For Esmé—with Love and Squalor by J.D. Salinger
In For Esmé—with Love and Squalor by J.D. Salinger we have the theme of ignorance, alienation, loneliness, hope and recovery. Taken from his Nine Stories collection the story is narrated in the first person by a man (and former soldier) named only as Sergeant X. However it is worth noting that there is a shift in the narration of the story from the first person to the third person when Sergeant X is describing how he is feeling when he is in Germany during the war. This shift in narration may be important as it is possible that by changing to a third person narrator, Sergeant X is attempting to understand what happened him (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) during the war. It is also possible that Salinger is suggesting that there are benefits (to the individual) should they write of their experiences (of the war) in the third person. That by doing so Sergeant X is able to separate (or disassociate) himself from his experiences in the war which in turn helps Sergeant X not only understand what has happened him but also helps him in the healing process.
Salinger also on several occasions in the story appears to be exploring the theme of ignorance, particularly among those who were not affected by the war. Sergeant X’s mother-in-law for example doesn’t appear to have any understanding for what has or may happen to Sergeant X in the war. Rather than showing any concern for Sergeant X she instead asks him to send her some cashmere yarn. Likewise Sergeant X’s wife appears to be more concerned about the service she receives in Schrafft’s (restaurant) then she does about her husband’s well-being. Also with Sergeant X’s brother there is a sense that he too is unaware, or possibly uninterested in how Sergeant X really feels. He too makes a request of Sergeant X (for war memorabilia) without asking how Sergeant X is feeling. If anything, Sergeant X’s mother-in-law, wife and his brother appear to romanticise war, showing very little, if any understanding of the hardships that come with war, particularly for those who fight in a war. The fact that Sergeant X rips up his brother’s letter may also be important as it is by doing so that the reader suspects that Sergeant X is aware that his brother (like his mother-in-law and wife) is acting selfishly, showing no understanding of how Sergeant X may be feeling. It is also noticeable that Clay’s girlfriend considers that ‘nobody gets a nervous breakdown just from the war and all.’ Again this would highlight to the reader the inability (or the ignorance) of those who have not fought in a war to understand what can happen those who are fighting.
There is also a sense that Sergeant X is alienated from those around him. Despite being in England with sixty other soldiers, at no stage of the story does X socialize with any of his fellow soldiers. Similarly when Clay is taking to Sergeant X the reader senses that Sergeant X does not enjoy Clay’s company. There appears to be some distance between both men, despite the physical closeness between the two of them as they are talking. Clay, unlike Sergeant X, appears to be unaffected by what he has seen in the war. By keeping Sergeant X’s conversation with Clay confined to a small room it is also possible that Salinger is suggesting that in some ways, Sergeant X is trapped in a cell like environment (imprisoned by the effects of the war). There is also a feeling that despite all the letters that Sergeant X has received (and which remain unopened), he still feels lonely, as if his experiences of the war have detached him from any sense of normality that he had once experienced.
There is also some symbolism in the story which may be significant. Esmé’s watch, given to her by her father may symbolise hope. Just as the reader senses that Esmé’s father gave the watch to Esmé in the hope that things would be okay, likewise the reader suspects that Esmé too has given the watch to Sergeant X, in the hope that things will be okay. It is also possible that the watch symbolises a connection between Esmé and Sergeant X. By giving Sergeant X the watch, Esmé in many ways (and unlike some of the other characters in the story) is displaying her ability to understand or connect with Sergeant X. Though she is only thirteen she is one of the few, if not the only character, in the story who appears to show any understanding of the difficulties that Sergeant X may be experiencing. This understanding may possibly stem from the fact that Esmé, having lost her father in the war (in North Africa) is fully aware of the difficulties that a soldier will face while fighting. The inscription (Dear God, life is hell) that Sergeant X finds inside Goebbels’s book may also be symbolic. It is possible that Salinger is suggesting that war, regardless of what side a person is on, is hell. It may also be significant that when Sergeant X attempts to make his own inscription (a Dostoevsky quote) in the book he notices that his hand writing is illegible. It is possible that Salinger is suggesting that Sergeant X, through his experiences of the war, is unable to love (mankind) or at least has lost the ability to express himself.
Despite the hardships that Sergeant X is feeling, Salinger does afford him the opportunity for things to get better at the end of the story. This is noticeable by the fact that after Sergeant X reads Esmé’s letter he begins to get sleepy. Salinger telling the reader that ‘you take a really sleepy man, Esmé, and he always stands a chance of again becoming a man with all his fac – with all his f-a-c-u-l-t-i-e-s intact.’ This line may be important as symbolically Salinger could be suggesting that by getting sleepy Sergeant X is beginning to forget about his circumstances, which in turn suggests that there is still some hope for Sergeant X. The fact that Salinger begins the story with hope too (Sergeant X hoping he could go to Esmé’s wedding) also suggests that things have improved for Sergeant X, that he has recovered, despite everything that has happened him during the war.
Very good analysis.
Thanks Pratik. I’m glad you liked the post.
Thanks Pratik. I’m glad you liked the post.
Thanks for the reply Dermot.
I am of late becoming a fan of Salinger. Tragic that he has written so less and so less is published. However, I think in my limited opinion no one can match Salinger. Catcher and Franny and Zooey are my favorites. Also, A Perfect Day for Bananafish which made me really really sad.
Can you suggest some good short stories or long. Your favorites. Thanks
Salinger is good and I did enjoy A Perfect Day for Bananafish. I thought it to be one of the best stories in his Nine Stories collection. I’ve yet to read The Catcher in the Rye and Franny and Zooey but they are on my list of books to read. I don’t know if you have ever heard of a writer called Frank O’Connor (1903-1966). He was an Irish writer. Though I have only read about ten of his stories I found him to be very good. His stories are not very long with a lot of them being between five and ten pages. I would recommend starting off with ‘The Man of the House’, ‘First Confession’, ‘My Oedipus Complex’, ‘The Drunkard’ and ‘Christmas Morning.’ I also thought ‘The Bridal Night’, ‘The Man of the World’ and ‘Judas’ were good too. Some critics might suggest that his stories are for children (10-12). Though there is a good chance that he is saying a little more than meets the eye. This is the collection I have. It has over fifty of his stories. At first I thought it was a little expensive (€20) but after reading some of the stories I found it to be well worth it and intend to read some more of them when I get a chance.
Sorry Pratik. I just noticed that ‘The Man of the Word’ is not in the collection I have mentioned. It’s actually in this collection. Which though good and cheaper (€12) does not contain as many stories.
Thanks Dermot. I have heard about the author but never got the time to read it. I just started reading unfortunately very late in life. I will surely check all the books you wrote above. And I will let you know.
I was re-reading your analysis and was thinking you never mentioned that there was certain love between Esme and X. I know you must have read it months ago and probably won’t remember but don’t you think, clearly there was a silent love brewing between the two irrespective of their age difference and irrespective of Esme getting married.
You could be right and it would be an interesting analysis. Looking at the relationship between both X and Esme as a silent love. I hadn’t thought about it when I read the story. I was immediately drawn to the possibility of a father-daughter relationship.
You could be right and it would be an interesting analysis. Looking at the relationship between both X and Esme as a silent love. I hadn’t thought about it when I read the story. I was immediately drawn to the possibility of a father-daughter relationship.
Hello Dermot. I just finished the story and googled for reviews. I felt it had numerous symbolisms, but couldn’t really pin-point them except a few- like Esme’s watch bringing something positive in the rather negative setting that Seargent X was pushed into. (Also, that way the fact that he received Esme’s letter later than he was supposed to, worked in his favour I guess. )
Anyway, as I was saying I googled and came across this website. The name, The Sitting Bee, itself caught my attention first. And I must say, you have done an excellent analysis of the story. I’m grateful. And since this was the first time I was reading Salinger, I hope to read more of his works. I saw in the comments above, you’ve mentioned a few more of his short stories. I would read them next.
Good day 🙂
Thanks for the comment Subarna. Salinger is a nice reader to read.
Like many others who read the story and were looking for reviews, so was I when I stumbled across this review. An excellent analysis of a story that I’m sure will stay with me for a very long time. The fact that the story begins with Capt. X writing in a cheerful/positive tone gives me hope. Esme and Charles are darlings. I wish we were offered a glimpse of how the letter writing between Esme and X continued after he received her letter. Bananafish is another story I came across recently. Having read Raise High the Roof Beam, Franny and Zooey I was eager to lap up anything on the Glass family. The only piece by Salinger which I found (and still continue to find) incredibly hard to comprehend is Seymour: An Introduction. Have you read that one?
I feel as though there is a lot of hope (and friendship) in the story. I’ve yet to read Seymour: An Introduction.
Not to be the bad guy here, but in this story it is crucial to notice the longest-running theme in Salinger’s work: little girls are angels, grown women devils of a sort. Sure, he played this out in his life but more important, in his work, glowing pre-pubescent girls who are INNOCENT and thus somehow wise float through “Catcher” and stories like “Esme,” “Bananafish” and so forth, while females older than 21 grow vapid, unfeeling, and even stupid. This was most grotesque in Holden’s outsized reaction to the sex worker in “Catcher,” but it is there all of the time. Did anyone catch this in “Esme?”
Good insight.
The key for me in Esme is the common theme in all Salinger: pre-pubescent girls = angels; women of 21+ yrs of age are awful!
I hadn’t noticed that.
Dear Dermot, This was an insightful review, I’m grateful. After reading the story I felt like it is about Salinger himself, when he was a soldier. It felt so personal to me. Have you felt that way, by any chance, that this story might be a real one in Salinger’s life? (Some scence in the story evoked the movie “rebel in the rye” which is about J.D.Salinger)
Thanks for the comment Tina. I do think some of Salinger’s stories are autobiographical. For Esmé is a great story.
The meaning of Esme wanting a story written exclusively for her, and that about squalor needs probe. The story brings happiness reading about Charlie and his pranks and the way Esme tries to control him and the way the Governess is not able to have hold on the children. This story is akin to A Perfect day for Banana fish in structure (without the dark allusions), the soldier returning from war, the mental state and his association with girls much younger. Innocence rather than ignorance leading to mature empathy, it is really not possible to deduce what JD Salinger had in mind when he wrote this story. The two tiered structure in the story is unique to JD Salinger’s approach. The conversation between Mother-in law and wife, versus between his child-friend in the beach and the soldier returnee in A Perfect day for Banana fish, and here in this case Esme and the Soldier in the cafe versus later in the post war situation between Clay and the Soldier. To what effect, the two tier works is to be analysed.
Thanks for that insight Saranyan.
Dear Michelle
Fair comment. Me as a man problably can’t judge. But don’t you think characters like Boo Boo in DOWN AT THE DINGHY and mother Bessie in ZOOEY are portrayed with emphasis?
And I think its the marvellous part about Salinger that children always morally “rescue” the elders (Phoebe to Holden, Esmée to X, …)