Stand Alone Complex — References to Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye is quoted profusely in the central Laughing Man storyline of the Stand Alone Complex. The Laughing Man logo designed by Paul Nicholson features the following words: “I thought what I’d do was, I’d pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes”. In the original the phrase goes on to say: “That way I wouldn’t have to have any goddamn stupid useless conversations with anybody”. In Episode 20 Togusa suggests that the Laughing Man logo indicates a connection with the Sunflower Society, but the Laughing Man himself says it was inspired by the Starchild Coffee (kind of parody of the Starbucks chain).

In episode 22 Motoko Kusanagi, in a conversation with the Laughing Man, quotes Wilhelm Steckel, who, in turn, is quoted by Salinger in The Catcher in the Rye as saying: “The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one”. In the last, 26th, episode, when Major Kusanagi visits the unused library, where the Laughing Man took shelter, we see the words “F*** you” on the railing. In The Catcher in the Rye Holden says: “You can't ever find a place that’s nice and peaceful, because there isn't any. You may think there is, but once you get there, when you're not looking, somebody’ll sneak up and write ‘F*** you’ right under your nose”. Like Holden, the Laughing Man can’t stand phonies (Holden’s word), that is, in his case, corrupt politicians. Another direct quotation from The Catcher in the Rye was on the left-handed baseball mitt that the Laughing Man kept for some time: “You know what I'd like to be? I mean, if I had my goddamn choice, I’d just be a catcher in the rye and all”. Holden’s is also the red hunting cap that the Laughing Man wears backwards.

The very pseudonym of the arch-hacker (whose real name is Aoi) is based on Salinger’s short story The Laughing Man (I read it last night). The story’s protagonist is named Chief by the children who admire him. Chief is also the name given by children to the Laughing Man in the Stand Alone Complex. The baseball cap on the Laughing Man’s logo may refer to the Comanche Club, an after school organization. The Chief often took the Comanche to Central Park for baseball games.

Episode 12, a wonderful, all-sufficient story that deserves a separate post, has interesting parallels with Salinger. In this episode the little girl tells the Tachikoma a story about a “Secret Goldfish”. It is based on the short story The Secret Goldfish written by Holden’s elder brother in The Catcher in the Rye. Later in the episode we see a poster that reads: “Go See Bananafish”. This must be a reference to A Perfect Day for Bananafish, another Salinger short story (I haven’t read it as yet; but I will, I promise). Towards the end of the same episode Batou says he likes Marx Brothers films. Salinger is known to be a fan of Marx Brothers, too.