A Perfect Day For A Bananafish Summary

This current cultural environment of materialism during the post-World War II period inspired J.D Salinger to pen the short story “A Perfect Day for a Bananafish.” It is a story that details the suicide of Seymour Glass. Salinger, in his story, critiques the materialist consumerism that arose after the second world war. The American society has not been severely impacted by the war in comparison to Europe. The country was also doing well finally, and the economic prosperity that arises during the war meant that a large number of the population has sufficient finances to make unnecessary purchases (Franssen, 158). This lead to the emergence of a society that was characterized by greediness and spendthrifts. Essentially, suicide is an accomplishment in a "phony" society that is based on materialism.

The story is set in Florida in 1948. Salinger and his wife go to the state for a vacation. The story occurs three years after the World War II, and it is an important time in history. Salinger worked as a staff sergeant in the Army, and he served in the war from 1942 to 1946. He was awarded five battle stars for

Due to his experiences in the war, Seymour finds solace in interacting with children. Their innocence has a calming effect on him, and it allows how to cope with his psychological distress that arose from the war. He considers children as straightforward and innocent who are not affected by suffering and greed that is the norm among the adult population. Seymour prefers interacting with children as his wife focuses on the earthy pleasures. She is too engrossed in class and appearances. Seymour finds it easier to interact with Sybil in a calm manner (Duvall, 69). By speaking a language that Sybil is accustomed to, he creates a closer relationship with the child. Essentially, this would mean that Seymour is trying to adopt to the child-like innocence by interacting with children rather than