Is it ever possible for a young child to be considered psychotic? The main character in Teddy by J.D. Salinger acts in a way that may be considered strange by many. By Western standards, Teddy is viewed as a mentally disturbed child, but through a Hindu perspective, Teddy is actually viewed as being a very spiritually advanced human being. Teddy is viewed in this way because of the way in which he chooses to act with adults, the manner in which he views life, and the feelings he has towards the Western way of thinking. In the story, Teddy seems to be able to communicate quite effectively with adults. Teddy seems to communicate on a vocabulary level that is on par, if not even greater than the levels that the adults on the ship possess. This
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It was rather embarrassing” (Salinger 170). In this quote, Teddy is explaining to his mother about how a man they know was talking to Sven, another man who works in the gym, about Teddy. He recalls this event by using vocabulary that is highly advanced for a child of any age. In the West, most people expect that kids use vocabulary that is not quite so expressive, and if that type of vocabulary is not used, then people get shocked. The use of the word rather right before embarrassing demonstrates the proficiency Teddy has in the English language, and that he clearly has experience communicating through the use of language. This type of vocabulary is normally associated with a higher class of English, and it is used by people who have had a good amount of experience with life. It seems as if Teddy has the experience and soul of an older person, but it just so happens that he is stuck in the body of a child. Through an Eastern perspective, this could be viewed as the result of a soul that has gone through Samsara. While the body of Teddy may be very young, his soul is actually very old. Westerners would find it very awkward to hear a young child use such vocabulary, but for people with an Eastern oriented mindset, they would view such …show more content…
I’d try to show them how to find out who they are; not just what their names are and things like that… I guess, even before that, I’d get them to empty out everything their parents and everybody ever told them” (Salinger 195). This quote occurred when Teddy was having a discussion with a new gentleman named Bob Nicholson. Teddy was being questioned by Bob Nicholson on many different aspects of his seemingly Hindu life, and he was trying to respond in what seemed to be the most un-Western way possible. This quote specifically centers on the thoughts that Teddy has on the current state of education and culture in the West, and what Teddy says goes against what many Westerners would think. Teddy says that if he were given the chance to change the education system, he would completely change all the main subjects that the current education system focuses on, teach everyone how to meditate, and make them forget everything they know about the world. This represents the awareness Teddy has for his Dharma, and how he would fulfill his spiritual duty by radically changing the way that Western children are taught. From a Western perspective, this is really scary because Western culture places a great emphasis on subjects such as Math and Science, but from a Hindu perspective,
It was rather embarrassing” (Salinger 170). In this quote, Teddy is explaining to his mother about how a man they know was talking to Sven, another man who works in the gym, about Teddy. He recalls this event by using vocabulary that is highly advanced for a child of any age. In the West, most people expect that kids use vocabulary that is not quite so expressive, and if that type of vocabulary is not used, then people get shocked. The use of the word rather right before embarrassing demonstrates the proficiency Teddy has in the English language, and that he clearly has experience communicating through the use of language. This type of vocabulary is normally associated with a higher class of English, and it is used by people who have had a good amount of experience with life. It seems as if Teddy has the experience and soul of an older person, but it just so happens that he is stuck in the body of a child. Through an Eastern perspective, this could be viewed as the result of a soul that has gone through Samsara. While the body of Teddy may be very young, his soul is actually very old. Westerners would find it very awkward to hear a young child use such vocabulary, but for people with an Eastern oriented mindset, they would view such …show more content…
I’d try to show them how to find out who they are; not just what their names are and things like that… I guess, even before that, I’d get them to empty out everything their parents and everybody ever told them” (Salinger 195). This quote occurred when Teddy was having a discussion with a new gentleman named Bob Nicholson. Teddy was being questioned by Bob Nicholson on many different aspects of his seemingly Hindu life, and he was trying to respond in what seemed to be the most un-Western way possible. This quote specifically centers on the thoughts that Teddy has on the current state of education and culture in the West, and what Teddy says goes against what many Westerners would think. Teddy says that if he were given the chance to change the education system, he would completely change all the main subjects that the current education system focuses on, teach everyone how to meditate, and make them forget everything they know about the world. This represents the awareness Teddy has for his Dharma, and how he would fulfill his spiritual duty by radically changing the way that Western children are taught. From a Western perspective, this is really scary because Western culture places a great emphasis on subjects such as Math and Science, but from a Hindu perspective,