Reaction Paper

 Undoubtedly a classic piece of literature, A Perfect Day for Bananafish, by JD Salinger deals with a man named Seymour, who suffers from what seems to be Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, his wife Muriel, the wife’s mother, and a little girl whom Seymour meets at the beach. While Seymour attempts to temporarily escape from the guilt and confusion that is his life, he begins to converse and connect with a five year old girl, which many believe is controversial for the fact that Seymour does at points get very close to the young girl.  What many seem to disregard once he begins speaking of the “Bananafish” is that the fish is a perfect image of his inner state of being and what the war has done to him psychologically.  Though there are major themes that appear in this piece, the major theme which occurs throughout Seymour’s life, and eventual death, is the overbearing negative effect war has on the human mind.

                As stated before, there could be many themes which pertain to the story, but Salinger best represents the theme of the overbearing negative effect of war for several different reasons. The author best demonstrates this theme while Seymour describes the lifestyle, habits, and ways of death of a Bananafish to the little girl. He states how Bananafishes live in caves and are able to roam free until they have eaten so many bananas that they become so fat and are unable to escape the cave and eventually die.  This ties into Seymour’s life because while in war, he had witnessed so many murders and that he couldn’t escape the guilt and terror he felt inside of him, which resulted in him killing himself. This theme helps support the story because it shows that your actions could pay a dangerous toll on your body and mind, which is demonstrated within the life of both Seymour and the Bananafish.

                Salinger has been effective in demonstrating this theme because like the Bananafish, Seymour seems to be a character than no one, besides a juvenile mind could actually relate to. The author uses techniques such as the separation between Seymour and his wife, Muriel’s, mother.  According to the mother, Seymour is not a good match for her what so ever and even spoke with Muriel about possibly leaving him.  Another example is the unlikely relations of certain characters, most importantly, the girl and Seymour. With him being surrounded by adults, it was a shock to find Seymour talking mainly to such a young girl, making the reader see what affect war could have on the social patterns of people. Salinger also gives the reader a good sense of empathy with the main characters, which are Seymour, Muriel, and the little girl. All characters could be related to because they all have a sense of humanity associated with them. For example, when on the phone with her mother, Muriel shows impatience when talking with her mother, by saying things like, “Mother," [the girl interrupted], "I just told you. He drove very nicely. Under fifty the whole way, as a matter of fact." (Salinger, page 1) showing how she doesn’t always listen to parental guidance, something which many young adults don’t do.