Just Before the War with the Eskimos

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Just Before the War with the Eskimos" is a short story by J. D. Salinger, originally published in the June 5, 1948 issue of The New Yorker and reprinted in Salinger's 1953 collection Nine Stories. It has been deemed Salinger's tightest short story.^{[citation needed]} It is the tale of two high school classmates, Ginnie Mannox and Selena Graff, who have a dispute over money. However, the bulk of the story is the meeting of Ginnie and Selena's brother, Franklin.

[edit] Plot summary

For five straight Saturdays, Ginnie and Selena have tennis together. After each game, they take a cab ride home, for which Ginnie has always paid. This time, she decides to stand up for herself and demand her money. This annoys Selena, who is hurt by her friend's statement. She tries to get out of it by taking her friend on a little guilt trip. "It may interest you to know, she said, that my mother is very ill." Ginnie is put off by this information but doesn't let it affect her too much.

At Selena's apartment, Selena leaves her friend waiting on the living room couch for a long time. There, Ginnie meets Franklin, Selena's older brother. He is captivated by a poorly bandaged cut on his finger. Without taking his eyes from his wound, he tells Ginnie how much he dislikes her older sister. We learn that he used to have a crush on her, and that she never answered any of his letters. This has caused Franklin to dislike her very much. We learn that he is a college drop out and has never been in the army, due to his poor heart condition. Instead, he worked in an airplane factory in Ohio for over three years.

When Franklin leaves the room, his friend Eric comes in. He is supposedly a homosexual although Salinger never says it directly. He compliments Ginnie's coat and mentions having seen "The Beauty and the Beast" eight times.

As Selena enters the room, Ginnie tells her to forget about the money. Selena is surprised but pleased by this change of events. Ginnie leaves on good terms with her friend.