Brayden Marsh > Recent Status Updates

Franny - Salinger is interesting in how he sets up a mundane setting, engages conflict in conversation, and then uses that setting to unleash a philosophical point. My takeaway from the short story is that a lot of "high achieving" types are unable to engage themselves spiritually because they are too caught up in logic and egocentric behaviors. It's a beautiful thought, but one that is hard to articulate.

#8 - "De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period" - This one felt the least Salinger. The narrator isn't nonchalant and the vocabulary is french and heightened. I did enjoy this, as I think it dives more into the narrators character than the actual narrative of the story. There are so many questions left unanswered. Typical Salinger ending... I left and continued on with life...

#7 - "Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes" - This one was okay... probably my least favorite so far. I get that it speaks to how people can be neurotic and unreliable in how they talk about significant others. It just took me a minute to get into.

#6 - "For Esmé — with Love and Squalor" - Aside from the weird romance with a 13 year old, I liked this story. I know it was a different time but when the narrator is flustered or seems self-conscious around Esmé, I can't understand it. I thought the ending was great. It definitely was a story of squalor.

#5 - "Down at the Dingy" - This story was cute. I love all of the stories so far. I want to know more about every character.

#4 - "The Laughing Man" - I liked the structure of this story. I wish I got more installments of the laughing man story. Salinger gives you the scene and actions but lets you make of them what you will. This goes along also with the narrator being a child, possibly not able to understand what is going on between Mary and the Chief.

#3 - "Just Before The War With the Eskimos" - I liked the dialogue and the characters. The ending was a little strange, but maybe there is some deeper meaning going on that I didn't pick up on. This book is making me love short stories.

Loving it.

Uncle Wiggly in Connecticut - I really enjoyed the dialogue in this one. The characters felt real and complex. I didn't get as much from it as bananafish, but I think it warrants another reading. Great, so far.

#1 - "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" - I really enjoyed this short story. I'd probably give it a 5/5 just because of how much it does in so little words. I liked how Seymour treated Sybil. The more I think about it, the sadder it gets. Beautiful, though.

sometimes the book is opaque. I don't know who is talking and I have to re-read a section. Following the geography is almost impossible, as if I am riding along a ridge in a moonless night. I do enjoy the Judge's monologues. I'm excited to see how it will wrap up.

very vivid and violent. Challenging but rewarding.

really good and thoughtful. James Baldwin uses beautiful language to express his experiences within religion.

banger