In this assignment , we were asked to give a deep analysis of any given character that we would like to discuss in any of the given assigned readings done in this class. Once we chose a character, we were to analyze and diagnose our character with a mental disorder, providing evidence to support our claim.
Gerardo Rosas Garcia
Professor Nicholas Otte
FIQWS 10108
Character Profile Assignment (Story Analysis)
In “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”, J.D Salinger through such strong use of dialogue we see such themes that are present, that allow for a clear understanding of why Salinger wrote the story. Through dialogue, it is where we get to further understand and see the connections between the characters present. Salinger’s use of dialogue allows for a better perspective of what type of personality each character has. In “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”, Salinger talks about the experiences he was faced with when returning from World War 2. Through the text, Salinger talks about his perception of others and the way society may perceive them as. One of the characters mentioned in “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” is Seymour who is mentioned coming back from World War 2 and is faced with such an opposite world.
As Seymour arrived, it appeared that he was struggling and acted in such abnormal ways upon his arrival from war. Although not directly stated, one was able to reason this through what Muriel and her mother discussed through the phone call they had at the beginning of the story. Through parts of the conversation, Muriel had with her mother it appeared that the mom was more worried than Muriel, who is the wife of Seymour. In “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”, Muriel’s mom states “I told your father you’d probably call last night. But, no, he had to. Are you all right, Muriel? Tell me the truth” (Salinger 1). Through this, we can tell that her mother is extremely worried about anything Seymour might do that might put at risk the safety of Muriel. However, Muriel tends to disregard and calm her mother’s worries and reassures her that Seymour is doing alright and there isn’t much to worry about. Muriel’s mom told her, “When I think of how you waited for that boy all through the war”(Salinger 3), one was able to conclude that Seymour was overseas, fighting at war. Being at war and being released from the “hospital “ (Salinger 2), are main contributors or signs that an individual may be developing or has PTSD.
Furthermore, we see how Seymour is ignored by those close to him and is faced with the harsh realities of returning soldiers from war. Thus, Seymour is described by his wife as being someone who likes being alone as it is mentioned that he likes being “In the Ocean Room, playing the piano” (Seymour 3) and likes being “On the beach” with no other individuals, but himself. Through this, we see the psychological effects the war has had on Seymour. Through all tragedy and suffering, Seymour isn’t the same individual before the war because he acts in ways that appear so strange in the perspectives of others. One can see that Seymour likes setting himself apart and doesn’t want to take part in such a world that he is put in. Through how Muriel treats him, no one who is near him or close to him shows to care much about him and only cares about their interests. In the text, Muriel neglects Seymour and fails in getting any sort of help to him, which worsens his situation.
Seymour can’t relate to anyone from the story and in a way isn’t able to restore anything that he lost from the war. However, this specific scene is where he meets Sybil on the beach. Although at first, it appeared strange and unusual for a man to be next to an unknown child, through the development of the text, one can see the intentions Seymour had with the child at the beach. Sybil asked Seymour about “the lady” and in response, Seymour told her to “ask him something else” (Salinger 5). Through this, we see how Seymour and Muriel live through such distinct worlds in which each had a different perspective of the world, and his arrival from the war may have had an impact on their relationship. Additionally, Seymour in that scene, we notice the way he speaks to Sybil in which makes the reader realize that he tries to retrieve back such innocence and purity he lost from the war. A child represents innocence and purity and in some way, he viewed his childhood and his past life from before the war in the eyes of Sybil. In that specific scene, we see how he has more of a conversation with Sybil and talks with her in such fluency and is nothing compared to the way he acts with other adults of his age.
Through the conversation between Sybil and Seymour, Seymour mentions that “this is a perfect day for bananafish”(Salinger 6), although Sybil isn’t able to see it physically, he goes on asking Seymour about them. Seymour describes them as “being very ordinary fish” (Salinger 6) and that they like “to swim to this banana hole and eat as many as seventy-eight bananas”(Salinger 6). Through mid-conversation, Sybil asks Seymour more about the bananafish and gets lost for a bit and Seymour tells Sybil that the bananafish died since they eat a lot of bananas and aren’t able to leave the hole (Salinger 6). In that particular moment, we can reference it to what Seymour is experiencing. The bananas might represent the many problems that might be giving him a hard time dealing with, which is what leads to his eventual killing. In other terms, Seymour can be seen as the bananafish that in the end dies due to being stuck with all the stressors and problems that made it difficult to handle. Not getting help and being ignored by others is what might have led to his total defeat at the end. An individual suffering from PTSD goes through events that aren’t easy to deal with and is someone who is to be more aware of.
PTSD is a mental disorder that requires critical care and the help of others. However “In A Perfect Day for Bananafish”, we see how society rejects those and ignores those individuals that might need help. Through the way other characters acted toward Seymour, it made it extremely difficult for him to deal with the many problems he had internally. At the end of the text, we see how Seymour departs from Sybil and in an attempt tries to retrieve what he lost from war. However, in the elevator ride Seymour states “I see you’re looking at my feet,” he said to her when the car was in motion”(Salinger 7). The woman who Seymour said this to appeared confused and was weirded out by what Seymour said. Through this experience, Seymour was able to realize that he couldn’t fit in such an unwelcoming and materialistic society. Thus, we see how the society Seymour returned to had affected him, which led to the tragedy at the end. The way Seymour acted and the way society perceived him were eventual signs of a person having to deal with the effects of PTSD.
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