She awoke to a loud ringing sound reverberating in her ears and a man, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, slumped over on the bed next to her. Muriel did not notice her own screams until the ringing subsided several seconds later. The suicide of her husband, Seymour, was a very unexpected and shocking occurrence for Muriel at the time of the incident. But how shocking and unexpected was it? The unknown portion of this tale, A Perfect Day for Bananafish, is how much Muriel suspected of Seymour’s mental illness. Muriel is a beautiful, young, American woman that waited out the war for her man to return to marry her. She appears to be very materialistic and slightly narcissistic based on her actions early on in the story. These actions lead the reader to believe that she truly did not have any way of knowing that Seymour would off himself, but it is quite possible that J. D. Salinger wants the reader to believe this in order to overlook the truth. The truth, in this case, is that there is a possibility that Muriel knew all along that Seymour had a problem and simply chose to ignore the elephant in the room. In this case, the ‘elephant’ is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder displayed by doctor’s warnings, attempted self-harming, and suicide. Seymour could have been saved if Muriel had not been so vain in her neglect of her husband’s life.

Muriel’s “inattention” towards her husband’s well-being ultimately resulted in his suicide, although it could have been prevented. Early on in A Perfect Day for Bananafish, Muriel calls her mother to assure her that she is safe in Florida with Seymour. Her mother is understandably concerned about her safety and advises Muriel to be careful around her husband. “Dr. Sivetski said Seymour may completely lose contr--” (Salinger 4). Muriel proceeds to rudely interrupt her mother and not heed her warning that Seymour may do something out of line. She changes topics instantly in order to avoid the pressing matter of her husband’s health, and by doing so at this point, she is evidently displaying that she wishes to avoid the subject of Seymour’s health. Earlier in the dialogue between Muriel and her mother, a brief account of the history of Seymour’s illness is introduced. “Did he try any of that funny business with the trees?” (Salinger 3). Her mother asks this and is assured by her daughter that Seymour drove wonderfully. The reader should automatically see something slightly strange with how nonchalant this conversation appears to be. Context clues lead one to believe that Seymour previously drove a car into the trees, which should be a red flag to the Glass family that there is something horribly wrong. This is just another instance in which Muriel blatantly ignores her husband’s desperate cries for help. Seymour’s final distress signal to his wife comes as she is sleeping. “…he went over and sat down on the unoccupied twin bed, looked at the girl, aimed the pistol, and fired a bullet through his right temple” (Salinger 9). Muriel ignored her husband’s baggage all the way through the end. Her sleep during the suicide is the final act of ignorance done to her husband. It is quite possible that Muriel merely appeared to be asleep in this scene, yet was awoken by Seymour entering the room. If this were true, then she actively ignored her husband and she is guilty of murder, but this is purely speculation. The story ends at this point, allowing the reader to imagine a plethora of possible outcomes for Muriel Glass.

The paramedics rushed into 507 to find a shell-shocked young woman crying at the window seat and a man, dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. During the commotion, the young man from 203 appeared in the doorway and scooped the shaking Muriel off her feet to drive off into the sunset together. This scenario is not a farfetched outcome based upon the evidence stacked against Muriel. However, it is more likely that she left for home, or another big city, to start a new life with another man. Instead of attempting to seek out assistance for her helpless husband, she deliberately dodged the white elephant that was Seymour’s mental illness. The death of Seymour Glass was awfully tragic, and perhaps Salinger wanted the reader to acknowledge Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a serious illness, particularly in the years immediately following World War II. A Perfect Day for Bananafish brings to light a serious issue in the lives of a vast majority of combat veterans around the world and serves as a warning sign to the families of those afflicted by such a serious affliction.  
