Does the narrative create adequate imagination to fix the reader for the lurid event on which the narrative ends? Did Seymour have adequate ground to travel to the extreme of perpetrating self-destruction? To reply these inquiries and more on how imagination has been used to do significance in this narrative, a critical analyses follows on “ A Perfect Day for Bananafish ” , by J.D. Salinger.
In the first subdivision of this narrative, the writer, Salinger, make usage of duologue to stress the superficiality of both Muriel and her female parent. It can be seen that Muriel and her female parent instead negotiations at each other than with each other, and none of them genuinely win. Seymour and Sybil are the lone characters that seem wholly able to pass on efficaciously with each other. Unfortunately communicating seems to be a job for the characters during the narrative. Mrs. Carpenter hears “ See more Class ” while Sybil is speaking about “ Seymour Glass ” . The female parent and girl negotiations different linguistic communications and this reveals the distance between their universes. Unlike Sybil ‘s female parent, Seymour understands the linguistic communication of small Sybil and this make them link about in a childly manner. The fact that Muriel mistakes Seymour ‘s physical wellness could be the most tragic deficiency of communicating. Seymour seems like he has no desire to explicate to Muriel what ‘s traveling on in his head and how he feels.
In the 2nd portion of the narrative, a immature miss named Sybil Carpenter, finds Seymour on the beach insulating himself. For the lone clip, Seymour reveals his ideas about his married woman in response to Sybil ‘s inquiry. When she asks him “ Where is the lady? ” ( Salinger 91 ) his reply shows he is discouraged with the lady. Deep she may non be, but she can be capable of goodness Acts of the Apostless and even altruism. He forces Sybil to alter the topic by stating “ Ask me something else ” ( Salinger 91 ) . With this he starts a infantile word-play.
Seymour connects with the simple infantile artlessness that is free from all the greed in his life. Sybil communicates with him in a manner that calms him, unlike his married woman, Muriel, that ‘s fixated with category and her visual aspect. It seems that Seymour is cognizant of his difference from society. There is no 1 to portion his solitariness and desperation with. It can look like he is about fearful of himself that can be why he ends his conversation with Sybil so promptly. It seems to be impossible for Seymour to return to innocence. Though he is much distanced emotionally from Muriel, she is clearly physically present.
A
Several differences in this narrative can be distinguished. First the small miss, Sybil, see the name as “ See More Glass ” piece we as the reader see it as Seymour Class. Although these two characters are precisely the same individual, they are besides in different development phases. On the beach Seymour tells Sybil “ that a all right bathing suit you have on. If there ‘s one thing I like, it ‘s a bluish bathing suit. ” Sybil corrects him because of the fact that she is really have oning a xanthous 1. He so makes it off as a gag, possibly go forthing the reader with oppugning ideas. After recognizing that Seymour ‘s ain bathing suit is besides bluish, every bit good as the ocean they are swimming in, the reader could perchance make the imagination of artlessness. The whole subject in the reader ‘s head is now built around artlessness. Seymour ‘s artlessness makes it possible for him to link with Sybil on the same degree. That ‘s why he sees her xanthous costume as blue. It could be that Seymour “ Sees more ” than the mean reader and is about every bit delicate as glass. The name Carpenter can be associated with Jesus Christ who besides, merely like Seymour, died as an guiltless adult male, merely few certain people known of his connexion with God.
The Bananafish can be the first fanciful animals that feed themselves on bananas, and subsequently dice of banana febrility, to stand for the returning of Seymour from the war, fighting with society. For Seymour the universe is all about philistinism and greed. He is like the foreigner that can non happen any mercantile establishment for all the emotions he carries day-to-day inside him. He does non understand Muriel and her household ‘s universe at all. Like the bananafish who can non get away their holes because of eating excessively much bananas, Seymour can non get away all his emotions.
Sing is the following imagination in this narrative. Sybil ‘s name can easy cite to a Sybil that was a visionary in Greek mythology. Seymour, that sounds like “ see more ” suggest that Seymour is possibly able to see literally more than usual people do. His experience in the war can give him a greater acknowledgment of the environing philistinism in his life. Sybil and Seymour have in common that they can see what the normal individual can non. As she can easy see Seymour ‘s fanciful banafish, she can besides “ see ” him in a manner the other grownups around him can non.
Other elements of this narrative can be analyzed in pages, such as the caressing of Sybil ‘s pess and tan grades. The purpose of the writer can be to do the reader think that Seymour sees more, the universe is to pervert for him, he is to tender and therefore self-destruction is the best flight. On Seymour ‘s manner to his room at the terminal of the narrative, he ends up with a adult female in an lift. He accuses her. “ If you want to look at my pess, say so. But do n’t be a God-damned sneak about it ” ( Salinger 96 ) . This sudden attitude is unexpected from his temper few proceedingss ago on the beach. It could stress that Seymour is so unstable. It proves the intuition that is set by the reader earlier in the narrative when Muriel talked to her female parent on the phone about Seymour ‘s status.
Then the unexpected happens, Seymour commits suicide. The ground for this could likely be the fact that he might hold lost path with the religious surrounding universe, seeing that this universe is largely all about philistinism. It could be that Seymour is the bananafish who is caught and can non travel or get away to accomplish higher spiritualism and certain features that he longs for. Suicide seems like the lone opportunity to get away and possibly get down all over once more someplace else. All the actions during the narrative lead to a buildup, which does n’t do the self-destruction a surprise at the terminal, but instead a shocking act.
“ A Perfect Day for Bananafish ” , by J.D. Salinger is so in some ways cryptic. Seymour is married to Muriel. He finds himself on a beautiful vacation resort and spends his clip on the beach, holding playful clip with small Sybil, a kid of the hotels invitees. Why, so, suicide would be his lone manner at the terminal? Reasons for this to be such a meaningful narrative, could be of the fact that it leaves the reader with a batch of inquiries, merely as any self-destruction in world besides does. Nothing in Seymour ‘s life is really tragic adequate to drive him to such a tragic and violent act.
The enigma why Seymour kills himself in the terminal is portion of the ground why “ a Perfect Day for Bananafish ” is such meaningful and successful narrative. It leaves the reader with a batch of inquiries, merely as any self-destruction in world besides does. Nothing in Seymour ‘s life is truly tragic plenty to drive him to such a tragic and violent act.
