a sign
of a mind that can't understand attraction apart from sexuality...in
other words, a sign of a very small, limited mind indeed.
And to move from that pathetic thesis to making a statement about
Salinger, well...
I think Joyce Maynard didn't exist for Salinger beyond being a fictional
construct because the Joyce Salinger invented was a lot more interesting
:)
I've invented fictional characters based on real people, and I'm able to
keep the two (real and fictional) pretty separate. I have no idea what
the people I've so used would think, just what I think...
Jim
On Sun, 28 Mar 1999 10:46:07 -0300 "Diego M. Dell'Era"
<dellerad@sinectis.com.ar> writes:
> The emotional feebleness you describe is a fine idea,
>Scottie, but how does that account for the possible
>murder, however unintentional it may be, in "Teddy"?
>
> Children as icons, "simple, innocent, inarticulate
>figure who represents salvation in some magical way",
>are certainly a flaw if you center the story around them.
>But I believe Salinger tried to focus on the attitude an
>adult must adopt to perceive those children, even as
>icons.
>
>May the Force be with you.
> diego d.
>
>
>
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