Subject: Re: Honeymoon?
From: citycabn (citycabn@gateway.net)
Date: Wed Oct 11 2000 - 13:40:49 GMT
>Otto Sell wrote:
>>She says in the phonecall that they could not get the same room as
*before*
>>the war. Sounds more to me as if Muriel's mother knows the place, as if
>>Muriel's family has been holidaying here before the war.
And Cecilia wrote:
>Hmmmm. Yes, I can see that. I think that might also explain Muriel's
>comments about what they're wearing this year, &c., too. One of the things
>that I've always admired about this story is how realistic the dialogue
is--
>as if Muriel and her mother were picking up in the middle of a thousand old
>conversations. They're using sort of a mother-daughter shorthand. If her
>mother was familiar with the place, it would explain many of those sorts of
>comments, make them more into simple updates than catty commentaries.
>
>I've always been a bigger fan of Muriel than the rest of the planet,
though.
I have to say that the room *before* the war refers to Seymour's and
Muriel's. Another clue that this Seymour and this Muriel go back a ways in
time is indicated later when Mrs. F. says "When I think of how you waited
for that boy *all* through the war--I mean when you think of all those crazy
little wives who--". To me, this vacation of this Seymour and this Muriel,
who were married *before the war* (the Glass Saga Seymour marries *during*
the war, and has only met Muriel *the previous winter*) reinforces my
belief that Salinger had no inkling of the Glass Saga Seymour at the time of
APDFB. I would say that Salinger isn't even playing this Seymour in a
sympathetic light contrasted against this Muriel. Actually, Scottie, your
description of the Bananafish Seymour doesn't really seem that off base.
However, I am holding my breath regarding your answer to my other post.
>I've lent out my copy of Raise High...& Seymour... (Okay, that's enough
>snickering from the peanut gallery.) I've got this foggy memory of the
phone
>call at the end, when Buddy hears that they've eloped, that Muriel and
>Seymour go off together on a honeymoon. True? Am I just making that up?
I
>can't remember.
"She and the groom've eloped." [...] "Apparently he was *at* the apartment
when they got back. So Muriel just ups and packs her bag, and off the two
of them go, just like that." [...] "Anyway, we're all invited to the
reception. Or whatever you call it when the bride and groom have already
*left*."
--Bruce
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