Bananafish Materialism

A Materialistic Day for Bananafish A Perfect Day for Bananafish, a short story by J.D Salinger, follows the juxtaposition between childhood and adulthood through the character Seymour Glass, who has an unfortunate fate when exposed to a world full of materialism, high standards, and judgement. The three-part story follows the vacation of a young couple, Seymour and Muriel Glass, in a resort in Florida. Seymour Glass, who subsequently fought in World War II, is slightly sensitive to certain instances due to his, at the time undiscovered, PTSD. Sybil Carpenter, a young girl present at the resort at the time, represents the realm of childhood and attempts to resemble an “older” woman, such as the character Muriel Glass. Through his use of rhetorical

From the very commencement of the first part of the story, J.D. Salinger covertly attempts to warn against materialism and the negative connotation which accompanies acquisitiveness, through the use of playful diction and meaningful characterization. As the first part of the story begins, Muriel Glass remains in her Florida hotel room and has a prolonged conversation with her mother regarding her well-being and relations with her husband. However, while Muriel is on the phone with her mother, she is consistently focused on her beauty products and other various objects. Muriel Glass, the wife of Seymour Glass, was a “girl who for a ringing phone dropped exactly nothing. She looked as if her phone had been ringing continually ever since she had reached puberty” (7). Salinger ultimately uses dramatic diction, through the words “exactly nothing,” to portray the selfishness in Muriel, in which her association with materialism has been thriving since puberty, where her innocence was plucked. As illustrated through Salinger’s use of dramatic diction, Muriel

Salinger’s warning against materialism and the negative connotation which accompanies acquisitiveness. Sybil Carpenter, the young daughter of Mrs. Carpenter, interacts with Seymour Glass in the second part of the story. Seymour Glass, resembling a father-like figure, embarks on a journey to the water with Sybil and eventually encounter what they believe are “bananafish.” Seymour Glass, who possesses the name “Glass” in his last name, warrants the symbolism of glass which may be both figuratively and literally transparent or opaque in various instances. Salinger portrays Sybil Carpenter as a curious and inquisitive child, in which she questions her mother whether she “[saw] more glass. […] Did [she] see more glass?” (12). Since glass is unswervingly utilized as a barrier or layer to observe objects through, the “glass” which Sybil questions specifically symbolizes Seymour’s search for clarity in his own life which was previously corrupted by war and a world of materialism. Though the name “Glass” is specifically in Seymour’s surname, Seymour, after the war, has a far purer understanding of the materialism around him, similar to the visibility one may see after looking through a clear panel of glass. Furthermore, the number six consistently reveals itself throughout the story and resembles the six tigers in the satire Little Black Sambo. The tigers in the satire, which strive to hunt on the prey which