Rebel in the Rye Page #5

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If there is one word

I hate, it's grand.

It's so phony.

This is a momentous

hour in world

history. D-Day.

The men of General

Dwight D. Eisenhower

are fighting their

way up the beaches

in fire and blood

into the fortress

of Nazi Europe.

Casualties in this

mammoth operation

may reach

a dreadful toll.

[sighs]

I had stormed Normandy

with six chapters

in my back.

And I'd be lying

if I didn't tell you

Holden got me through

some rough spells.

He gave me something

to focus on

when things weren't

going so hot.

That's one of the things

I love the most

about writing.

Your mind keeps on

working on your stories

whether you've got a pen

or a gun in your hand.

It just never

stops creating.

[explosion]

[screaming]

Fire!

Careful!

Hey, you okay?

You gotta shoot me!

Shoot me!

[groans]

[groans]

Hey, hey..

[screaming]

I did everything I could

to keep on writing.

I really did.

No pen. No typewriter.

To hell with them.

I kept on telling

Holden's story

even if it was

only to myself.

I thought I'd get

pneumonia, and then

I'd probably die.

M -- millions of..

...j -- jer -- jerks

at my funer..

f -- funeral.

[footsteps approaching]

Jerry! Jerry!

You're gonna be

alright, okay?

Alright? You just got to

warm up a bit, okay?

Come on. Here we go.

Alright.

Hey. Hey, you just

got to warm up.

Okay?

Hey.

How about the socks

your mom sent you?

She's a smart lady,

Jer, alright?

Take 'em.

They'll keep you

warm, alright.

Okay?

I'm not going anywhere.

[grunting]

[instrumental music]

[music continues]

Jerry?

Jerry?

Jerry? Can you hear me?

Jerry, I want you

to look at me.

Could you look

at me, Jerry?

Jerry.

Squeeze my hand

if you can hear me.

Alright..

[sighing]

[dramatic music]

I'm truly sorry

you wasted all that

time on me.

But you gotta believe me

when I tell you

I have nothing

left to say..

...about

Holden Caulfield

or anything else,

for that matter.

Sincerely yours

Jerry Salinger.

[doorbell ringing]

He's here!

- Is he still crazy?

- Shh!

Welcome home, sonny!

All the way home

from Germany!

Hey, mom.

- Doris, hey.

- Jerry.

Hey.

Uh, this is my wife.

Sylvia.

Well, this is

my mom, Miriam.

This is my sister,

Doris.

And that's

my father, Sol.

Hello.

So, sonny,

you were, uh..

You were interrogating

Nazis after the war?

Yeah, yeah, we were

trying to find out

where all the Nazis

were hiding.

That sounds exciting.

So, Sylvia,

what do you do?

She's a rodeo clown.

It's a joke.

I'm an ophthalmologist

by trade.

Before the war.

When did you two

get married?

About six months ago.

Oh. That's when you

stopped responding

to our letters.

I know.

Well, I..

I haven't written a word

in over a year.

Well, I hope you're gonna

write stories again.

Maybe after Whit publishes

"The Young Folks"

anthology.

It's the only reason

why I came home.

And to see all of you.

[instrumental music]

[no audio]

Most of these, I wrote

before I went to Europe

but a few, I wrote

during the war.

And what about

the Caulfield novel?

Where are you with that?

About halfway.

When do you think

you're gonna finish?

I just..

I can't work

on it anymore.

- Why not?

- It brings back

too many memories..

I want to forget it all.

Well, have you

written anything

since you got back?

I tried, I ju..

I just can't do it.

Well, we'll publish

your anthology

and I'll bet before long

you'll be back

at that typewriter.

I hope so.

I'm not getting

enough sleep, so it's

hard to concentrate.

And sometimes, I..

I wake up, and I'm -- I'm

s -- screaming.

Well, these are

all very common

post-war symptoms, Jerry.

Okay?

And have you been

painting, at all?

No. No, 'cause I'm not

a painter, I'm a writer.

Yes.

Yes, of course. Writer.

No, with the nightmares,

I just..

[sighs]

Sometimes, I have

flashbacks of the camps

during the day too.

It's almost like

I'm there.

I can smell..

Is there anything

I can do for that?

No, these are all

very common occurrences

from soldiers

returning from combat.

It's just a phase.

Alright?

[instrumental music]

Hey.

Hello.

So, you've been

drinking?

No. No, I haven't touched

a drop in years.

Oh, that's right. You

joined a temperance union.

Joined? You mean,

started.

I also joined

the divorce union.

Well, kind of more...

annulled, if you want to

get technical about it.

- What happened?

- Something that

never should've.

I think she might

be a Nazi.

[whispering]

Are you serious?

[Jerry chuckles]

I don't know. Maybe.

I ju..

Well, now see,

that is something

you should write about.

Have you

started up again?

No, um..

You know...I think once

the anthology is published

that'll hopefully

get me going again.

[sighs]

What?

The anthology has

just turned out to be..

...a little

more complicated

than I thought.

How?

Well, you know we don't

publish on our own

we don't have the money

for it, so we have this

relationship with

Lippincott to finance

the long form, and..

They've rejected

the book.

They -- they don't

want to publish it.

So, y -- you're not

going to publish

"The Young Folks" --

I -- I nearly ended

the relationship with --

You nearly ended

the relationship?

How nearly brave of you

that must have been!

- Come on.

- No. No, no, that

means a lot to me.

I mean, you know

that was the only reason

I came back from Germany.

You knew how much

it meant to me.

- How much I needed that!

- At least it

brought you home.

I didn't want

to come home!

Jerry, I'm sorry,

there's nothing

I can do, alright?

I went to war

with these guys over this.

War? War?

- War? You went to war

with these guys?

- I'm sorry.

No, that was a bad

choice of words.

I didn't mean --

- I landed on D-Day!

- I understand --

No, no, no, no, no.

You have no idea.

I'm only alive because

we missed our landing

by a thousand yards.

But I saw them

all get killed.

I saw every single

one of them get killed!

- I should be dead too.

I shouldn't be here.

- Jerry, I'm sorry.

Don't sit there

and tell me how

you fought for this!

You are a liar!

You're a goddamn liar!

And I never want to

see you again!

Jerry!

Hey, mister.

I have a question

for you.

Where do you think

the ducks go in the winter

when the pond

freezes over?

I'm sorry, pal,

I ain't got no idea.

Hey, you, uh,

do you wanna smoke?

Yeah, thank you.

Hey, you want a,

you want a nip?

Don't mind if I do.

- Have you got a light?

- I think I do.

[Jerry groans]

Hey! Hey! I'm a veteran!

I'm a veteran,

goddammit! Stop..

[indistinct chatter]

[instrumental music]

[people humming]

What are you all doing?

[instrumental music]

I keep having nightmares

about the war,

almost every night.

Sometimes,

I wake up screaming.

And you also see it

during the day.

How'd you know?

Before I studied

the teachings

of Ramakrishna

I was a Freedom Fighter

in India against

the British.

It was the violence

I witnessed that led me

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