Personal Notes of an Infantryman

"Personal Notes of an Infantryman" is an uncollected work of short fiction by J. D. Salinger which appeared in the December 12, 1942 issue of Collier's.

Plot

The story concerns an older man trying to get in the military, and then overseas to combat, despite the obstacles in his way. Collier's published it in the December 12, 1942 issue.

Here is a line from the piece.<blockquote>Then Lawlor said something to me that sent a terrific thrill up my back. He bent over slightly and leaned across my desk. “I want action,” he said. “Can’t you understand that? I want action.”</blockquote>

Critical Assessment

An example of Salinger’s early single-page “patriotic bromides” published by Collier’s during WWII, the story includes “a cute-to-sickening” surprise ending. It was part of the magazine's "Short Short Story" series illustrated by Warren Baumgartner. A “glib comedy,” the story contrasts with Salinger’s more serious-minded tales dealing with men and boys at war, such as “Soft-Boiled Sergeant” (1944).

Written as an expedient to sustain his early success as a published writer, Salinger, aware of “which magazines like what kind of writing,” formulated “Personal Notes of an Infantryman” to make it particularly appealing to Collier’s editors: “A neatly predictable O. Henry ending…imbued with patriotism and a warmth toward the military.” Biographer Kenneth Slawenski reports on Salinger’s own appraisal of the story:

Footnotes

Sources

• Slawenski, Kenneth. 2010. J. D. Salinger: A Life. Random House, New York.
• 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.