Subject: This Sandwich is no Bananafish, but its close.
From: Matthew Jones (columnatedruinsdomino@hotmail.com)
Date: Tue Sep 04 2001 - 01:28:56 GMT
Well, I'm glad that somebody else shares my enthusiasm for the story. Like
the stories in 'Nine Stories', every word is absolutely perfect. Change one
word and the story would be damaged. It's a perfect construction. It's
comparable with anything in 'Nine Stories' except for 'bananafish' and
'esme', which are unsurpassable.
Unfortunately, JDS won't allow these early stories to be collected. It would
be a great shame if Salinger scholarship in future years forgets this
masterpiece. I think 'Sandwich' was published in an anthology years and
years ago - probably its only appearance.
MJ.
>From: Will Hochman <hochman@southernct.edu>
>Reply-To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
>To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
>Subject: Re: This mailing list has no mayonaise
>Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2001 13:45:46 +0800
>
>Aw Matthew, that's a great story to bring up! Where else are you
>gonna find lines about Holden from another narrator. Thanks to
>Vincent Caulfield, this story really makes seeing Holden an adventure
>since Vincent often sounds like Holden and since Holden seems to have
>more together for himself.
>
>Of course I couldn't help but hear a keen line about letters shout to
>me as I heeded Matthew's rereading prompt. "I don't care about the
>raincoat being swiped, but how about leaving my letters alone?" And
>then here's a killer of a descriptive line about Holden who "can't do
>anything but listen hectically to the maladjusted little apparatus he
>wears for a heart."
>
>In this story, we have Vincent Caulfield narrating and worrying about
>Holden who fought in Europe and then shipped out to the Pacific.
>Vincent is angry at the government saying Holen is missing in action
>and says"I never heard such crazy, liar's news." He rants about how
>the government is lying. Holden, in this story, went to "Pentey Prep"
>(It's still a place where "You send us the Boy, We'll mold the
>Man")but he seems to be more certain of who he is as a kid...in a
>flashback, Vincent is remembers Holden at the World's Fair and quotes
>Holden (with Italics) saying to Vincent and Phoebe: "Let's get out of
>this educational junk. Let's go on one of the rides or something. I
>can't stand this stuff..."
>
>In this wonderful Esquire story, Vincent is simulaneously trying to
>resolve a problem of who goes to "Miz Jackson's" for a social among
>his men while the real problem is dealing with the news that Holden
>is missing in action...the last two paragraphs dive right into
>Vincent's head where he's thinking "Where are you Holden? Never mind
>this Missing stuff. Stop playing around."
>
>For me, "This Sandwich Has No Mayonnaise" but it does have a great
>pre-catcher take on Holden with Vincent sounding like Holden about
>Holden! Salinger shows how adept he is with dialog in the story while
>beneath it his character's cauldron cooks up a pretty poignant brew
>of missing your brother in action. There's even an image/linkage of
>death that foreshadows Seymour wearing a robe on the beach in
>"APDFB." Perhaps better than many of the uncollected Salinger
>stories, this one really shows Salinger experimenting with elements
>of the Caulfield families and Glass families. Thanks Matthew, I had
>forgotten how rich a snack this story is. For anyone wanting to
>explore some fertile Salinger roots, dig it, will
>
>--
> Will Hochman
>
>Assistant Professor of English
>Southern Connecticut State University
>501 Crescent St, New Haven, CT 06515
>203 392 5024
>
>http://www.southernct.edu/~hochman/willz.html
>
>
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