A Perfect Day for Bananafish

Protagonist Seymour Glass is a World War II veteran. His experiences in the war have left him emotionally scarred and struggling to adjust to civilian life. “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” offers commentary on the lasting effects of war on soldiers and the social and interpersonal challenges they face when returning home.

The story often characterizes Seymour’s psychological state indirectly. Details such as the way in which he startles when Sybil speaks to him hint at his underlying anxiety, while his outburst at the woman in the elevator suggests difficulty controlling his emotions. Muriel’s conversation with her mother dovetails with this portrait of an erratic individual unable to fulfill the marital and social roles expected of him; he refers to his wife with disparaging nicknames and apparently crashed his father-in-law’s car into a tree. Most significant are his guardedness and alienation. He spends his days alone on the beach (except when Sybil visits him), and his marriage with Muriel is strained and dysfunctional in part due to his own inability to connect with his wife (e.g., giving her a book written in German, a language she can’t read).

In the