March 2: Morrow's Mother, Spiritual, "The Book of Genesis Illustrated," New Cartoon

I have her a good look.  She didn't look like any dope to me.  She looked like she might have a pretty damn good idea what a bastard she was the mother of.  But you can't always tell--with somebody's mother, I mean.  Mothers are all slightly insane.  The thing is, though, I liked old Morrow's mother.  She was all right.  "Would you care for a cigarette?" I asked her.

Holden comes on to practically every woman he meets in Catcher, young and old.  Mrs. Morrow is the mother of one of his Pencey classmates.  I read an interesting article online about Holden.  The authors claim that Holden is on a spiritual quest.  Despite all his claims to "sexiness," the article says, Holden really is looking for the true Mother and Father (the Blessed Virgin and God).  It's an interesting take on Salinger's book, and Holden does spend a good deal of time talking about church and religion in its pages.  I'm not completely sold on Mrs. Morrow being a stand-in for Christ's mother, but it certainly transforms Holden's crisis.

However, spiritual texts sometimes come from the most unexpected sources.  Holden is an atheist, yet he seems to be drawn to Catholicism.  R. Crumb, the underground comic illustrator from the 1960s, was drawn to the Bible.  He spent five years of his life researching and illustrating the Book of Genesis.  The result, The Book of Genesis Illustrated, is astounding.  Crumb writes in his introduction,

Every other comic book version of the Bible that I've seen contains passages of completely made-up narrative and dialogue, in an attempt to streamline and "modernize" the old Scriptures, and still, these various comic book Bibles all claim to adhere to the belief that the Bible is "the word of God," or "inspired by God," whereas I, ironically, do not believe the Bible is "the word of God."  I believe it is the words of men.  It is, nonetheless, a powerful text with layers of meaning that reach deep into our collective consciousness, our historical consciousness, if you will.

Yet, in reading Crumb's visual interpretation of Genesis, he is able to bring these words of God (or man, if you agree with the artist) to life in ways that few other versions of the Bible have done.  The illustrations are not pretty.  Crumb does not shy away from the seedier elements.  He is at his best showing all the human failings in Genesis, violent and sexual and heartbreaking.  Perhaps, in a way, Crumb is on a spiritual quest with The Book of Genesis Illustrated, looking for the divine in the depravity of humankind.  The illustration of God entrusting Adam and Eve with the Garden of Eden captures both the innocence and sensuality of the moment:

 

God looks benevolent and frightening.  Adam and Eve look child-like and sexual.  The world is full of life and wonder, but there is a  mountain in the distance, perhaps hinting at some distant hardship.  If the words Crumb illustrates are divinely written or inspired, these illustrations are windows into that writing and inspiration.

Like Salinger, R. Crumb may have, unintentionally, created something spiritual or sacred.

Saint Marty wishes he'd had Crumb's book as a kid.  He might have paid more attention in his religion classes.

Confessions of Saint Marty