Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut by J. D. Salinger
"Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut" is a short story by J.D. Salinger that explores themes of nostalgia, memory, and the complexities of female relationships in post-war America. The narrative centers on Mary Jane, a single secretary, who visits her friend Eloise in her suburban Connecticut home. As the two women engage in casual drinking and gossip, their conversation shifts from light-hearted banter to deeper reflections on their pasts, particularly concerning Eloise's late lover, Walt. Through their interactions, Salinger delves into the emotional struggles each woman faces, highlighting Eloise's dissatisfaction with her current life and her longing for the romanticized memories of her youth.
The story juxtaposes Eloise's seemingly comfortable life, marked by her suburban home and family, with her internal turmoil and harsh treatment of those around her, including her maid and daughter. The character of Ramona, Eloise's young daughter, adds another layer to the narrative, as her imaginary friends reflect her innocence amidst the adult world's complexities. As the evening progresses, bittersweet nostalgia culminates in an emotional moment between Eloise and Ramona, revealing the depths of Eloise's regrets and desires. Overall, "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut" serves as a poignant reflection on the interplay of happiness and sorrow in human relationships.
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Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut by J. D. Salinger
First published: 1948
Type of plot: Satire
Time of work: The 1950's
Locale: Suburban Connecticut
Principal Characters:
Eloise , a suburban upper-middle-class wifeMary Jane , her close friend and former college roommateRamona , Eloise's child, who is about ten years old
The Story
Mary Jane, the secretary to a New York executive named Mr. Weyinburg, has most of the day off as a result of her employer's illness but has promised to drop his mail off and take some dictation every afternoon for the duration of his illness. At three o'clock (two hours late for the lunch that her hostess had prepared), she stops to see her friend Eloise at her home in suburban Connecticut. Later she plans to drive on to Larchmont, New York, with Mr. Weyinburg's mail. Eloise, in her camel-hair coat, greets her in front of the house.
Eloise is comfortably well-off, with an attractive house, a husband who commutes to New York, a young daughter named Ramona, and a black maid named Grace. Mary Jane is single but about the same age as Eloise, who has been married for about ten years.
The two women gossip as they drink highballs in Eloise's living room. Much of the talk becomes nostalgic as the two women continue to drink. Mary Jane carelessly spills her drink while Eloise's conversation becomes more outspoken and her expressions more vulgar, referring to Grace as "sitting on her big black butt" in the kitchen.
Ramona appears. In the stilted conversation that ensues between Ramona and Mary Jane, it is obvious that Ramona is not taken in by Mary Jane's feigned enthusiasm ("Oh, what a pretty dress!"). Mary Jane questions Ramona about her imaginary companion, Jimmy Jimmereeno. Significantly, Jimmy is an orphan and has "no freckles."
The two women continue drinking, and by a quarter to five Eloise is lying on the floor recalling a long-dead lover, a GI named Walt. Walt's sense of humor, his tenderness to Eloise, and his manner of speaking are all remembered fondly by Eloise. Lew, Eloise's husband, is compared unfavorably to Walt in many respects as Eloise is questioned by Mary Jane. Eloise tearfully recalls Walt's death in an accident with a Japanese camp stove. Ramona reappears and is instructed to get her supper from the maid and go to bed.
Eloise reveals several rather unpleasant aspects of her character when she refuses to allow Grace's husband to spend the night with his wife, even though the weather is bad and driving hazardous. By now it is after seven o'clock, and Eloise lies to her husband, who is waiting to be picked up at the train station, claiming that she cannot find the keys to Mary Jane's car, which is blocking the driveway.
Next, Eloise looks in on Ramona and, finding that she is sleeping on one side of her bed, wakes her for an explanation. She learns of a new imaginary playmate, Mickey Mickeranno. She drags her passively resistant daughter to the middle of the bed and orders her to shut her eyes.
Finally, both mother and daughter are in tears as Eloise presses Ramona's glasses against her cheek saying "Poor Uncle Wiggily," which repeats Walt's phrase from many years before when Eloise had twisted her ankle outside the army PX.
Eloise finally returns to the living room, where Mary Jane has passed out. She wakens her and tearfully tries to invoke her sympathy in a desperate plea, "I was a nice girl . . . wasn't I?"
Bibliography
Alexander, Paul. Salinger: A Biography. Los Angeles: Renaissance Books, 1999.
Alsen, Eberhard. A Reader's Guide to J. D. Salinger. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2002.
Belcher, William F., and James W. Lee, eds. J. D. Salinger and the Critics. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth, 1962.
French, Warren T. J. D. Salinger. Rev. ed. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1976.
Hamilton, Ian. In Search of J. D. Salinger. New York: Random House, 1988.
Kotzen, Kip, and Thomas Beller, eds. With Love and Squalor: Fourteen Writers Respond to the Work of J. D. Salinger. New York: Broadway Books, 2001.
Lundquist, James. J. D. Salinger. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1979.
Steinle, Pamela Hunt. In Cold Fear: "The Catcher in the Rye" Censorship Controversies and Postwar American Character. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 2000.
Sublette, Jack R. J. D. Salinger: An Annotated Bibliography, 1938-1981. New York: Garland, 1984.