The Catcher in the Rye

Being in a rural area is different. I don’t know why anyone would choose to live here. I mean there’s nothing to do at night, and few places to eat. It’s not like I like nightlife in the first place, but knowing that there’s nothing out there come dark sucks.  Worse still, life crawls along at a snail’s pace – people get lazy. I miss civilization. The only upside is I have some spare time to read Catcher in the Rye, by the enigmatic author J.D. Salinger who once admitted this novel has autobiographical elements.

The title of the novel comes from a peculiar fantasy of the protagonist, when a misheard lyric of a poem (Robert Burns‘ Comin’ Through the Rye) reminds him of children playing in a rye field near a cliff and how he would like to be their protector, catching them if they come near the edge.

It is a remarkable novel, narrated by our protagonist, Holden Caulfield, a 16 year old boy who comes from an apparently well family and recently dropped out from an elite prep school named Pencey. He is a middle child and we know his father is a wealthy lawyer. His older brother D.B. is a successful writer in Hollywood. Although he seems to have everything, his view of life is cynical and he is discontent with it.

Most of the story takes place in New York City after he has been kicked out from school, and we are given a startling ground’s eye view at life in the Big Apple circa the 1940s. But it is the adolescent themes of depression, sexuality, alienation and angst that really drives the story. His depression probably stems from the loss of his younger brother Allie due to leukemia and his witnessing of a boy’s apparent suicide after being bullied at school. Holden also seems misanthropic towards the other boys at his prep school and pretty much everyone else except his little sister, Phoebe. He calls almost everyone who ticks him off a “phony”. This lack of social connection has an obvious effect on him. Throughout the novel, Holden is filled with bouts of loneliness and depression.

There’s an unabashed account of Holden’s sexuality here as well. We are told of the girls he has been involved with. We know he thinks about sex constantly. We know he is a virgin and became hesitant when he has an encounter with a hotel prostitute. Later on, we also know he has homophobia when an ambiguous advance by a former teacher freaks him out.

Although the story takes place in the setting of only a few days, it is highly detailed as Holden’s seems to have an inability to concentrate; his thoughts are rapidly shifting from one idea to another. Holden’s thoughts are almost completely about himself and his feelings of angst towards other people. Towards the end of the novel, Holden develops hallucinations and paranoia in addition to his depression.

Finally, the novel ends as we find out where Holden is telling this story from. He’s been sick and has been spending time in mental hospital, but he’ll be back in school in the fall. Then he admits that he has been missing some of the people he has condemned in his story – his old schoolmates from Pencey. He ends with a poignant warning:

“Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you’ll start missing everybody”.

I’m intrigued as to what psychiatric diagnosis Holden would have. He has depression, hallucianations, difficulty sleeping and sometimes racing thoughts. A case could be argued for post-traumatic stress disorder (following the loss of his younger brother), bipolar disorder or even schizophrenia. (I’ll leave it to after I finish my psychiatric posting)

What I really like from this book is how stylized the narrative is; dark, slightly narcissistic with a punch of humour and highly idiosyncratic. It’s liberal use of profanity and slangs makes Holden Caulfield seem not only real, but relatable. I’m downright surprised how much I like this broody and seemingly unlikable character. To the author’s credit, lthough the novel is set 60 years ago, the adolescent themes are so well depicted here that they appeal to generations of readers to this day.

On the Selfish Gene

I finally got to finish Richard Dawkin’s The Selfish Gene, 30th Anniversary Edition (it was originally published in 1976) and it tells a wonderful story of evolution by focusing on the gene. Dawkins revamps my understanding of biology by proposing a gene-centric view of life. He then introduces the notion of “replicators” and “vehicles”. You can call the first self-reproducing molecules replicators, and you may also be tempted to designate the same label to living beings today. Not exactly, according to Dawkins. It is in fact the gene within living organisms that are replicators. What does that make us? We are in fact the vehicles created by a conglomerate of genes in order to propagate themselves. Dawkins himself marvels at this incredible notion:

We are survival machines – robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes. This is a truth which still fills me with astonishment.

This is an unsettling thought, but it is evidenced by nature where genes and organisms are in conflict – such as the mating behaviour of the male of some species of spiders. It also has interesting implications. Parasites that are able to transmit their genes using the same outlet as their host (e.g. through sperm and eggs) eventually fuse into their hosts and become part of the host organism. What was once a parasite becomes a symbiotic part of the host – and this could explain the evolution of eukaryotes – which conspicuously harbour mitochondria and chloroplasts of different DNA from the cell nucleus.

Our own body contains trillions of somatic cells which do not participate in producing gametes. But therein lies their role in helping the germ cells produce gametes, for without the support from somatic cells, the germ cells would perish. A tantalizing analogy given is the eusocial bee’s hive where the worker bees are sterile and only the queen produces offspring.

The “selfish” gene theory ironically explains other biological phenomena such as kin selection and altruism. Kin selection works because genes that encourage an organism to help relatives (which are likely to contain the same gene) will increase the likelihood of transmitting itself to the next generation. Since we are likely to be surrounded by kin, any gene that promotes altruism also becomes successful by the same token. Thus these “selfish” genes actually result in unselfish behaviour in organisms. Dawkins cites the Prisoner’s Dilemma, which is a well known problem in game theory, and shows us how a “nice guy” strategy, or tit for tat proves to be most advantageous in iterated games.

Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to, because we may then at least have a chance to upset their designs, something that no other species has ever aspired to do.

There are some who may misconstrue that our “selfish” genes advocate for us to live selfishly. But this is hardly the case, as although our genes may be “selfish”, they have created wonderful vehicles that do behave with reciprocal altruism. Perhaps then, contrary to what we may think, the selfish gene has ultimately become the cooperative gene and nice guys do finish first.

Note: For an online interactive game of “Prisoner’s Dilemma” visit http://www.iterated-prisoners-dilemma.net/.

Fear of the Unknown

I just watched Toy Story 3, an excellent film that will touch those who grew up with Toy Story 1 and Toy Story 2. This is a rare second sequel which holds its own, and I was impressed that Pixar has masterfully woven a complex and dark plot with solid characters that will bring back many childhood memories.  The persisting theme in Toy Story has always been friendship, and the relationship between the toys and their owner, Andy. That said, I’m kinda bummed Andy let go of his toys.

I also enjoyed the charming short film “Day & Night” which features an amazing excerpt from a lecture by Dr Wayne Dyer, a motivational speaker. The underlying message of the short film is simple yet powerful – opening minds and embracing differences between each other. In day-to-day life we may be oblivious to our own shortcomings, but if we take a moment and put aside our egos, I think there’s an opening for all of us to defeat this thing called the fear of the unknown.

“Fear of the Unknown.

They are afraid of new ideas.

They are loaded with prejudices, not based upon anything in reality, but based on… if something is new, I reject it immediately because it’s frightening to me. What they do instead is just stay with the familiar.

You know, to me, the most beautiful things in all the universe, are the most mysterious.”

Wimbledon 2010

Congrats to Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal, both number one seeds that won Wimbledon this year. Both finals however, were rather boring, both opponents beaten into submission easily and swiftly in straight sets. Serena wins her 4th Wimbledon title and 13th Grand Slam (passing Billie Jean King) while Nadal wins his 2nd Wimbledon title and 8th Grand Slam overall.  Serena served a record 89 aces which really got her through some tough situations as her ground game was not at its best during the earlier stages of the tournament.

Combating Medical Ignorance One Comic Strip At A Time

I’ve been away because I just finished my (gruelling) paediatric posting exams – paediatricians are generally very nice people, the kids are adorable but somehow paediatric exams can be nasty and it can all go downhill before you know it.

Back on topic – despite the fact that patients today are more educated than ever before on their illnesses, medical ignorance has become a serious problem. Parents stop vaccinating their children on unfounded fears of autism. A woman with treatable, early stage breast cancer delays surgery to try out an herbal remedy that her friend had tried. It is peculiar that human beings are so rigid in thought that they “believe what they want to believe” in the face of overwhelming solid evidence. Anecdotal stories from trusted friends are sensationalized by the media, and this steers public opinion away from scientific proof. The effects of medical ignorance can be deadly. Measles and mumps are making a comeback wherever vaccination rates drop, and people who delay treatment of initially treatable diseases inevitably return when it is too late.

I found this incredible series of comic strips by British artist Darryl Cunningham to be most useful in clear public ignorance on scientifically unproven medical myths such as the MMR-Autism debacle. Recently it has been updated with a new comic strip on homeopathy and I have to say I’ve become a fan of his work.

It’s well worth reading the rest of Homeopathy at his website. I’d also like to point you to his first strip on the Vaccine-Autism myth called the Facts In The Case of Dr. Andrew Wakefield. If you’re interested in more, the author also has a graphic novel, Psychiatric Tales, which features his experience in an acute psychiatric ward, mental illness, and ultimately his own struggle with anxiety and depression while training as a psychiatric nurse. Here’s a sample: