Nine Stories

“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. Furthermore, the motif of rejection is used to characterize the two main protagonists shown in these short stories. Overall, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” and “Teddy” provide meaningful comparison and contrast about society, the demise of human nature, 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…

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” (15).…

rum, orange wine, and ginger beer, but the most exciting money-making thing was the auction of the cakes" (Page 77). The main protagonist Bita Plant enjoyed Jamaican traditions, including working every day to earn money, religion to praise God, and relaxation. Playing games, creating music, and telling jokes are how Jamaican people cope with the stresses of life. The Jamaican dream is to emigrate to work to earn better salaries with the US dollar or British pound. The Jamaican language is…

Bananafish represent many things in J.D. Salinger’s story “A Perfect Day For Bananafish”. Bananafish are fictional animals whom live in the ocean. They go into holes full of bananas, and eat until they are full, but cannot get back out of the hole again and eventually die. Seymour, the character who came up with the idea of bananafish, went to war, and suffers from PTSD or depression because he commits suicide at the end of the story. Seymour communicates better with children than adults; for…

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…

“But how does that prove anything? If anything, he’s more likely to be the killer,” spoke the Foreman, who preferred being called Doctor. Nevertheless, the Foreman wasn’t a medical doctor, but merely a psychologist. Juror Number Nine said, “Nonsense. He was simply trapped. Who’s he going to go to that so-called Butler? Or Mr Rutherford, himself? No, he wanted gay sex, but he’s no murder.” Juror Number Nine was the first to realize that someone was with Bailiff Bob outside the door. The noises…

I find that readings in the summer tend to be more enjoyable than those during the school year because I can attend ones that genuinely interest me. Joy Williams reading at Green Apple Books was no different. Ms. Williams walked into the bookstore wearing all black clothing and large sunglasses. Even as she began readings she failed to remove her sunglasses. Her appearance was off putting as it was clearly nighttime and she was in a bookstore. However, after hearing her read, I found her writing…

Growing up is never easy. The reason for this is that our once preconceived notions of our world is forever broken. Only then, we are forced to see the world the way it is. In JD Salinger’s Nine Stories, all the stories deal with characters being lost in their own world. Being lost, if used as an adjective, someone very confused or insecure or in great difficulties. In many ways, JD Salinger’s characters are either confused, insecure, or experiencing great difficulties in their lives. In some…

In the book, My Story, fourteen girl old girl, Elizabeth Smart, tells the story of her nine month kidnapping. Through those nine months she experienced an unreal amount of torture and she shares the intimate details of those excruciating events. Elizabeth Smart was known as kind, respectful, and shy. She started playing the harp when she was young and loved it so she played local weddings, funerals, and recitals. She also ran cross country at her high school, Bryant Intermediate School.…