Re: 9 stories-eskimos

T.A. Muller (tamuller91@hotmail.com)
Thu, 29 Oct 1998 11:43:51 -0800 (PST) 

>The Easter chick is fragile and dead.  Does this mean that Franklin is
>fragile and dead in some way?  

If I may be so bold as to address this:

No, Franklin is not "fragile and dead."  I think you're being too 
literal in comparing the two.  They are just both tragic figures to 
Ginnie, that's all.  IMNTBHI (in my never-to-be-humble interpretation 
:), anyway.

>And how does Eric fit into this picture.
>Why is he even in here.  I am so confused!!! What's going on here?  If
>Eric is gay what does that have to do with Ginnie having a change of
>heart?  

Perhaps Eric is a tool.  He's there to illustrate how extreme Franklin's 
situation is (prevented from participating as the other young men around 
him are in the war, and being forced into associating with people -- gay 
men -- perceived at that time as being at the very least bizarre) and to 
ellicit sympathy not only from Ginnie but from the reader as well 
(although personally I think Salinger's description of him is one of the 
most brilliant ever written; it didn't ellicit sympathy from me but 
rather fascination).  Franklin's appearance sets the tone for the 
tragedy, Eric's moves it rapidly along, solidifies it.  Remember when 
the story was written:  gays were definitely looked upon as deviants, 
very much on the fringe of society, usually greatly feared, and hated.  
If Ginnie figures out, or even suspects that he's gay (which I assume 
she does because it accounts for much of her sudden turnabout), that 
throws her into some extreme sympathy for Selena and her family.

Does anybody think Eric is *not* gay, BTW?  I thought the phrase 
"...gave no really final information." and the whole thing with the 
radish guy pretty much confirmed it.  And if anyone ever nailed that 
stereotyped way of "gay talking" in text, Salinger did.  [Really -- I 
must add in here that I am desperately trying not to offend anyone with 
this discussion and hope that I have not.  My sincerest apologies if I 
have!].

>Why does what she talks about with Franklin or Eric change her
>mind about Selena?  I'm losing it here!

No, you're not losing it.  :)  How could Ginnie display her sympathy to 
Franklin?  She doesn't even know him.  After their exchange, and her 
encounter with Eric, I'm not sure she wants to.  Her connnection to the 
family, and to the entire situation she has just became privvy to, is 
through Selena.  Their relationship is the only real conduit for her 
pity/sympathy/guilt.  Maybe her impression of Ginnie's family and 
situation has gone one of from people who sit down to dinner with cans 
of tennis balls on the table to one of real people who are struggling 
with issues, and they, and Selena, become more real and human to Ginnie, 
who, as we learn in the final line of the story, is particularly 
sensitive to things like that.

>> > > Is eric in anyway like an Easter chick?

I may be an Easter chick.  Or an orange peel.  

:)



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