Reading Between the Lines

Does an author ever hint that something bad is going to happen? They may use a certain language, or purposely discuss specific topics that will eventually relate to a culminating event. This writing technique, called foreshadowing, allows readers to sense an onset of an event before it actually occurs. This strategy is used in many stories, and can make a story more interesting and dynamic. The story “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” by J.D. Salinger, consistently foreshadows that Seymour will commit suicide by describing Muriel and Seymour’s relationship, telling the story about the bananafish, and revealing Seymour’s unique social life.

To begin with, Seymour’s relationship with Muriel, his wife, may have been a factor that influenced him to kill himself. “The marriage between Seymour and Muriel is shown as one that is unhappy, empty, and distant” (Kerr 97). Before Seymour kills himself he glances at Muriel, who is sleeping. This indicates that Muriel is on his mind in his last moments, and could have been something that greatly influenced his decision to commit suicide. He could have been “a man who deeply desires and deeply fears love,” meaning he wants to feel loved, but it can be so bad, too, like with Muriel (Wallace 3). For a relationship to be healthy, both people need to care about each other equally, and in this case it seems Muriel is more self-centered than Seymour. In the beginning of the story the reader can interpret this because “Muriel’s ‘using the time’ reflects her own shallowness and vanity and her activities as she waits for the operator to ‘finally’ ring her room” which “suggests the degree to which she loves herself and her appearance” (Moran 2). Throughout the story readers learn Seymour had been released t...

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