Re: holden caulfield vs therapist
m.e. pierce (mepierce@sfasu.edu)
Fri, 11 Jun 1999 12:22:31 -0700
James J Rovira wrote:
> RE: Graham...
>
> But Holden speaking to "me"? Or to "his readers"? I don't think so. I
> think Holden cares about Holden, for the most part, and I don't think he
> cares at all about his readers as readers.
> He's telling his story to serve his own purposes, not ours.
Right! But I still contend that his speaking to us. From the beginning,
Holden makes clear the assumption that someone wants to listen--or perhaps he
is hoping someone will want to listen: "The first thing, you'll probably
want to know. . ." What would make Holden think anyone wants to know?
Because he is so into himself, as you say, he thinks we all want to know.
He doesn't tell his story because he cares for us. He tells the story
because he is desperate to tell someone. Remember how he begs ol' Luce to
just stay for one more drink so he will listen to his tale? He doesn't care
for Luce. He doesn't even like Luce. He doesn't have to like us. Salinger
doesn't particularly like his fans (he once asked his editor to burn all his
fan mail). But Salinger wants his material published so that obviosly we
will read it. He will talk to us. He must tell the tale--but care for us?
No. The same could be said of Holden.
We do agree that Holden has no intention of reaching out to us to establish
identification. That just happens--I guess because those of us who love the
book are NOT like Luce, for the most part. We do see ourselves in Holden,
and we will stay and have that drink. We won't be friends--not really.
Holden doesn't need that anyway. We will listen to him because we, like
him,we are so into ourselves that we will realize his angst is also our
angst. And he will speak to the end, as he does in the book and then walk
away. Probably never give us a buzz again.
>
>
> Jim
>
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M.E. Pierce
Dept. of English, SFASU
http://TITAN.SFASU.EDU/~f_pierceme/
"Are you a nobody too?" --The Belle of Amherst