Sometimes when a person experiences great pain or loss in their life, they try to protect themselves from ever feeling that pain again by becoming callous or cold. Eloise, the protagonist in J.D. Salinger’s short story Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut, did just that after her college boyfriend died in World War II. In the story, her and her college roommate get together years after college to reminisce about the past. Their conversations reveal that Eloise is a dynamic character, who has changed from the kind and sensitive romantic that she was in college, to the bitter and abusive alcoholic she is now. J.D. reveals this change in his protagonist to point out that when you do this, you end up pushing away loved ones who could offer comfort.…show more content… She loved his sense of humor, his sweet nature and his child-like innocence. One of her favorite memories of him is when she twisted her ankle, and he referred to it as “Uncle Wiggily,” a popular kid’s book character of the time. When she tells Mary Jane the story of how Walt died, Eloise weeps alot. The sensitive side of Eloise that is revealed when she talks about Walt is sharply contrasted with the side of Eloise that the reader see’s interacting with her daughter throughout the story. When Mary Jane asks if Ramonas poor eyesight has gotten any worse over the years Eloise proves to be a negligent mother by saying, “God, not that I know of”. Eloise is demanding and harsh when she talks to Ramona. She barks orders at Ramona as Mary Jane tries to have a conversation with the little girl. While Mary Jane is delighted that Ramona has a imaginary friend, Eloise is annoyed by Ramona’s creativity. Eloise’s crappy treatment of Ramona escalates to abuse at the climax of the story when Eloise wakes her up by drunkenly screaming, and throwing her into the middle of the bed. This is the moment at which Eloise proves to be a dynamic character twice over, she finally realizes how awful she has become since Walt died. She weeps uncontrollably while holding Ramona’s glasses and saying “poor Uncle Wiggily,” as though shes mourning the loss of the
