How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
His head was propped up just enough to rest uncomfortably, almost masochistically, against the very base of the headboard. (1.1)
This is a great example of Salinger's eye for physical detail. We know so much about Mr. McArdle's personality and character from the physical characterization in this first paragraph.
Quote #2
"If that bag can't support a ten-year-old boy, who's thirteen pounds underweight for his age, I don't want it in my cabin," Mrs. McArdle said, without opening her eyes. (1.8)
Teddy is mentally and spiritually advanced, yet physically, he is behind for his age. This might be a reminder that the physical body is not an important factor in this story.
Quote #3
"She's adequately covered. I made her wear her dungarees," Teddy said. "Some of them are starting to sink now. In a few minutes, the only place they'll still be floating will be inside my mind. That's quite interesting, because if you look at it a certain way, that's where they started floating in the first place. If I'd never been standing here at all, or if somebody'd come along and sort of chopped my head off right while I was –" (2.19)
It's interesting that Teddy maintains the sort of detachment he preaches to Nicholson, but at the same time is so vehemently interested in the world around him.
Quote #4
"I don't mean it's interesting that they float," Teddy said. "It's interesting that I know about them being there. If I hadn't seen them, then I wouldn't know they were there, and if I didn't know they were there, I wouldn't be able to say that they even exist. That's a very nice, perfect example of the way –" (2.17)
Teddy is getting at the Zen kōan, "If a tree falls in a forest and there's no one there to hear it, does it still make a sound?" He raises issues of perception and reality – and sadly, his parents don't recognize the importance of his observation. Perception of reality is studied in Western, as well as Eastern philosophy. We talk a lot about Eastern philosophy in this module, but if you are interested in the Western thought on perception, look into issues in Philosophy of Mind.
Quote #5
Teddy watched her press down on her stapler. "I knew you were an ensign," he said. "I'm not sure, but I believe when somebody asks your name you're supposed to say your whole name. Jane Mathewson, or Phyllis Mathewson, or whatever the case may be." (3.11)
Perhaps Teddy can engage in word games and word play because he no longer runs the risk of losing sight of his spiritual goals through intellectual distraction.
Quote #6
Diary for October 27, 1952
Property of Theodore McArdle
412 A Deck (4.5)
Teddy maintains such a precise solemnity when it comes to words; he keeps things exact, even to the point of humor.
Quote #7
After making this last entry, Teddy continued to keep his attention on the page and his ball-point pen poised, as though there were more to come. (4.21)
This is interesting phrasing; it sounds as though Teddy is merely transmitting a message, and not writing of his own accord.
Quote #8
He stretched out his legs, which were unusually heavy at the thighs, almost like human bodies in themselves. (4.29)
Unlike Teddy, Nicholson seems to be weighed down by his body, by his physicality. Count the number of times that Salinger describes his heavy legs…
Quote #9
He sat forward abruptly, tilted his head to the right, and gave his right ear a light clap with his hand. "I still have some water in my ear from my swimming lesson yesterday," he said. He gave his ear another couple of claps, then sat back, putting his arms up on both armrests. It was, of course, a normal, adult-size deck chair, and he looked distinctly small in it, but at the same time, he looked perfectly relaxed, even serene. (4.52)
Consider this passage in the context of the epigraph to Nine Stories…