In Uncle Wiggily, I think we can safely view Connecticut as the "phony world"—full of fake, materialistic individuals who are concerned about superficialities. In the very beginning, we start to get hints that Eloise is an middle-upper class— if not upper class—woman. She has a camel-hair coat. Her bookcases are "heavily stocked." And of course, she has a maid named Grace. From these details alone, the reader starts to get the impression that Salinger might not be fond of such a lifestyle. In addition, take A Perfect Day for Bananafish as an example. Muriel is portrayed rather negatively as an high class woman who's too naive and preoccupied with fashion to see that something might be wrong with Seymour.
Eloise herself also seems to be rather phony. For one, she didn't marry Lew out of love. When asked about their marriage, Eloise just shrugs and says that Lew liked Jane Austen (which turns out to be a lie). But there are also hints she married Lew for financial security and comfort.
Lew is pretty phony. He lies about his favorite authors and seems to be a stereotypical working husband with a high salary.
Mary Jane, in my opinion, seems to be the most phony. The dramatic way she talks and cackles with laughter seems to be performed, rather than genuine. Salinger seems to suggest that Mary Jane is younger and lacks experience compared to Eloise, as we discussed in class. In my opinion, it just makes her seem immature.
Especially in comparison to Ramona, who in contrast appears to be wise beyond her own years. Ramona doesn't react to Mary Jane's childish conversation and seems to speak very matter-of-factly. When Jimmy "dies," Ramona is able to move on very quickly and conjure Mickey.
Ramona, along with Walt, both seem to represent the youth and innocence that stands in stark contrast to the phoniness of Connecticut and the other characters. In fact, the title itself, Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut, seems to be an oxymoron.
Eloise herself also seems to be rather phony. For one, she didn't marry Lew out of love. When asked about their marriage, Eloise just shrugs and says that Lew liked Jane Austen (which turns out to be a lie). But there are also hints she married Lew for financial security and comfort.
Lew is pretty phony. He lies about his favorite authors and seems to be a stereotypical working husband with a high salary.
Mary Jane, in my opinion, seems to be the most phony. The dramatic way she talks and cackles with laughter seems to be performed, rather than genuine. Salinger seems to suggest that Mary Jane is younger and lacks experience compared to Eloise, as we discussed in class. In my opinion, it just makes her seem immature.
Especially in comparison to Ramona, who in contrast appears to be wise beyond her own years. Ramona doesn't react to Mary Jane's childish conversation and seems to speak very matter-of-factly. When Jimmy "dies," Ramona is able to move on very quickly and conjure Mickey.
Ramona, along with Walt, both seem to represent the youth and innocence that stands in stark contrast to the phoniness of Connecticut and the other characters. In fact, the title itself, Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut, seems to be an oxymoron.
A lot of the adult characters in Salinger's stories are living out Holden's worst nightmare: the monotony and "sameness" of adulthood. In his stories we see this recurring figure of the superficial grown-up woman: Muriel, Eloise, Mary Jane. And though they're all different, they represent what Holden hates so much about being an adult. I also saw Seymour as a kind of "extension" of the Holden mindset, preferring to spend time with children rather than adults.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I haven't read Catcher in the Rye, I still see what you're referencing with the adult world being fake and the world of children and youth as something more genuine and valuable.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that the theme of childhood innocence vs. the phony adult world is quite common in Salinger's stories. He portrays Eloise, who is obviously upper-class, as a selfish woman who doesn't have time for her own daughter and is stuck in the past. Ramona, on the other hand, seems to be happy even though she doesn't have all the materialistic possessions her mother does.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I see Mary Jane as a "phony" for her "roars" of laughter every time Eloise says something extreme. She seems to genuinely find Eloise funny, and a little bit shocking--what she likes about her might be the sense that she'll say anything, not hold back, even if it's rude or mean. (Don't we sometimes enjoy the company of people like this?) It's not clear whether Eloise sees Mary Jane as phony or not; it's true that she sees her as a bit *naive*, with her "talk to him about it" advice. But this reflects Eloise's own cynicism as much as anything else (another trait we might recognize from Holden Caulfield).
ReplyDeleteIf Mary Jane was being phony, I don't see it as immaturity so much as kindness. I as a kid loved friendly, vibrant adults, and Mary Jane was just trying to engage with Ramona. I don't know if I call Ramona wise, either. She just seems like a quiet kid that abandons their games/imaginary friends quickly. Real death hurts, and Ramona's complete lack of mourning suggests she has no real concept of death as far as people she cares about.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Salinger definitely seems to have a grudge against "phony" people and tries to expose them in his writing. In addition to the phony parallel, most of the short stories we've read have relied heavily on the interaction between an adult and a child, painting the child as sort of a relief and true being in the wake of a world full of problems. I got a ton of Catcher in the Rye vibes throughout this whole story set. Good post!
ReplyDeleteI never had the opportunity to read Catcher in the Rye but after reading Salinger's stories in class I think I would find the book very interesting. I love the fact that Salinger hates on phony materialistic people and attempts to depict them as negatively as possible. But that is probably just my own personal bias. I do however love the contrast between materialism and innocence. Great Post!
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