Re: ZOOEYCAM
Pierrot65@aol.com
Mon, 22 Feb 1999 23:17:31 -0500 (EST)
Camille wrote of Catcher "... or rather that it ends and seems to begin
again." I would agree if you mean that it is cyclical, that he has come full-
circle: like the snake eating its own tail, the symbol of the "wheel of time,"
or whatever, that he is standing still, forged no progress (ie.
change/growth/decay, if you'll allow me to harp). Holden is sitting on the
couch telling the head-shrinker his story and he says "don't ever tell anybody
anything." (Surely, one of the top-five wise-ass brainiac-kid-with-an-
attitude-problem utterances ever...uh, utteranced). Here's Holden at the end
of 214 pages giving advice that he has failed to follow himself, dramatically
failed to follow, as evidenced by that red-covered book in our hands. It is
the final of countless examples in the book of Holden's unreliability as a
narrator, or "witness" to the world (for isn't he, really, a kind of prophet
for us? huh fishes? Isn't he Jesus, the original "fisher", crucified by his
own dissatisfaction, or is that being too strong about it?) Here at the very
end is Holden at the end of his truant adventure, and also the photo negative
of Holden at the end of his truant adventure (which would be Holden at the
beginning of his adventure with all the colors and directions bass-ackwards,
or something). What I mean is that Holden tells us "don't ever tell anybody
anything," or "don't confess," at the very point when he has finished spilling
the proverbial beans to the quack. He also has consistently done those things
he accuses others of doing, aspects of behavior which denote "phoniness"
(maybe the most poorly used, misquoted catch-alls in the history of lazy dorm-
room lit-crit). Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is that the story, and
Holden's adolescence, is on a reel, a loop, that keeps on playing, over and
over...like a broken record. Which brings me to Phoebe ... :)
rick