"Teddy" - Pushed his sister into an empty pool?

[Stephen]

Given all that Teddy was talking about & given how the collection started as it did with "A Perfect Day for Bananafish", am I the only one; or did it cross anyone else's mind that Teddy may have pushed his sister into an empty swimming pool?

[Stephen]

Yikes! Your ending is even more bleak than mine. And it has the added chilling fact of feeling more true to the rest of the story.

[Benja]

Yeah I thought Teddy was the one that was pushed into the pool.

[[deleted user]]

Whoa, I loved this book but missed this, must re-read.

[Oksana]

I guess she pushed him... as he had said before.

[Oksana]

Stephen, what exactly made you think Teddy pushed his sister?

[Edward]

I thought she pushed him because of everything that happened in the story but it's actually very vague. It's confusing because there is a female scream instead of a male scream, but (and this just occurred to me)it makes sense that he wouldn't scream if he knew what was coming, but she would because she never intended to hurt him.

[mkfs]

Teddy's premonitions were apparently accurate enough to alarm professors.

He states in his diary that "it will happen" (he is going to die) "today, or [some specific date in the future]". This means he has a premonition that something significant will happen today.

He explains to whoever-that-guy-was that he could die today when his sister pushes him into an empty pool. This, apparently, is his premonition.

Finally, he goes downstairs, and there is the sound of his sister screaming. She is six, she probably didn't know the pool was empty, so of course she is going to scream her head off when she sees the bloody mess on the bottom of the pool.

Why did Teddy not scream? He may not have had time. He may have been fearless or resigned.

I agree that having the sister scream is awkward, as a reveal, but I don't see any real indication that the sister would have been pushed into the pool. Teddy is resigned to his fate, not vindictive.

Probably my least-favorite story in the book (for construction, not story). It has a few flaws.

[Stephen]

Oksana wrote: "Stephen, what exactly made you think Teddy pushed his sister?"

I guess that I was looking at it from a somewhat jaded Psycho point of view. His premonitions may have caused him to act to save himself... Or as a justification for acting.

The ending is just unclear enough to cause one to wonder...

[Mike]

Stephen wrote: "Oksana wrote: "Stephen, what exactly made you think Teddy pushed his sister?"

I guess that I was looking at it from a somewhat jaded Psycho point of view. His premonitions may have caused him to a..."

I'm glad I found this discussion!

I think the ending is left unclear on purpose. Although I personally felt Teddy got pushed in by his sister (especially if you combine his premonitions with Salinger's descriptions of this nasty little girl), I don't think we are given a clear answer on purpose.

Unless there's an interview with Salinger in which he confirms one ending over another, I like the fact that each reader can make up his or her own ending. It revolves back to Teddy's philosophy of Solipsism in which only our own minds truly exist.

[Benja]

I remember getting the impression that it was Teddy who fell/jumped/was pushed into the empty pool.

[Vishal]

From what I remember, Teddy's sister was quite mean to him, and Teddy was too innocent and in touch with his own spirituality to want to intentionally hurt someone (that's what Salinger tried to get across about him anyway). It was as if Teddy didn't deserve to be of this world almost. My theory is that his sister pushed him as an act of juvenile nastiness, but not knowing that the pool was empty maybe? Salinger sure left it chillingly open!

[Andy]

Stephen wrote: "Given all that Teddy was talking about & given how the collection started as it did with "A Perfect Day for Bananafish", am I the only one; or did it cross anyone else's mind that Teddy may have pushed his sister into an empty swimming pool? "

Sorry man, but I can't restrain myself from saying that - why reading Salinger and then ask such a stupid questions?
The one on "Pretty Mouth..." is on the same level.