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Short Stories
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"A Perfect Day for Banana Fish" by J.D. Salinger
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I read it…I don’t understand it at all. Muriel doesn’t seem to care about him — she “waited for that boy all through the war” so perhaps she loved the idea of marrying more than the man.
Her mother is impossible, asking questions but not listening to answers.
And what’s with the doctor who spends all his time in the bar.
I had the same reaction to the scene on the raft with Sybil.
The end seemed inevitable, not for Seymour but just the inevitable end of the story arc.
Maybe Salinger is mocking the reader with banana fish that symbolize nothing?
My library has an on-line study guide. I tried to use it but the synopsis had too many unsupported assumptions - I couldn’t stand reading the guide.
The banana fish, stuck in a hole because they've taken in too much, reflect Seymour for me. But there's always a possibility I could be convinced to another angle. I'm easy that way. I should see if I can find a study guide, lol.
Barbara wrote: "It's time to begin discussing a J.D. Salinger classic, "A Perfect Day for Banana Fish". You can find it at the following link: https://mrslamp.files.wordpress.com/2... This copy o..."Barbara,
You noted that the works by Salinger you read “became a part of the whole” … can you tell me more about what you mean?
I’ve only read this and The Catcher in the Rye but I remember little about it.
Again, I've only read his short stories since college and that was a long time ago. However, most of what I remember about Salinger's writing has to do with the emotional distance that the main character feels from most of the people around him. There was a big rise in consumerism in the 50s, an emphasis on buying things. But, his characters don't relate to that for various reasons. With Salinger and Seymour Glass, I think it has to do with returning from WWII. They saw awful things that they couldn't talk about or adequately express to their wives, families, friends who hadn't had the same experiences. In this story, I think Muriel married Seymour before he went away to war and he was a different man then. I imagine she signed on for a typical 50s stereotypical relationship -- breadwinning male/stay at home female -- but he's come home as someone entirely different and she's just trying to stick it out until he comes back to "normal." But, I don't think either she or her mother have a clue about what is going on with him and that normal isn't going to happen. Sybil is that little breath of innocence that brings him out of himself for a few moments.
These are all just my impressions, definitely not set in stone.
Thank you— the emotional disconection of all the adults in the story struck meMuriel’s Mom blabs away not listening
Muriel isn’t straight forward with her mother or Seymour
And Sybil's Mother doesn’t connect with Sybil.
As you said Sybil & Seymour are the only two that listen & speak to each other.
Now it reminds me of Patric Gagne writing to explain her life as a sociopath. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/16/st...
I’m not sure I’ll read her memoir but now I know that people with that diagnosis are not necessarily dangerous or malicious. Sociopath: A Memoir
The universal expertt analysis is that the banana fish are a comment on overconsumption, so there ya go.The mention of Little Black Sambo caught my attention as well. (However, I must wonder, why it is only now I learn that is the correct title. I only knew it as "Lil Black Sambo.") As I recall, he had acquired fine trousers, and posh waistcoat, a fancy jacket, a high hat, and shiny shoes, whatever, and the tigers wanted these things. But they chased him, and he--in a brilliantly clever move--tricked them into chasing each other around a tree until they turned into butter. And he escaped with all his worldly goods, and the butter. Do I remember that right?
Joan, I read a review of that just this week. Sounds interesting, but I won't be reading it either, probably.
It shows we never truly know anyone else - just that part of themselves they choose to share with us. Joan, like you said, emotional disconnection. Poor Seymour.
Constant Reader
Books mentioned in this topic
Sociopath (other topics)The Catcher in the Rye (other topics)
Nine Stories (other topics)
I read everything I could find by Salinger when I was in college. That included Nine Stories but they became a part of the whole in my mind. About 15 years ago, I went back and read this collection again and was startled at how truly good each story was. In fact, I now suspect that his short stories are superior to his novels but I need to go back and reread the novels to be certain.
Bananafish is the one that most stuck in my brain so I'm glad we are talking about it here. This is set, I believe, after WWII which is such a contradictory time. I grew up in the 50s thinking we were the greatest country on earth because of what we thought was our success in WWII and a thriving economy. But, at the same time, all of these soldiers were coming home with what we now know was PTSD.
Seymour Glass seems to be the perfect representation of that situation. All around him is plenty. He is vacationing in Florida by the ocean where no one seems to have anything serious on their minds except him after what seems to be a suicide attempt in his car. But, then there is little Sybil in her yellow bathing suit who obviously loves him. I've held my breath each time I've read that section where he takes her out in the ocean on the float thinking he might finish both of them. But, then there's that tender kiss on the foot.
Do you think that the banana fish are a metaphor for what he sees people doing when he came back from the war? Or is that too obvious to even ask? And, were you surprised by the ending? Even though this is my 3rd reading, I'm always a bit startled. I think it's the contrast between the man with Sybil and the man in the hotel.