Starting With Love

Randall Nathan heard about the debate at The Whistle & Thistle, the debate about the greatest novel of the 20th century, brought on by the death of J.D. Salinger. He was lothe to disagree with the selection of "The Little Engine That Could" over "The Catcher in the Rye," except for one thing: "Little Engine" starts with power; "Catcher" starts with love.

It's a bit unfair to say that "Little Engine" is only about power. Love is in that story, too, or at least friendship. But an engine of any size runs on a narrow track. The story of the little engine that could is easily co-opted into that lie that "you can be anything you want to be," if you just try hard enough. Have you ever noticed that those "anything you want to be" stories are not about being a great parent or teacher or neighbor? They are always about making a lot of money or winning a gold medal. They are about power, not about love.

That was what Randall Nathan was thinking as he tried to remember the movement of the story of Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of "The Catcher in the Rye."

He knew most people would be surprised, at the least, to hear him say that Catcher is about love. J.D. Salinger was not a very loving person. He avoided people as much as he could. He was a poor husband and father. Most authors, though, including those of the Bible, write about their hopes, not their realities.

Holden had this recurring dream about being the catcher in the rye. There was this big rye field. It was a pleasant place, and children played in it. But it was on the edge of an abyss. Holden ran along the edge, pushing the children back into the field if they got too close to the edge. He was the catcher, keeping them from harm.

He is around 17, as Randall remembers the story, and is fed up with all the "phoniness" around him. He decides to run away, to escape the phoniness. Before he goes, though, he wants to see the one non-phony person in his life, his little sister, Phoebe, one more time. She agrees to meet him. Where was it? The museum? The library? Some place like that, Randall is sure. When she gets there, she is dragging her suitcase. She's going with him. How old was she? About 12? Yes, probably. And just what any teenage boy wants when he's running away, his little sister with him.

Holden tries to get away from her. He walks away. She walks after him. He yells at her to go back. She doesn't say anything, just keeps trudging along, dragging her suitcase. Finally he gives up. They go to Central Park. He buys her a ride on the carousel. As the carousel spins, she keeps reaching for the brass ring, the one that will give her a free ride. It's a dangerous reach, and she almost falls off. He wants to yell at her, to tell her to be careful. He is, after all, "the catcher in the rye." But then love overcomes power. He says, "I guess if a kid is going to reach for the brass ring, you've just got to let them reach."

It wasn't Holden who was the catcher in the rye, it was Phoebe. She didn't do it with power, pushing her big brother back into the field. She did it with love, by saying, Wherever you go, I go, too, even if it's over the edge, even if I've got to drag this damn big cross, I mean, suitcase, with me. You've got the freedom to reach for that brass ring, and if you grab it, or if you fall, I'll be there.

Randall Nathan sits there and thinks that J.D. Salinger solved the problem of theodicy, why God lets bad things happen. Theology always starts with the power of God--omnipotence, and all that. But Jesus starts with the love of God.

Starting with the power of God actually limits God's power. God can't love, because love requires letting go of the power, not pushing the kids back into the rye, but giving them the freedom to try for the brass ring. Love without freedom is called rape. It's about power. Jesus knew that God's power was love, in letting go of the power, in giving freedom to reject. But the one choice we don't have is to be where God is not. The love is in God's presence, not in hisher power.

God is really a little sister with a suitcase.