A Perfect Day for Bananafish

Images of war lingering in the mind of a soldier from WWII, for one with these thoughts it can be difficult to come back to society and live a normal life. J.D. Salinger writes about a young man by the name of Seymour Glass, who has returned from war and struggles to fit into society. In the short story “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” Seymour struggles in a life of alienation from society; a corrupt world with the lack of innocence. He tries to find innocence in this life and he holds on dearly to what little innocence he finds. In the end, he cannot live anymore and decides to end his search for innocence. Seymour Glass’ life was depicted as a life full of opportunity after war, what the other characters of the short story “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” do not know is that Seymour Glass is stuck between a world of innocence and adulthood. In the beginning of the short story Muriel was introduced, the wife of Seymour. Muriel is in a telephone call with her mother; this conversation was about the worries Muriel’s mother has about the mental state of Seymour. During this phone call Muriel’s name is not said until the end of the call; throughout the call Muriel was referred to as “she” and…

work. In his book, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” J. D. Salinger presents three bold literary terms. While it is obvious that Seymour Glass is suffering from a mental disorder, it is difficult to decipher exactly which. It becomes obvious to the reader through the use of point of view, ambiguity, and inferences that this story can be interpreted multiple ways. One technique used if point-of-view, which helps the reader understand the characters. Salinger uses third person omniscient, which…

“A Perfect Day for Bananafish” and “Teddy”: Salinger’s Commentary on the American Society In J.D. Salinger’s Nine Stories, featuring “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” and “Teddy”, he skillfully illustrates the societal struggles of materialism and worldliness, and its destructive impact on people’s personal lives. Through his complex characters, Salinger depicts how the American lifestyle erodes the core values of family, as shown in his portrayal of marriage, and the neglect of children.…

In “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” J.D. Salinger uses a conglomeration of symbols and motifs to represent Seymour and the materialism and greed of adults in society; Diction and a motif of different colors portray his feelings and emotions which may have led him to take his own life after the war. Seymour comes home from the war and can not merge into society. Salinger uses the bananafish to represent Seymour’s life; Seymour goes to war and the bananafish “swim into a banana hole” (Salinger).…

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…

J.D. Salinger was a writer for his entire life and published many writings about his secret living. He was drafted in 1940, to fight in World War II, he wrote letters of what he experienced in the war. After the war, he published A Perfect Day for Bananafish and it was found in the “The New Yorker”, it was one of the most influential writings. J.D. Salinger’s life throughout World War II reflects in his writings by making comparisons, references hostility, A topic that reflected in Salinger’s…

Now death is another predominant theme in Salinger’s works and depending on the stories plot and characters death can play various roles. For instance, in “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” death or suicide is Seymour’s character and state of mind. In Seymour’s case death is treated as an escape for him as he cannot function comfortable in his everyday life. Wiegand notes that “Seymour can express himself only to a little girl” and that “the secretly prying eyes of others he is unable to bear”…

“When we are children we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind.” (Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind) Patrick Rothfuss analyses how childhood innocence and the lack of responsibility can be irresistible. For some, transitioning from the simplicity of youth to the daunting reality of adulthood can be a demanding task. Holden Caufield in The Catcher in the Rye and…

“Post-Traumatic Stress Injury isn't a disease. It's a wound to the soul that never heals” Tom Glenn. The short story A Perfect day for Bananafish is a story about a war veteran named Seymour who is having a hard time adjusting to his new normal life. Throughout the story, Seymour does things that show he is struggling with PTSD and the loss of his innocence. We can learn that war can change people and they may never be the same. The story starts out with Muriel on the phone with her mother in…

I have read many short stories in my time. Some of them have well rounded characters, some of them have flat characters. Some characters in narratives are easy to understand, everyone knows everything about them, but, there a few stories where the protagonist is misunderstood. There is one character that sticks out among all of them I know. That character is Seymour Glass, the protagonist in “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”. This is also the character I will be focusing on in this essay. We know…