Down at the Dinghy was, in my opinion, one of the more upbeat stories of Salinger’s
nine. Although we are first exposed to the nasty maids to had called Lionel’s
father a kike, the scene quickly changes to the dialogue between Lionel and Boo
Boo. I really enjoyed their dialogue, because Salinger does so well to immerse
us into their conversation. To be honest, I didn’t expect to feel any sort of
connection with a character named Boo Boo, but as this mother continued to try
and comfort Lionel, I couldn’t help but admire how she dealt with the situation.
"It is I," Boo Boo said.
"Vice-Admiral Tannenbaum. Nee Glass. Come to inspect the
stermaphors." There was a response. "You aren't an admiral. You're a
lady," Lionel said. His sentences usually had at least one break of faulty
breath control, so that, often, his emphasized words, instead of rising, sank.
Boo Boo not only listened to his voice, she seemed to watch it. "Who told
you that? Who told you I wasn't an admiral?" Lionel answered, but inaudibly.
"Who?" said Boo Boo. "Daddy."
This was the very start of the
dialogue between Boo Boo and Lionel, and we see how Boo Boo has decided to try
and talk to Lionel rather than attempt to order him to come home. I was not
expecting this, since I would have thought that Boo Boo would be angry that he
ran away. This tone that is set in this first dialogue continues throughout the
rest of the conversation which is why I found this story so positive. Some
people may argue that this story is actually sad since the kid’s father is
hated because he is Jewish and Lionel keeps running away, but Salinger is definitely
trying to put the happy spin on the story which is especially seen in the last
line: “They didn’t walk back to the house; they raced. Lionel won.”
I really enjoyed Down at the Dinghy, because it was a
nice change from some of the depressing stories that we had seen before,
especially Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut and
Bananafish which also had to do with
children.
I agree! It was sweet and simple. I also just admire how much this family cares about one another. Lionel just wants to defend his father; Boo Boo wants to reach out to Lionel as an equal. This story is also unique in the way that Salinger portrays the rich in a more positive light. This is probably because he doesn't define these characters as rich. He defines them as a good family; they just also happen to be rich.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is concerning that Lionel constantly runs away from home, the way which Boo Boo deals with this situation, as you point out, is with extensive love and patience. You would think that after running away so many times, Boo Boo would have had it with Lionel, and simply commanded him to return home, but Boo Boo doesn't do this. Instead, she engages with him in a playful little imaginary boat game, and slowly eases into the more sensitive matters which she wants to discuss with Lionel. Despite her outward appearance or humorous name, she certainly knows how to handle Lionel.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that, even though this story has a lot of dark undertones, as readers, we can see the light in it. We can sense this powerful mother-son bond that cannot be understood by any of the maids, who are too preoccupied with the father's religion. Like Mr. Mitchell said, the story does a great job of showcasing how children constatly bump against the adult world. Honestly, I'm not sure telling Lionel the truth about the word the maid used would be the right decision or not. But, I am sure that Booboo truly knows howthe care for her child, so the decision she makes in the end, ultimately is the right one for her specific situation.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Down at the Dinghy, too! Although the story had dark moments, it ended nicely. I especially liked Boo Boo as a character. She is such an amazing mom! She interacts with her son in such a natural, nurturing, and supportive way. I truly admired her parenting style. Plus, the way Salinger expressed the relationship seemed so organic and real to me; I could definitely visualize the mother-son dynamic.
ReplyDeleteThis might be repeating a bit of what the others said, but I also enjoyed the way that the mother, Boo Boo, treated her son throughout the story. I think it's especially interesting in light of other interactions of children and adults in Salinger's other stories. I think that Boo Boo's and Lionel's interaction is especially interesting, given that Lionel has ran away so many times before.
ReplyDelete"Down at the Dinghy" was one of my favorite stories in this book. I really liked how Boo Boo talks to Lionel and the fact that she is gentle and caring even though Lionel runs away frequently. In general, I think that the adults who Salinger portrays in a positive light are the ones who can get along with children.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this is a "happy" story, especially compared to some of Hemingway's, or even the darker endings to some of Salinger's other stories. (I'd also count "Esme" as a "happy story," despite its dark subject matter.) As a parent who spends conversational time with little kids in occasionally morally complex topics, I love reading BooBoo's very cool and on-his-level way of dealing with Lionel, and I think Salinger captures the dynamic between them beautifully. And letting him win "the race" at the end is as sweet an ending moment as you could ask for.
ReplyDeleteBut the adult (or even adolescent!) reader is aware of a sobering undercurrent to this very nice story, and it has everything to do with what BooBoo chooses not to explain to Lionel. (We could see this as her not wanting to "correct" his "error," consistent with her laissez-faire approach to his running away. He'll learn in his own time.) But the reader sees Lionel believing he's won the race as a sweet kind of fiction that his mother has given him; likewise, she's allowed him to live in ignorance about anti-Semitism and prejudice and the whole ugly adult world that's lurking just on the other side of childhood. Like so many of Salinger's other depictions of childhood, we're sobered by the thought of how fleeting the innocence Lionel enjoys will be.