Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction
Encyclopedia
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction is a single volume featuring two novella
s by J. D. Salinger
, which were previously published in The New Yorker
: Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters (1955) and Seymour: An Introduction (1959). Little, Brown
republished them in this anthology in the year 1963. It was the first time the novellas had appeared in book-form. Anthologized together, they share the rank of third-bestselling novel in the United States for 1963.
Like many of the other Glass family stories, Raise High is narrated by Buddy Glass, the second of the Glass brothers, and describes Buddy's visit on Army leave (during World War II
, in 1942) to attend the wedding of his brother Seymour to Muriel, and tells of the events that follow the wedding's non-occurrence. The events that occur in this story set the stage for Seymour's suicide in 1948. Seymour is described through the eyes of Buddy—the only way readers can picture him—and through those of the would-be wedding's attendants. Included is the Matron of Honor, a gruff and burly woman whom Buddy meets in a car leaving the site of the wedding. The other passengers (who include the Matron of Honor's husband Robert; Muriel's father's deaf-mute uncle; and a middle-aged woman named Helen Silsburn) spend most of the car ride ignorant of Buddy's relation to Seymour.
Throughout the story the Matron of Honor criticizes Seymour's no-show at his wedding, and describes how smart Muriel's mother Rhea is and her theories on Seymour's behavior. The conversations and Buddy's subsequent retort illustrates Buddy's annoyance with judgemental and insensitive people, and also reveals his closeness to Seymour. At one point in the story, Buddy finds Seymour's diary and rescues it before anyone can see it. He brings it in the bathroom and reads the only direct, unfiltered dialogue from Seymour. In the later story "Hapworth 16, 1924
" Buddy asserts the letter is reproduced "word for word", as if to assure the reader these are Seymour's thoughts and not his.
The title of the story is the first line of a message left by Boo Boo Glass for Seymour on the bathroom mirror of the family's apartment, which Buddy discovers towards the end of the story. The message itself begins with a line taken from Sappho
's fragment LP 111:
As the title suggests, the story represents an attempt by Buddy Glass to introduce the reader to his brother Seymour, who had committed suicide in 1948. Buddy reminisces from his secluded home.
This story, like others concerning the Glass family, touches upon Zen Buddhism, haiku
, and the Hindu
philosophy of Vedanta
.
The story is a stream of consciousness narrative
, and reveals itself as semi-autobiographical.
, "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut
," "A Perfect Day for Bananafish
" and "Down at the Dinghy
," of which the last three are published in the collection Nine Stories
.
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
s by J. D. Salinger
J. D. Salinger
Jerome David Salinger was an American author, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature. His last original published work was in 1965; he gave his last interview in 1980....
, which were previously published in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
: Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters (1955) and Seymour: An Introduction (1959). Little, Brown
Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
republished them in this anthology in the year 1963. It was the first time the novellas had appeared in book-form. Anthologized together, they share the rank of third-bestselling novel in the United States for 1963.
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters was originally published in the November 19, 1955 issue of The New Yorker.Like many of the other Glass family stories, Raise High is narrated by Buddy Glass, the second of the Glass brothers, and describes Buddy's visit on Army leave (during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in 1942) to attend the wedding of his brother Seymour to Muriel, and tells of the events that follow the wedding's non-occurrence. The events that occur in this story set the stage for Seymour's suicide in 1948. Seymour is described through the eyes of Buddy—the only way readers can picture him—and through those of the would-be wedding's attendants. Included is the Matron of Honor, a gruff and burly woman whom Buddy meets in a car leaving the site of the wedding. The other passengers (who include the Matron of Honor's husband Robert; Muriel's father's deaf-mute uncle; and a middle-aged woman named Helen Silsburn) spend most of the car ride ignorant of Buddy's relation to Seymour.
Throughout the story the Matron of Honor criticizes Seymour's no-show at his wedding, and describes how smart Muriel's mother Rhea is and her theories on Seymour's behavior. The conversations and Buddy's subsequent retort illustrates Buddy's annoyance with judgemental and insensitive people, and also reveals his closeness to Seymour. At one point in the story, Buddy finds Seymour's diary and rescues it before anyone can see it. He brings it in the bathroom and reads the only direct, unfiltered dialogue from Seymour. In the later story "Hapworth 16, 1924
Hapworth 16, 1924
"Hapworth 16, 1924" is the "youngest" of J. D. Salinger's Glass family stories, in the sense that the narrated events happen chronologically before those in the rest of the great "Glass series". It appeared in the June 19, 1965 edition of The New Yorker, and has never been reprinted...
" Buddy asserts the letter is reproduced "word for word", as if to assure the reader these are Seymour's thoughts and not his.
The title of the story is the first line of a message left by Boo Boo Glass for Seymour on the bathroom mirror of the family's apartment, which Buddy discovers towards the end of the story. The message itself begins with a line taken from Sappho
Sappho
Sappho was an Ancient Greek poet, born on the island of Lesbos. Later Greeks included her in the list of nine lyric poets. Her birth was sometime between 630 and 612 BC, and it is said that she died around 570 BC, but little is known for certain about her life...
's fragment LP 111:
Seymour: An Introduction
Seymour: An Introduction was also originally published in The New Yorker, four years later than "Raise High".As the title suggests, the story represents an attempt by Buddy Glass to introduce the reader to his brother Seymour, who had committed suicide in 1948. Buddy reminisces from his secluded home.
This story, like others concerning the Glass family, touches upon Zen Buddhism, haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
, and the Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
philosophy of Vedanta
Vedanta
Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...
.
The story is a stream of consciousness narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
, and reveals itself as semi-autobiographical.
Further reading
The Glass family stories also include Franny and ZooeyFranny and Zooey
Franny and Zooey is a book by American author J.D. Salinger which comprises his short story, "Franny", and novella, Zooey. The two works were published together as a book in 1961; the two stories originally appeared in The New Yorker in 1955 and 1957, respectively...
, "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut
Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut
"Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut" is a short story by J. D. Salinger, which appears in his collection Nine Stories. It was originally published in the March 20, 1948 issue of The New Yorker....
," "A Perfect Day for Bananafish
A Perfect Day for Bananafish
"A Perfect Day for Bananafish" is a short story by J. D. Salinger, originally published in the January 31, 1948 issue of The New Yorker. It was anthologized in 1949's 55 Short Stories from the New Yorker as well as in Salinger's 1953 collection, Nine Stories...
" and "Down at the Dinghy
Down at the Dinghy
"Down at the Dinghy" is a short story by J. D. Salinger, originally published in Harper's in April 1949, and included in the compilation, Nine Stories. It is arguably the least dramatic story in the Glass family saga...
," of which the last three are published in the collection Nine Stories
Nine Stories (Salinger)
Nine Stories is a collection of short stories by American fiction writer J. D. Salinger released in May 1953. It includes two of his most famous short stories, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" and "For Esmé – with Love and Squalor". Nine Stories (1953) is a collection of short stories by American...
.