In JD Salinger’s “A Perfect Day for bananafish” a WW2 veteran and his struggles to communicate with the materialistic society is put into perspective, causing a fatal ending. Seymour has returned from WW2 and it appears he just is not the same man he used to be. Being distant and struggling to communicate with anyone in the materialistic society he has returned to. Even Seymour’s wife struggles to talk or have a decent relationship with him. There are many situations that unfold as the couple are in Florida for vacation. There are additional themes as well as symbolism revealed, for example the search for innocence once returning home for Seymour. The bananafish are representative of symbolism, creating a fictional creature. In Seymour’s reality this relates to numerous entities. 

The main theme I’d like to emphasize is communication, JD Salinger utilizes the character Seymour Glass and his struggle to communicate in society as an adult. He does this by taking the reader on a journey with Seymour and his awkwardness with the materialistic society after returning from war. Referring to multiple forms of communication through the stories really lets you form an opinion for the characters. We first see the communication between Muriel and her mother. They participate in a heedless discussion in which Muriel never truly hears her mom's stresses concerning Seymour and Muriel's mom never accepts the fact that Muriel sort of is ignoring the whole issue. The two ladies talk at each other as opposed to with each other. Muriel makes an attempt to talk to the psychiatrist at the resort however conveniently the conversation was drowned out by noise around them. Seymour is altogether not capable to speak with other individuals of age, ever since the war he has been in search of innocence in society and the only thing delivering that comfort is smaller children like Sybil. Once again we see Seymour having a good time and communicating very clearly with young ones. There are a couple of situations where he’s in the presence of a child and they hit it off. For example, when playing the piano and having children sit beside you or going to fish for a rather rare species together. The whole time Seymour and Sybil are gone they are having a great time and Seymour is being completely normal in terms of communication. This is the opposite of the way he feels within, feeling like an untouchable or someone who is unfit for society. Throughout the remainder of this entry I will continue to refer back to themes of communication as well as miscommunication.

Seymour battles between the universe of grown sexuality and universe of innocence.  Scarred from the horrific encounters during war, causing mental and emotional damage. Seymour feels it is difficult to communicate with adults, naturally he finds comfort in kids. These children Seymour finds himself attracted to have not yet experienced the trials and tribulations of the world and the unforgiving ruthlessness of everyday life. In Seymour’s case it’s a different matter, the War has scarred him and you can’t just wish away something you’ve witnessed with your own eyes. The primary source that brings Seymour peace and clarity is the innocent children who have not yet been conflicted by the unforgiving harshness of society. In Seymour’s case he finds innocence in children as a result of engaging in warfare, The War obviously altered Seymour’s perception on everything and everyone seemed to realize it. With that being said, Muriel had no interest in being with him on vacation. If she did she was doing one heck of a job playing it off, she spent their time on vacation engaging in fashion shows and separating herself from Seymour. Seymour on the other hand during this time is engaging in the only form of communication that works for him, kicking it with the kids. Seymour is in search of this so called innocence he once knew. Regardless of the desired isolation from Muriel emotionally or inwardly, there is no question that she is physically present. Which in some ways I feel it is ironic that she is always there in a sense, all the way until the end. Although she was sleeping; this is what catches my attention. Is it possible that Seymour decided to end his life due to the shift in culture from the time he left and returned? 

The idea of seeing lingers throughout “A Perfect Day for bananafish.” Seymour’s name sounds like “see more,” and his last name is Glass. Therefore, I can definitely see how Sybil’s mother could be confused every time Sybil said “See more glass.” Sybil’s name also references seeing; in Greek mythology, a sibyl was a seer. Seymour, or “see more,” suggests that Seymour is literally able to see more than other people. Because of his traumatic experiences in the war, he has a greater understanding of life and can recognize the materialism and superficiality of the world around him. Like Seymour, Sybil can see what others cannot, though her openness is a function of her childishness rather than of trauma and regret. She easily sees the imaginary bananafish that Seymour tells her about and is therefore able to “see” Seymour in a way the adults in his life cannot. There are some additional points that catch my attention, for example Sybil in Greek mythology is a seer. In essence Sybil and Seymour both can see more than the rest of the people can, he has experienced WW2 and Sybil is just a child who hasn’t seen anything yet. She has not yet been introduced to the ugliness and trauma of life.  Seymour acquired a much deeper understanding for things yet personally I feel he lost himself while spending time over there, eventually forgetting or doubting his purpose. In an attempt to demonstrate how truly he felt that he understood life and who he was, he took his life with a hand gun he’d packed underneath some clothing items in his luggage.

I tend to ask myself as I read through this story repeatedly, why would Seymour never say goodbye or leave a note. When asking yourself this question you can only assume the obvious, probably because he didn’t want to leave one. I do feel that the situation was spur of the moment, but Muriel was sleeping on the bed across from him and he just took his life right there. Part of me feels like the disconnect there is the fact that she can’t relate to a war-like situation like a friend of yours or someone very close to you dying, or even seeing all the blood and watching the life drain out their eyes personally. Muriel is more infatuated with the luxuries of this life, the fashion, the expensive and popular aspects of society, Fitting the typical stereotype perfectly. Regardless of what Muriel thinks, Seymour needs help and it sounds as if they might get him to help upon his arrival back home. Waiting too long could have possibly cost Muriel who is more focused on her wardrobe and luxurious lifestyle than the emotional state of her husband. 

Seymour and Sybil are out on the boat going fishing for bananafish, as they approach the spot for this fictitious fish there is an obvious connection between the two, their communication has advanced more than any other character. Continuing to begin to fish for this fake entity, Seymour spins the tale of the bananafish and as he is continuing to talk you can sense the emotion and the relativity that comes along with the bananafish. Seymour states: “Well, they swim into a hole where there's a lot of bananas. They're very ordinary- looking fish when they swim in. But once they get in, they behave like pigs. Why, I've known some bananafish to swim into a banana hole and eat as many as seventy-eight bananas” (Salinger 8). Continuing this discussion of the fish, Salinger describes the bananafish in a way that displays much of his personal life, the fish could represent a number of things. Going into war as a clean cut well trained, well mannered man. After spending time away in whatever hostile environment especially WW2. Continuing to go out on the front lines into the action day after day, seeing the things you do and then coming back to a materialistic society accompanied by your new completely altered perception on life. When referencing the bananafish just imagine Seymour in WW2 with blood stained boots and dead bodies along with bullets amongst him, this consumed the bananafish. Seymour is the bananafish who was ordinary but “once they get in, they behave like pigs” (Salinger 8) those men in Vietnam had to be pigs in that situation. Explaining why he communicates so much better with Sybil and younger kids, Seymour is searching for innocence; anything that will bring some comfort and remind him of when he last felt innocence. Wrapping up his little tale about the fish Sybil says she spots a bananafish and all of a sudden Seymour is very exited and actually kisses the arch of her foot: “I just saw one."

"Saw what, my love?""A bananafish.""My God, no!" said the young man. "Did he have any bananas in his mouth?" "Yes," said Sybil. "Six." The young man suddenly picked up one of Sybil's wet feet, which were drooping over the end of the float, and kissed the arch.” (Salinger 8) 

In JD Salinger's "A Perfect Day for bananafish" a WW2 veteran and his battle to speak with the materialistic culture is placed in context, ending lethally. Seymour is not the same person he was before he left, PTSD took over and the physiological damage done was obviously too much to bare. Following somewhat of a confrontation with a lady in the elevator caused by her supposedly looking at Seymour’s feet, he then did the unimaginable. “He glanced at the girl lying asleep on one of the twin beds. Then he went over to one of the pieces of luggage, opened it, and from under a pile of shorts and undershirts he took out an Ortgies Calibre 7.65 automatic. He released the magazine, looked at it, then reinserted it. He cocked the piece. Then 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.” 
