After Catcher

Initially, I planned on reviewing all of Catcher in the Rye, however I have already read this book before. After being asked what my favorite of Salinger's works were, I realized I have not read any of his short stories.

His collection entitled Nine Stories was published in 1953. I was able to find a pdf version online at the following link:

http://materlakes.enschool.org/ourpages/auto/2013/2/25/50973306/Nine_Stories_by_J_D__Salinger.pdf.

 "A Perfect Day for Bananafish"

The first story follows the Glass family, Muriel and Seymour, a group of fictional characters who are featured in a number of his other short stories. They are vacationing in Florida at a hotel on the beach. When I first began reading, I had trouble following the plot. We are introduced to the wife through a phone conversation with her mother, the central topic being that of her recently discharged husband. It later becomes clear that the Army recommended his evaluation for psychiatric disorders. The mother is concerned that Seymour "may completely lose control of himself" (4).

After the phone is hung up, the setting changes from indoors to the seashore. Muriel believes that his bizarre behavior is manageable, more idiosyncratic than dangerous. Sybil Carpenter is a young girl in a yellow two piece bathing suit. While her mother leaves to go drink martinis like any great parent would, she is left unsupervised and makes her way over to Seymour. He is preparing to go for a swim and comments that "If there's one thing I like, it's a blue bathing suit," not realizing this is far from reality (6).

Once in the water, Seymour tells her a story about Bananafish. The sea creatures swim into holes, where they gorge themselves on bananas until they become too fat to escape. They die as a result. Sybil appears to be unfazed by what would be a seemingly tragic ending to any other child under five years old. She then claims to see a Bananafish swimming by before running back to shore, departing "without regret" (9). Seymour arrives back at the hotel room to see his wife taking a nap. He sits down on the bed next to her and pulls out his 7.65 automatic, taking his own life.

 In Seymour- An Introduction (1959), Salinger later states that this story reflects the trauma he experienced during WWII. As a combat soldier, he was exposed to the Battle of the Bulge as well as the Nazi concentration camps. He "found it impossible to fit into a society that ignored the truth that he now knew." Seymour feels the same way, as represented by adults who are detached from what really matters. The women in the story are self-absorbed and only concerned with impression management and material items. He decides it is no longer worth living in such a world.

Salinger blames the postwar economic boom for promoting ideas of gluttony and excess. He acknowledged a drastic shift from a time of scarcity during the Depression and hardship in Europe to what was happening back home. Many soldiers failed to develop appropriate coping methods and found no other way to deal with their discontent.

Unlike with Catcher in the Rye, Salinger does not use sarcasm to convey his message. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this story despite the way it made me feel after its completion. I appreciate the fact that Salinger writes in a way that is captivating, yet he still manages to deal with real issues. It is hard to say which piece of his I liked best.