When reading J.D. Salinger’s Nine Stories, I noticed a striking similarity between The Laughing Man and its successor, Down at the Dinghy. In both stories, the key point of contention is young children bumping up against adult realities. The Comanches of The Laughing Man learn, through Mary Hudson’s presence, that the Chief is not the happy, flawless, predictable man they make him out to be. Similarly, in Down at the Dinghy, four-year-old Lionel hears his maid Sandra call his father “a big-sloppy-kike” and he has to learn how to react to this (86). Both stories address young children accidentally entering the adult sphere.
At the beginning of The Laughing Man, The Chief is described as being secure, predictable, and having “many achievements and virtues” (57). The narrator describes: “Every one of us, from the smallest hoodlum to the biggest, loved and respected him” (57). To the Comanches, the Chief is a perfect, larger-than-life figure. However, Mary Hudson’s entrance into the story changes this perspective. The boys see the Chief as “very nervous” and anxious when he waits for her (64). Then, when Mary Hudson wants to play ball, the Chief swears at the boys for the first time; “I said I didn’t need a center fielder. The Chief asked me what the hell did I mean I didn’t need a center fielder. I was shocked. It was the first time I had heard the Chief swear” (65). When Mary Jane and the Chief get in a fight, the Chief is upset and snaps at the kids. The Chief ends The Laughing Man story by killing off the main character, effectively devastating the Comanches.
Similarly, in Down at the Dinghy, Lionel hears his maid Sandra call his Jewish father “a big-sloppy-kike” (86). Although Lionel doesn’t know what “kike” means, he recognizes it as an insult and it upsets him. The crux of the story is about an adult insult that leads to Lionel running away to the dinghy. Kids, such as the narrator of The Laughing Man and Lionel, live innocent lives in a child’s world. However, there are instances where they accidentally enter the adult world of relationship issues, prejudices, and insults. These moments have drastic effects on the young children.
I also noticed that both of these stories focus on children losing their innocence and being exposed to the world. As we mentioned in class, this also brings up the question of what is right. Is it good that these kids are getting a more sobering view of the world? Or should we preserve their innocence a little longer? If anything, however, I think having young children as narrators gives us a unique perspective into the story, as it is a sort of iceberg principle.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting how, although this sort of pattern of kids bumping up against the adult world is seen throughout Salinger's stories, it the last story, "Teddy", we see that a kid is already in the adult world. In fact, there are adults who are even trying to learn from Teddy. It seems like Teddy has already reached the adult world and has learned to accept and cope with it.
ReplyDeleteYou draw a great comparison between the two stories, relating aspects of each using the similarities you have found, such as the relationships between children and adults. I think it's especially important to note the struggle it takes for the children in each of these stories to adapt to an unfamiliar environment. Whether it's kids realizing the vulnerability of their chief, or a lone child hearing an inappropriate insult directed towards his father for the first time, these children must learn to cope, and it is how they do so that shape who they really become.
ReplyDeleteThese are very interesting points. While they are very similar in all of these respects I sort of see the endings as drastically different. In "The Laughing Man" the Chief leaves all of the Comanches in shock and, like you said, devestated. However, after Lionel's conversation with his mother in "Down at the Dinghy" we are left feeling optimistic as Boo Boo had been a good parent and tried her best to explain to him what was meant by the words that had offended him so much. Both Lionel Comanches are awfully shocked at certain parts of their respective stories but we are left with a little more hope and optimism in "Down at the Dinghy".
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