Simply Salinger discussion

I have studied J.D Salinger as a large part of my English in school this year.

Just wondering which book people enjoyed most?

I've read 'Catcher in the Rye' and 'Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction'.

I personally enjoyed 'Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters' most.

Here is why...

“Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters” has been the most enjoyable work by J.D. Salinger that I’ve read so far. It was neither a tragedy nor comedy in its structure but combines tonal elements of each genre. I found it had all the fundamental ingredients of a quality novella while still maintaining that unique Salinger style of writing. As usual the characters are so well observed and vividly presented we can practically smell them. The plot of the story is clearly defined at the beginning while conflict, complication, suspense, denouement and conclusion carry the reader through the story.
The initial situation is that Seymour Glass is getting married. It is a comically poignant trip into the past. Buddy Glass getting over a bout of pleurisy in the camp hospital must get to New York to be the only family member at this wedding. Buddy is also the story’s narrator. In this pre-action stage, we get a little bit of background information on the various Glass family members. I found this to be a perfect opening to the story. There were no wishy-washy thoughts but a clear direction of where the story was heading and an underlying feeling trouble was ahead.
The first major plot twist comes in the form of conflict when Seymour doesn’t show up to his own wedding. This is a key conflict, not only for the bride and groom but also for Buddy. As the sole representative of Seymour’s entire family, he’s left feeling responsible to explain his brother’s actions. This gives Buddy a chance to delve into his opinions on Seymour and why he might not appear at his own wedding.
Seymour is described by the Matron of Honour as a disorganised and pompous man whose love for Muriel is superficial. According to his brother, Seymour is a spiritual and intellectual being and he has a Zen detachment from life, he does not overindulge in emotion. That is why, Buddy concludes, he does not attend the wedding, there is too much happiness and emotion. Buddy realises his brother should not have agreed to marry this woman as he does not have the emotional capability to be in a relationship with somebody. Buddy defends his brother but agrees that
You can’t just barge through life hurting people’s feelings whenever you feel like it”.
The story becomes complex as Buddy jumps into one of the cars destined for the bride’s house. A parade in town causes a traffic jam and Buddy invites the car full of guests to his and Seymour’s apartment nearby. The guests include the Matron of Honour, who’s constantly ranting about Seymour. Here we noticed repeatedly that even though Seymour is absent, he is the centre of attention, very much discussed. Through everybody’s eyes, Seymour seems to be a personality bigger than life in both a positive and negative light. This is cleverly done by Salinger to enlarge the character and create tension and passion about Seymour.
All the mystery and suspense is built up to be satisfyingly drawn together for the conclusion, Seymour appears to whisk Muriel off so that they can elope together. Seymour’s character reveals a lot about his character and possible motivations. Buddy considers sending Seymour a blank sheet of paper possibly to indicate that Seymour is blank to him.
It is a brilliantly crafted story with terrific narrative devices. It is a perfect story for possibly a 1st year English class to study or if you just wanted to upper your analytical skills while still enjoying a good story.

Please give a like or comment to my review of Catcher in the Rye and this review ( on the Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction page).

Thanks for reading!

Cathy wrote: "I have studied J.D Salinger as a large part of my English in school this year.

Just wondering which book people enjoyed most?

I've read 'Catcher in the Rye' and 'Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpen..."

Cathy, Raise High the Roofbeam Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction is my current favorite, as well!

I enjoy the first novella much more than the second. I think Seymour: An Introduction is still beyond me a little. It expresses ideology and thoughts that I'm sure I will understand in time, but right now I don't know enough about the world for it to mean much to me.

The Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters though! Oh my. I love the detailed character study of all the people stuck in the car and in Seymour's apartment. You're right that you can practically smell them. Salinger's understanding of human nature just under the surface is astounding to me. The idea lying behind the title is my favorite aspect of the novella. The idea that Seymour is so "good," such a big person--his intellect, his love, his character--is so compelling to me. I want to be influenced by a man who can't walk down the aisle without the roof being raised to fit his character. That idea and image is my favorite of Salinger's by far. Ah, Seymour. One day I will understand you.