In J.D. Salinger’s famous short story “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” Seymour Glass returns from war after having experienced atrocities to a wife and a society that are materialistic and unempathetic. He feels lonely and trapped, with a wife invested in only herself and an unempathetic society. Seymour realizes that nobody in his life comprehends his struggles to adjust to a post war America because they are so focused on material objects rather than people.
Seymour’s wife Muriel reveals her selfish and materialistic nature as she chats on the phone with her mother. Before the call even starts, Muriel is putting her own needs before anybody else’s as she makes sure her nail polish is perfect before going to answer the phone. Once on the …show more content…
When the setting shifts to Seymour on the beach, it is clear that he is lonely and desperately wants to share his pain and be understood. He feels that the only people he can talk to are children, specifically Sybil because they do not judge him. When he sees Sybil coming down the beach, he greets her with an “I was waiting for you” (11). Seymour even jokes with Sybil, teasing about her “blue swim suit” even though it is actually yellow (12). He tells Sybil about the bananafish in order to try and relieve some of the pain he is feeling. He is relaxed and playful with the children, certainly different from what Muriel’s mother described him as on the phone. The bananafish symbolize Seymour and all of the awful thoughts he is having after the war. Seymour describes the bananafish as “pigs” and that they “lead a very tragic life” (15-16). The bananafish, before gorging themselves to death symbolize greedy soldiers before the war who are accustomed to the materialistic American society. The bananafish stuck in the hole represents the soldiers coming back from the war who feel devastated that their society doesn’t feel compassion for what they went through and the destruction of lives they witnessed. Sybil, being a child, does not understand the depth of the story Seymour tells her, yet he feels the need to let out all the pain he was feeling inside. Seymour leaves the beach
Seymour’s wife Muriel reveals her selfish and materialistic nature as she chats on the phone with her mother. Before the call even starts, Muriel is putting her own needs before anybody else’s as she makes sure her nail polish is perfect before going to answer the phone. Once on the …show more content…
When the setting shifts to Seymour on the beach, it is clear that he is lonely and desperately wants to share his pain and be understood. He feels that the only people he can talk to are children, specifically Sybil because they do not judge him. When he sees Sybil coming down the beach, he greets her with an “I was waiting for you” (11). Seymour even jokes with Sybil, teasing about her “blue swim suit” even though it is actually yellow (12). He tells Sybil about the bananafish in order to try and relieve some of the pain he is feeling. He is relaxed and playful with the children, certainly different from what Muriel’s mother described him as on the phone. The bananafish symbolize Seymour and all of the awful thoughts he is having after the war. Seymour describes the bananafish as “pigs” and that they “lead a very tragic life” (15-16). The bananafish, before gorging themselves to death symbolize greedy soldiers before the war who are accustomed to the materialistic American society. The bananafish stuck in the hole represents the soldiers coming back from the war who feel devastated that their society doesn’t feel compassion for what they went through and the destruction of lives they witnessed. Sybil, being a child, does not understand the depth of the story Seymour tells her, yet he feels the need to let out all the pain he was feeling inside. Seymour leaves the beach