J.D. Salinger's A Perfect Day for Bananafish
At first glance, J.D. Salinger's short story 'A Perfect Day for Bananafish' is the story of a psychically-torn war veteran whose post-traumatic stress moves him to take his own life while on a second honeymoon with his wife. Indeed, that is the story, but that first glance does not reveal the inner motives and symbolic pathways Seymour Glass takes to reach the final decision to end his life. The carefully placed details and minute innuendoes are deliberate on Salinger's part, and they represent pieces of the puzzle to find out what is really happening in the protagonist's head. Indeed, 'A Perfect Day' is just one part of the Glass family saga, and Seymour's character and family become even more detailed throughout the other pieces in Salinger's Nine Stories. Regardless, even in this isolated story there are enough hints to flesh his character out from a mere psychotic war veteran into a tragically depicted human bananafish.
An analysis of the short story really has to begin with an analysis of its central character, Seymour Glass, or as Sybil innocently styles him, ?See More Glass.? I have two theories about the significance of Seymour?s name, and they hinge largely on the placement of the quotation marks in Sybil?s version of his name. If we decide that the name should be divided into ?See More? Glass - since his family name is Glass and it could be argued that the word is not significant to every member of the family in the same symbolic way as Seymour - I think the interpretation is very simple. Seymour is a mystical creature, spiritually broken in the war yet still intimately in touch with the metaphorical side of life. Therefore, Seymour merely sees...
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...ymour suggested that Muriel?s grandmother kill herself rather than pass away peacefully: ?Those horrible things he said to Granny about her plans for passing away.? These things weren?t horrible to him since he sees death as a release from the banana hole, but Muriel?s family doesn?t see it like that because it also means a release from the material pleasures they have come to treasure. Before Seymour pulls the trigger to end his own gluttonous suffering he glances over at Muriel lying on the bed, but he no longer sees her as Muriel. In the last paragraph she is referred to twice as ?the girl,? a sign that Seymour has disassociated himself with the world of bananas and is ready to release his soul from bondage. To Seymour it was a perfect day for bananafish, a perfect day to indulge in the pleasures of wealth and idolatry, but for him it was a perfect day to escape.
Young adulthood is often a time for maturing spiritually. Franny Glass, the protagonist of J.D Salinger’s novel, Franny and Zooey, began to question her religious beliefs, during this time of spiritual growth. Franny’s quest for religion caused her to become pessimistic, bitter, and emotionally unstable.
Lady Seymour and Isabel’s relationship is assembled on both of them being there for each other. An example of loyalty in their friendship is when Isabel saves Lady Seymour from dying when her house is on fire. She awakes realizing the mansion is up in flames. Isabel pulls Lady Seymour along with her, risking her own life, “I dropped the boxes and doll, draped her arm around me, and half fell down the rest of the stairs. Once on the ground floor, she tried to walk, but one of her legs was failing her. I opened the front door and dragged the two of us out to the street.” (193). Isabel takes two relics, that are important to Lady Seymour with her. She takes a painting of a yellow-haired man, Lady Seymour’s husband, and some coins. This is loyal because Isabel could have easily let Lady Seymour die while she decamped the fire. Instead, she drags weak Lady Seymour out of the fire. Isabel holds the valuables because she knows they are important to Lady Seymour and does not want to let her down. To compensate for what Isabel did for her, Lady Seymour gives Isabel money to escape with Curzon. “‘I’ll put the money back,’ I said. ‘Forgive me.’ She shook her head from side to side, her mouth movi...
The first way J.D. Salinger shows that Holden’s depression is not only affecting him, but also the people around him, is...
This book is a good book. "What I was really hanging around for, I was trying to feel some kind of a good-by. I mean I've left schools and places I didn't even know I was leaving them. I hate that. I don't care if it's a sad good-by or a bad good-by, but when I leave a place I like to know I'm leaving it. If you don't, you feel even worse. ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 1
One of the best known novels in English-speaking countries, J.D Salinger’s Catcher In The Rye deals with Holden Caulfield’s past trauma which is the triggering factor in his depression, anxiety and alienation. Holden tells an unnamed person what has happened in the three days prior to his mental breakdown. Through Holden’s relatable characteristics and Salinger’s narrative treatment, the book continues to engage audiences across generations.
Anyone with genuine interest in literature, has heard about the recent leakage of Three Stories, a collection of three short stories written by famous American writer, J. D. Salinger. While I do not support the fact, that those are now known to general public despite author’s wishes for the stories not to be published until 50 years after his death, I cannot say, that I wasn’t thrilled when I heard they leaked. I will only focus on one of the three stories here, namely The Ocean Full of Bowling Balls, precursor to the famed The Catcher in the Rye, taking place on the day of Allie’s death. More specifically I will be dealing with the meaning and symbolism behind the phrase “bowling ball” in the text.
Do you ever wish you could return to the early time of your existence where the innocence and purity of childhood enveloped you on a day-to-day basis? These were the times when committing wrong doings were not only met with meager consequences, but also expected of you by the parental guardians or guides in your life. In "The Catcher in the Rye" , written by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, expresses his yearning for this feeling continuously throughout this detailed depiction of a struggling young man who craves nothing more than to make the dream he has given his entire being to, into a reality he can physically experience. A simpler way to help readers understand his complex idea is to compare his dream to the dreams of the fabled "Fountain of Youth" that countless stories are written about. Instead of the physical attributes that staying young would give an individual, the mental ideals of innocence and purity are the cause of Holden's tireless pursuit and inability to interact and function in every facet of society. The tragedies and socially awkward life that Salinger's character endures would be extremely damaging to most any human being's, already precariously balanced, mental health. The symptoms of popular health disorders such as bipolar disorder, anti-social disorder, and anxiety disorders are expressed prominently by Holden Caulfield throughout the entire novel.
Based on a true story, this biographical drama centered around Antwone “Fish” Fisher. In the beginning of the story, he was a sailor prone to violent outbursts. On the verge of being kicked out of the Navy for repeated fighting, he is sent to a naval psychiatrist for help. Refusing to open up, Dr. Davenport slyly slips his way into getting Antwone to talk. Antwone eventually breaks down and reveals a horrific childhood with neglect and abuse. With the help of Dr. Davenport, he is able to face his past and strive for success to find the family he has never met. At the same time, he is able to turn his life around and change it dramatically. In the end, he is reunited with both his father’s side of the family and his mother who has abandoned him.
The protagonist of the novel is Victor Frankenstein. Victor has a hard time coping with life after the death of his mother. His inability to cope only gets worse with the creation of his monster. He constantly becomes ill and lives in solitude. His life is a sad story. His mother died when he was young. He creates monster that is responsible for the death of his good friend and his beloved wife. Because of the horrible news of the death of Victor’s wife, Victor’s father dies. Another important character is the monster. The monster’s life is also sad. Because of his appalling appearance, humans are afraid of him, so he is forced to be alone. When he finds a family that he believes will accept him, the family forces him to leave. However, the monster is also evil because he murders several people. Another important character is Alphonse Frankenstein, Victor’s father. Alphonse is a good father. He does what he can to console Victor and helps him become a happier person.
Books that have shaped America are slowly starting to disappear. Many of the previous social norms have fallen out of fashion, and because of this reason numerous books are beginning to become banned. Blasphemy, racism, sex, and violence are all ethical reasons for books to be censored.
Cell phones have made a big impact on the world, for example, people are using them daily, and they have influenced science, politics, and many more fields.
An idea becomes a vision, the vision develops a plan, and this plan becomes an ambition. Unfortunately for Victor Frankenstein, his ambitions and accomplishments drowned him in sorrow from the result of many unfortunate events. These events caused Victors family and his creation to suffer. Rejection and isolation are two of the most vital themes in which many dreadful consequences derive from. Victor isolates himself from his family, friends, and meant-to-be wife. His ambitions are what isolate him and brought to life a creature whose suffering was unfairly conveyed into his life. The creature is isolated by everyone including his creator. He had no choice, unlike Victor. Finally, as the story starts to change, the creature begins to take control of the situation. It is now Victor being isolated by the creature as a form of revenge. All the events and misfortunes encountered in Frankenstein have been linked to one another as a chain of actions and reactions. Of course the first action and link in the chain is started by Victor Frankenstein.
Victor Frankenstein serves as an instrument of suffering of others and contributes to the tragic vision as a whole in this novel. He hurts those surrounding him by his selfish character and his own creation plots against his master due to the lack of happiness and love. The audience should learn from Frankenstein’s tragic life and character to always remain humble. We should never try to take superiority that is not granted to us because like victor we shall suffer and perish. He had the opportunity to make a difference in his life and take responsibility as a creator but his selfishness caused him to die alone just like what he had feared.
Muhammad Ali was a man made to box. He had a great career before him since he made his first professional fight under President Eisenhower presidency. His Professional Career was really impressive. His had a great balance and was able to move his hands and feet in great speed and coordination. Ali was said to dance in the ring while destroying his opponents. Ali started fighting at a very short age, and his first teacher was Joe Martin (Hauser 18). Through hard work and discipline, he became a professional fighter and eventually the Heavyweight champion of the world. Although he lost the title twice, he regained it three times, putting him in the history books. His boxing career was put to an end when he started suffering from Parkinson's disease. This was the end of his boxing, but his greatness will never die.
As Irving Howe once observed, “The knowledge that makes us cherish innocence makes innocence unattainable.” In a dynamic society, innocence evades even the youngest members of our world; it evades even the nonexistent members of our world. J.D. Salinger explores this elusive innocence in his short story, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish." Distinct similarities appear between the main character, Seymour Glass, and Salinger including the World War II experience and attraction for younger, more innocent people (Salerno). Salinger conveys this through Seymour’s preference of a young girl’s company over his own wife's company. Throughout the story, “Salinger constantly draws attention to himself and his precocious intellect” (Daniel Moran). “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” revolves around an army veteran post-World War II who visits a beach resort with his wife but spends more time there with the young Sybil Carpenter. Using a historical context of World War II and portrayal of many different characters, Salinger effectively depicts the story of a man in a desperate search for innocence. In “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” J.D. Salinger uses symbolism and figurative language to stress the concept of unattainable innocence.