Subject: Re: New ending for CITR
From: Suzanne Morine (suzannem@dimensional.com)
Date: Tue Nov 06 2001 - 23:43:37 GMT
At 03:40 PM 11/4/2001 -0500, Jim Rovira wrote:
> I think the take-off proceeds from a poor
>interpretation, I think (of course) that the criticisms he's getting are
>constructive. Suicide may have been a legitimate possibility for Holden,
>but I don't really see that as being set up very well in the earlier
>part (whole rest of) the novel. I think it may have been more
>appropriate for Holden to die of "exposure" (if he died at all), rather
>than die playing Russian roulette.
Holden does mention wanting to jump out the window but didn't want other
people to stand around and look at his gory dead body (p. 104). Also, I
imagine that he wouldn't want to leave Phoebe without him like he is
without Allie and he certainly wouldn't want her to witness him killing
himself. (I haven't read this alternate ending in quite some time, but I
think that's what he does in it.)
It's striking how often suicide comes up in the novel. It's arguable that
James Castle chose death over the beating he was getting: a jump out the
window. (page 170). A guy at a restaurant is telling his date (while
feeling her up) about a guy who swallowed a bottle of pills, nearly killing
himself (p. 86). Holden mentions Judas's suicide (p. 100).
Suzanne
Index to Catcher online at:
<http://www.geocities.com/exploring_citr/bookindex.htm>
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