Re: A Perfect Day...
Camille Scaysbrook (verona_beach@geocities.com)
Sun, 22 Nov 1998 14:43:54 +1100
I've been thinking a lot about the whole idea of childhood and sexuality in
Salinger lately ... something came from that idea I proposed that Holden is
both attracted and repulsed by Sally's childlike quality - which of course,
is a conundrum. I've always seen a fairly clear lineage from Sally Hayes to
Muriel (although you could argue that Muriel at least has some redeeming
qualities). Could it be that Seymour just went one more step off the edge
of that crazy cliff than Holden? That he *realised* that this is a
conundrum - that the only people he could love were child-adults, while
realising that these child-adults were deficient people? Is this the
realisation he had comparing Sybil and the elevator woman's feet?
Anyone got ideas on this?
J J R wrote:
> I think Matt's description of Muriel's wealth deserved more credit than I
> gave it--not filthy rich, but upper middle class, at least. And I think
> Muriel wasn't Totally vacant--she sure understood her mother, at least.
> But that just may be a mother/daughter thing going there.
>
> The elevator scene--I think he played with Sybil's feet, and by extension
> expected the woman on the elevator to pay attention to his feet--treating
> him as he treated the child. He tried to retort by using "adult"
> language, but he was being too sincere for the adult woman--that was only
> something he could pull off with Sybil.
Camille
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