Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut (Salinger)
from the Collection “Nine Stories”
Short Summary
Connecticut, approximately late 1940s. On a winter afternoon, Mary Jane visited her friend Eloise at home, apologizing for her delay due to getting lost. They began drinking heavily, reminiscing about their unfinished college years.
Eloise expressed bitterness toward her marriage and boredom with daily life, mourning her past relationship with Walt, a soldier who died in an accident. She described his gentle humor, recalling how he called her sprained ankle 'Poor Uncle Wiggily.' As Eloise became increasingly drunk, she criticized her husband Lew for lacking humor and intelligence.
Ramona, Eloise's daughter, entered briefly, quietly mentioning her imaginary friend Jimmy Jimmereeno, who soon became replaced by Mickey Mickeranno after she claimed Jimmy had been run over and killed. Eloise, irritated and upset, put Ramona to bed harshly.
Overwhelmed by grief about Walt and unhappiness with her life, Eloise went to Ramona's room. She saw Ramona sleeping far at the edge of her bed to avoid hurting her new imaginary friend.
She picked up Ramona's glasses and, holding them in both hands, pressed them against her cheek. Tears rolled down her face, wetting the lenses. 'Poor Uncle Wiggily,' she said over and over again.
Afterward, Eloise returned downstairs, sobbing drunkenly. She awoke Mary Jane and pleaded desperately for reassurance that she had once been a nice girl.
Detailed Summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
Mary Jane's Arrival and Reunion with Eloise
Mary Jane arrived at Eloise's house around three o'clock, having gotten lost despite visiting twice before. She claimed everything had been perfect until she turned off the Merrick Parkway, though Eloise corrected her, saying it was the Merritt Parkway. After retrieving her box of Kleenex from the car, Mary Jane joined Eloise, who informed her that lunch was burned. Mary Jane said she had already eaten on the road and explained she had the day off because her boss, Mr. Weyinburg, was home with a hernia.
Twenty minutes later, the two former college roommates were drinking highballs in the living room. They shared a strong bond, as neither had graduated. Eloise had been expelled in her sophomore year in 1942 after being caught with a soldier in an elevator. Mary Jane had left around the same time to marry an aviation cadet who spent two of their three married months in jail for stabbing an M.P. The women gossiped about a mutual acquaintance who had dyed her hair before marrying an unattractive soldier named Frank Henke.
While Eloise went to refill their drinks, Mary Jane was left alone in the living room. She wandered to the window, noting that the slush outside was turning to ice. When Eloise returned with the drinks, she complained about her maid Grace, who was reading 'The Robe' instead of attending to her duties. The women continued gossiping, with Mary Jane mentioning she had run into a former classmate who told her their psychology professor, Dr. Whiting, had died of cancer, weighing only sixty-two pounds at the end. Eloise showed no sympathy.
Ramona and Her Imaginary Friend Jimmy
Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Eloise's daughter, Ramona. Mary Jane was excited to see the child, whom she hadn't seen since Ramona had gotten glasses. Eloise called out to Ramona to have Grace remove her galoshes in the kitchen. When Ramona entered the room, Mary Jane noticed she was with someone named Jimmy, though no one else was visible.
Mary Jane tried to engage with Ramona, but the child was reserved. When asked about Jimmy, Ramona explained he was right there and she was holding his hand. Eloise, accustomed to her daughter's imagination, prompted Ramona to describe Jimmy to Mary Jane. Ramona described him as having green eyes, black hair, no parents, no freckles, and a sword. Mary Jane was charmed by this imaginary friend, asking if Jimmy had also removed his galoshes, to which Ramona replied that he wore boots.
Eloise explained to Mary Jane that Jimmy was a constant presence in Ramona's life—eating, bathing, and sleeping with her. Ramona even slept on one side of the bed to avoid hurting Jimmy. When Ramona asked to go outside again because Jimmy had left his sword there, Eloise reluctantly agreed. After Ramona left, Mary Jane spilled her drink on the rug, but Eloise told her to leave it.
Memories of Walt and Eloise's Unhappy Marriage
By quarter to five, both women were quite drunk. Eloise lay on her back on the floor with a drink balanced on her chest, reminiscing about Walt, a soldier she had loved before marrying Lew. She told Mary Jane that Walt was the only boy who could truly make her laugh. He had a special ability to be funny without trying, whether in person, over the phone, or in letters.
He was the only boy I ever knew that could make me laugh. I mean really laugh... He could do it when he talked to me. He could do it over the phone. He could even do it in a letter.
Eloise shared a memory of waiting for Walt at a bus stop outside the PX. When he arrived late, they ran for the bus, and she fell and twisted her ankle. Walt called it her "Poor Uncle Wiggily," a nickname for her injured ankle. Mary Jane asked if Eloise's husband Lew had a sense of humor, to which Eloise replied dismissively that he laughed at cartoons. She insisted that if one wasn't going to be a nun, one might as well laugh in life.
Once, I fell down. I used to wait for him at the bus stop, right outside the PX, and he showed up late once, just as the bus was pulling out... He said, 'Poor Uncle Wiggily.' He meant my ankle.
Eloise continued sharing memories of Walt, recalling a train ride from Trenton to New York just after he was drafted. She described how he had his hand on her stomach under her coat and joked that he wished an officer would order him to stick his other hand through the window to be fair. He also playfully told the conductor to throw his shoulders back and be proud of his uniform.
When Mary Jane asked if Eloise had ever told Lew about Walt, Eloise said she had started to once, but Lew's first question was about Walt's military rank. She shared another memory of Walt joking that his army advancement would be different—instead of getting stripes with promotions, he'd have his sleeves taken away, and as a general, he'd be naked except for an infantry button in his navel.
Eloise advised Mary Jane never to tell a husband anything honestly about past relationships. She claimed men want to believe their wives had no interest in other men before them. Even if they listen maturely, they'll use the information against their wives later. When Mary Jane questioned why Eloise married Lew, Eloise revealed he had lied about loving Jane Austen's books. His actual favorite author was L. Manning Vines, who wrote about men starving in Alaska.
If you ever get married again, don't tell your husband anything. Do you hear me?... They wanna think you spent your whole life vomiting every time a boy came near you. I'm not kidding, either.
The Truth About Walt's Death
Mary Jane persisted in asking Eloise why she wouldn't tell Lew that Walt had been killed, suggesting that Lew wouldn't be jealous of someone who had died. Eloise responded that Lew would be worse—"a ghoul." She explained that Lew only knew she had dated a "wisecracking G.I." named Walt, and she would never tell him Walt had died. If she did, she would say he died in action, not the truth.
Despite Eloise's reluctance, Mary Jane begged to know how Walt had died, promising not to tell anyone. Finally, Eloise revealed that Walt's regiment had been resting between battles when he and another soldier were packaging or repackaging a Japanese stove for a colonel who wanted to send it home. The stove was full of gasoline and exploded in their faces. Walt was killed, while the other soldier only lost an eye. As she told the story, Eloise began to cry.
Walt and some other boy were putting this little Japanese stove in a package... it was all full of gasoline and junk and it exploded in their faces. The other boy just lost an eye.
The front door opened, and Ramona returned. Eloise, still crying, asked Mary Jane to tell Grace to give Ramona an early dinner. Mary Jane went to the kitchen but returned with Ramona, who was still wearing her galoshes because Grace was in the bathroom. Eloise asked Ramona what happened to Jimmy, and Mary Jane explained that Jimmy had been "runned over and killed." Ramona seemed unconcerned, more interested in telling her mother about seeing a dog named Skipper with a bone.
Eloise felt Ramona's forehead and, finding her slightly feverish, told her to have dinner upstairs and go straight to bed. After Ramona left, Eloise and Mary Jane had another drink. Mary Jane was amazed by Ramona's imagination, particularly how quickly she had replaced Jimmy with a new imaginary friend.
Eloise's Breakdown and Moment of Tenderness
At seven o'clock, the phone rang. Eloise, now quite drunk, answered it and told the caller, presumably Lew, that she couldn't meet him because Mary Jane's car was blocking hers. She suggested he get a ride with Dick and Mildred or form a platoon and march home. After hanging up, she finished what was left in the Scotch bottle.
When Grace asked if her husband could spend the night in her room since he didn't need to return to New York until morning, Eloise refused, saying she wasn't "running a hotel." After Grace left, Eloise went upstairs to Ramona's room. Finding one of Ramona's galoshes on the landing, she threw it violently over the banister.
Entering Ramona's room, Eloise woke her daughter and demanded to know why she had told her Jimmy was dead if she was still sleeping on one side of the bed. Ramona, confused and frightened, explained she was now making room for Mickey Mickeranno, a new imaginary friend. Enraged, Eloise ordered Ramona to move to the center of the bed, and when Ramona didn't comply, Eloise physically moved her.
Ramona was sleeping far over on one side of the bed... 'I don't want to hurt Mickey.' 'Who?' 'Mickey,' said Ramona, rubbing her nose. 'Mickey Mickeranno.'
After turning off the light, Eloise stood in the doorway for a long time. Suddenly, she rushed back to the night table, picked up Ramona's glasses, and pressed them against her cheek as tears rolled down her face. "Poor Uncle Wiggily," she repeated, using Walt's old term of endearment. She put the glasses back, then tucked Ramona in. Noticing that Ramona was awake and crying, Eloise kissed her on the mouth and wiped the hair from her eyes before leaving.
Downstairs, Eloise woke Mary Jane, who had fallen asleep on the couch. Sobbing, she asked Mary Jane if she remembered their freshman year when she had bought a brown-and-yellow dress in Boise and cried all night after being told by another student that nobody wore such dresses in New York. "I was a nice girl, wasn't I?" Eloise pleaded, suggesting a longing for her former, more innocent self.
'Mary Jane. Listen. Please,' Eloise said, sobbing. 'You remember our freshman year, and I had that brown-and-yellow dress I bought in Boise... I was a nice girl,' she pleaded, 'wasn't I?'