Soft-Boiled Sergeant
| "Soft-Boiled Sergeant" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by J. D. Salinger | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Saturday Evening Post |
| Publication date | 26 February, 1944 |
“Soft-Boiled Sergeant” is an uncollected work of short fiction by J. D. Salinger which appeared in the 26 February, 1944 issue of The Saturday Evening Post.[1][2]
Plot
"Soft-Boiled Sergeant" chronicles a young soldier's entry into the military. The title refers to the good-natured Staff Sergeant, Burke, whom the young soldier meets. Burke helps him to go through difficulties with other people and helps him overcome some of his nervousness among the other soldiers and the environment.
History
The piece was originally titled "Death of a Dogface" and the magazine's decision to change the title, as well as use a "cute" illustration to accompany the piece, made Salinger deeply resentful.[3]
Footnotes
- ^ Wenke, 1991 p. 167: Selected Bibliography
- ^ Levine, Paul (October 1958). "The Development of the Misfit Hero". Twentieth Century Literature. IV: 92–99.
- ^ Alexander, Paul (14 July 2000). Salinger: A Biography. New York: Renaissance Books. ISBN 978-1580631488.
Sources
- Slawenski, Kenneth. 2010. J. D. Salinger: A Life. Random House, New York. ISBN 978-1-4000-6951-4
- Wenke, John. 1991. J. D. Salinger: A Study of the Short Fiction. Twaynes Studies in Short Fiction, Gordon Weaver, General Editor. Twayne Publishers, New York. ISBN 0-8057-8334-2
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