In Salinger’s story, “Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut”, it’s obvious that the ending, and practically the whole story in particular, is open to interpretation. With the seemingly cynical character, Eloise, asking her friend, Mary Jane, “I was a nice girl…wasn’t I?” (38), we are left trying to decipher what it all means. Obviously the ending scenes are very powerful and revealing of Eloise’s character. From the very beginning, we can see that Eloise can be a very ignorant and impatient character. This is especially evident in her interactions with her own daughter, Ramona. Ramona seems to be a shy little girl who isn’t afraid of a little imagination, which is typical of most children. Although her shyness does irk Eloise, it’s not the quality she despises the most. It’s Jimmy, Ramona’s imaginary “beau” who follows her wherever she goes. Now, since Ramona is a victim of verbal abuse, I can see why her mind seeks companionship and creates Jimmy to fill that empty void. And, unlike Eloise, Mary Jane seems to be supportive of Ramona’s beau, continuing to ask questions and play along. Mary Jane seems to have a knack for interacting with children, a quality that Eloise seemingly lacks.
But, I think there are deeper roots to Eloise’s dissatisfaction with Ramona’s imaginative mind. Initially in Eloise’s life, she thought that she had found her soulmate, Walt. He made her laugh and was seemingly the only one who understood her. Even now, she refuses to tell her current husband, Lew, about Walt. She even refuses to tell Lew how Walt died. She claims that he is “too damn unintelligent” (31), and won’t understand what he meant to her. But it’s honestly clear to see that Eloise still isn’t over Walt, and if she tells too many people of his death, it will become even more real. Eloise lives her life disconnected, almost seemingly waiting for Walt to waltz back through the doors so she can continue her life as if nothing ever happened. It pains her to see that she can’t love Lew the way she loved Walt, no matter how hard either of them try. Lew will never be Walt in Eloise’s mind.
This is why she finds herself constantly frustrated with her own daughter. Ramona is able to make up her own boyfriend and be happy with him. She keeps one side of the bed open for him, even if he doesn’t exist. And when that boyfriend passes, a new one is able to appear. So, when Eloise hears that Jimmy Jimereeno has been hit and killed and then been replaced by Mickey Mickeranno, she becomes very angry. Even her own daughter is able to move on when the love of her life passes away. Ramona is able to find happiness with another man and doesn’t hold on to the dead of the past. Eloise isn’t able to do this because she can’t accept and forget Walt. No matter how much Lew may try to please her, his efforts will always be in vain because he and Walt are different people.
This is why Eloise breaks down and asks Mary Jane “I was a nice girl…wasn’t I?” Because she seemingly used to be a nice, accepting girl when she was rooming with Mary Jane or in a relationship with Walt. But the times have changed and she wishes they hadn’t. Even though she was a nice girl, she can’t seem to find happiness in her life at the moment. Her happiness lies in the past with Walt. It’s almost as if Eloise lives her life alone because no one understand her anymore, or at least she doesn’t trust anyone enough to let them. Even Mary Jane, one of her good friends, can’t seem to help Eloise see the good in her life with her loving husband and creative daughter. Eloise’s life is stuck in the past and, unfortunately, may never catch up to the present.
I agree with the implication that Eloise doesn't talk to Lew about Walt because she feels like he won't understand what he meant to her, or she won't be able to do Walt's unique personality justice (similar to how she keeps qualifying her descriptions to Mary Jane, with a "you had to be there" kind of thing--"the way he said it," etc.). But in her own account, it's also that she believes that *any* man in Lew's position will *never* want to know about his wife's true love who died in the war. Whether or not this generalization is true is up to the reader to determine, but she imagines him becoming insanely jealous of Walt. In her view, no man ever wants to hear about a woman's former lovers--"They wanna think you spent your whole life vomiting every time a boy came near you."
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