Re: family

helena kim (helena@apollo.netsoc.tcd.ie)
Sat, 07 Nov 1998 18:20:52 +0000 (GMT)

On Fri, 6 Nov 1998 Maria_Brandt@vsl.com wrote:

> That question made me think about something. How do you, as people from the
> UK, North America, and Australia, regard the families in Salinger's
> stories?

my mother is american, and my father was irish and i grew up in suburban
ireland. one of the things that always struck me about the glasses is
that they are almost *exactly* like my family.

i have two older brothers who are a good decade older than me, i live in
a house that is very similar to the glasses apartment, full of memorabilia
and junk, you know the whole reference to the root beer stain on the
ceiling from 192x (i can't rememeber), and the over-filled bathroom, etc
etc. (and then of course there's me, the youngest girl. guess who i'm
romanticising myself as here?)

in fact, i've often read bessie quotes to my mum, and had her laughing
hysterically at just how much they sound like each other.

so to answer your question: i can't speak for the institution of the irish
family as a whole, but the glass family reminds me very much of my own.

                                         :helena kim

                     helena at netsoc dot tcd dot ie
           'the church is near, but the road is icy.
         the bar is far, but i will walk carefully.'
                                   - russian proverb