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61
indirect way possible and always with the feeling that the rationality of
words can never wholly describe his message as one critic puts it
When the gesture aspires to pure religious expression, lan-
guage reaches into silence.
The attraction of the koan (and the Japanese haiku poem, another
of Salinger's fixations which is named after the great koan writer Ha-
kuin Ose) is its compactness, its emotional detachment yet quiet pas-
sion -qualities best characterized by the term "moksha". Moksha is a
state of impersonal compassion, an attempt to avoid worldliness and
replace it with an effortless and continuous love.
And this is the main aim of nearly all of Salinger's characters.
One book puts it as "a condition of being without losing our identity, at
one with the universe, and it requires... a certain harmony between our
imaginative and spiritual responsiveness to all things." This is an al-
most perfect description of the aims of Salinger as a writer and his
characters as people. They crave oneness and sense from the nonsense-
koan that is the world, but instead are hindered by the human egos of
themselves and those around them. This is the spiritual search Salinger
expresses in his writing.
Writer
One of the problems posed for a nonconformist artist is whether
he should be a sellout and please the public for easy money or pass it
up and work for his own sake (Salinger 57). This is the main issue in
"The Varioni Brothers", the story in which the misfit hero first ap-
peared. This was also a problem for Holden's older brother D.B., who
"used to be just a regular writer", but is now "out in Hollywood, D.B.,
being a prostitute" ("Catcher in the Rye").
Writing is the common method of communication for Salinger's
heroes. Joe Varioni is a writer, Raymond Ford is a poet, and Seymour
and Teddy keep diaries. Writing is a symbol of the artist's honesty and
creativity, while the spoken word is not trustworthy. In the case of Sey-
mour, his brother Buddy, as narrator of Raise High the Roof Beam,
Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction, attempts to resurrect his
62
dead brother through a thorough description of his life and philoso-
phies.
Salinger writes that we can't live without love.
In Salinger's writings, only children and adults influenced by
children are capable of loving; those who can't love are prostitutes and
phonies (Heiserman, Arthur and James E. Miller, Jr. "J.D. Salinger:
Some Crazy Cliff").
NINE STORIES
By J. D. Salinger.
Threads of Innocence
By EUDORA WELTY
J.D. Salinger's writing is original, first rate, serious and beautiful.
Here are nine of his stories, and one further reason that they are so in-
teresting, and so powerful seen all together, is that they are paradoxes.
From the outside, they are often very funny: inside, they are about
heartbreak, and convey it; they can do this because they are pure. The
whole nine have an enchanting ease about them, a deceptively loose-
appearing texture, a freshness and liveliness which might bid fair to
disarm the reader, as he begins, say, the remarkable "For Esme with
Love and Squalor." Nothing could be further from what Mr. Salinger is
about to do to him.
The stories concern children a good deal of the time, but they are
God's children. Mr. Salinger's work deals with innocence, and starts
with innocence: from there it can penetrate a full range of relationships,
follow the spirit's private adventure, inquire into grave problems
gravely – into life and death and human vulnerability and into the occa-
sional mystical experience where age does not, after a point, any longer
apply. Mr. Salinger's world urban, suburban, family, mostly of the
Eastern seaboard is never a clue to the way he will treat it: he seems to
write without preconception of shackling things.
He has the equipment of a born writer to begin with – his sensi-
tive eye, his incredibly good ear, and something I can think of no word
for but grace. There is not a trace of sentimentality about his work, al-
indirect way possible and always with the feeling that the rationality of dead brother through a thorough description of his life and philoso-
words can never wholly describe his message as one critic puts it phies.
Salinger writes that we can't live without love.
When the gesture aspires to pure religious expression, lan- In Salinger's writings, only children and adults influenced by
guage reaches into silence. children are capable of loving; those who can't love are prostitutes and
The attraction of the koan (and the Japanese haiku poem, another phonies (Heiserman, Arthur and James E. Miller, Jr. "J.D. Salinger:
of Salinger's fixations which is named after the great koan writer Ha- Some Crazy Cliff").
kuin Ose) is its compactness, its emotional detachment yet quiet pas-
sion -qualities best characterized by the term "moksha". Moksha is a NINE STORIES
state of impersonal compassion, an attempt to avoid worldliness and By J. D. Salinger.
replace it with an effortless and continuous love.
And this is the main aim of nearly all of Salinger's characters. Threads of Innocence
One book puts it as "a condition of being without losing our identity, at
one with the universe, and it requires... a certain harmony between our By EUDORA WELTY
imaginative and spiritual responsiveness to all things." This is an al- J.D. Salinger's writing is original, first rate, serious and beautiful.
most perfect description of the aims of Salinger as a writer and his Here are nine of his stories, and one further reason that they are so in-
characters as people. They crave oneness and sense from the nonsense- teresting, and so powerful seen all together, is that they are paradoxes.
koan that is the world, but instead are hindered by the human egos of From the outside, they are often very funny: inside, they are about
themselves and those around them. This is the spiritual search Salinger heartbreak, and convey it; they can do this because they are pure. The
expresses in his writing. whole nine have an enchanting ease about them, a deceptively loose-
appearing texture, a freshness and liveliness which might bid fair to
disarm the reader, as he begins, say, the remarkable "For Esme with
Writer Love and Squalor." Nothing could be further from what Mr. Salinger is
One of the problems posed for a nonconformist artist is whether about to do to him.
he should be a sellout and please the public for easy money or pass it The stories concern children a good deal of the time, but they are
up and work for his own sake (Salinger 57). This is the main issue in God's children. Mr. Salinger's work deals with innocence, and starts
"The Varioni Brothers", the story in which the misfit hero first ap- with innocence: from there it can penetrate a full range of relationships,
peared. This was also a problem for Holden's older brother D.B., who follow the spirit's private adventure, inquire into grave problems
"used to be just a regular writer", but is now "out in Hollywood, D.B., gravely – into life and death and human vulnerability and into the occa-
being a prostitute" ("Catcher in the Rye"). sional mystical experience where age does not, after a point, any longer
Writing is the common method of communication for Salinger's apply. Mr. Salinger's world urban, suburban, family, mostly of the
heroes. Joe Varioni is a writer, Raymond Ford is a poet, and Seymour Eastern seaboard is never a clue to the way he will treat it: he seems to
and Teddy keep diaries. Writing is a symbol of the artist's honesty and write without preconception of shackling things.
creativity, while the spoken word is not trustworthy. In the case of Sey- He has the equipment of a born writer to begin with – his sensi-
mour, his brother Buddy, as narrator of Raise High the Roof Beam, tive eye, his incredibly good ear, and something I can think of no word
Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction, attempts to resurrect his for but grace. There is not a trace of sentimentality about his work, al-
61 62
