Teddy

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1953

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Story Analysis

Character Analysis

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Character Analysis

Teddy McArdle

Teddy McArdle is a protagonist whose wisdom is juxtaposed with his innocence, a contradiction that contributes to the ambiguity and tension in “Teddy.” His goals and views differ from those of a typical child or adult in Western culture. His disheveled appearance suggests self-neglect, consistent with his detachment from materialism and claim of being a reincarnated Indian man, possibly an ascetic. In seeking spiritual enlightenment, Teddy is unafraid of death. Throughout the story, he tries to voice the dangers of logic, but no one is receptive to his teachings—which he attributes to his current incarnation as an American man. This makes for a lonely experience, and he seemingly looks forward to ending his reincarnation with a predicted death.

Although Teddy is “thirteen pounds underweight for his age,” he is “whole and pure” (123). While he sometimes plays his role as child within the McArdles’ family dynamic, he often rejects his parents’ authority. He also uses advanced vocabulary for his age: “Each of his phrasings was rather like a little ancient island, inundated by a miniature sea of whiskey” (124). Likewise, when Teddy writes in his journal, “In no sense—no mechanical sense at any rate—[do] the words look like they [have] been written by a child” (130-31). He is further characterized by other characters, with Teddy telling Nicholson that his father thinks him inhuman and sister Booper thinks him deceptive. These characterizations add to the short story’s ambiguity, including Teddy’s fate.

Bob Nicholson

Bob Nicholson, a professor at Trinity College, is the antagonist of the short story—who challenges Teddy’s spirituality with logic. Nicholson’s egotism is evident in his belief that “anything he had to say would sound pretty much all right—intelligent, literate, amusing or stimulating” (134). Salinger illustrates his privilege through “well bred” speech full of hyperbole and attire reminiscent of clothes “aged in some of the more popular postgraduate seminars at Yale, or Harvard, or Princeton” (134). These details not only reinforce his social standing, but also highlight the contrast between academia and spirituality.

A colleague to the Leidekker Examining Group who studied Teddy, Nicholson embodies academia. During his and Teddy’s conversation on the Sun Deck, his initial curiosity about Teddy transforms into frustration, building tension as Nicholson relentlessly questions Teddy’s predictions. His frustration with Teddy stems from his inability to understand Teddy’s unconventional ideas about religion and education. In this way, Nicholson serves as a foil to him, representing conventional ideas and formal education. Yet, the short story ends with him seemingly understanding Teddy’s fate and racing to meet it.

Mr. and Mrs. McArdle

Teddy’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. McArdle, are flat characters, existing primarily in the short story’s opening scene and through Teddy’s observations. As a parental unit, Mr. and Mrs. McArdle symbolize the failures of American materialism. Against a backdrop of comfort and luxury (the ocean liner), their tense interactions are laced with an undercurrent of violence. Salinger’s critique of American materialism becomes further evident through Teddy’s perception that his parents “love their reasons for loving us [Teddy and Booper], and nothing more” (137).

Mr. McArdle, a voice actor for radio, embodies a stereotypical image of masculinity, with a voice described as “narcissistically deep and resonant, functionally prepared at a moment’s notice to out-male anyone in the same room with it” (122). Despite this façade, he lacks control over his family. As he does with other characters, Salinger characterizes Mr. McArdle through speech and attire, his sunburn further contrasting his authoritative voice and lack of authority within his family. Like Salinger, who lived through World War II, Mr. McArdle is plagued by the horrors of war—as shown through mention of his dog tags and “playful” threats toward Mrs. McArdle. By contrast, Mrs. McArdle is a somewhat disengaged mother, characterized by sleepy interactions with and a rejected kiss from Teddy—which shows that the family maintains emotional distance between each other.

Booper McArdle

Booper McArdle is Teddy’s sister, whose childlike actions contrast with her violent speech—likely influenced by their parents’ “playful” threats. When Teddy finds her on the Sports Deck, she is playing under the watchful eye of the younger Myron. She is cruel to Myron, making fun of him for his father’s death in Korea. Booper’s hatred for “everybody in this ocean” (129)—including Teddy, whom she finds deceptive—supports his seemingly nonchalant prediction that in his life as Teddy he will die by being pushed into an empty pool by Booper. Such a prediction, combined with Booper’s unpredictable behaviors, builds tension in the story and raises questions as to whether or not Booper respects authority. The short story ends with Booper’s scream—a scream that echoes off of “tiled walls,” as if she did kill Teddy just as he described to Nicholson—but again, Booper’s framing of Teddy as deceptive leaves her part in his fate ambiguous.