Oedipus 'And Sophocles' A Perfect Day For Bananafish

In the short story, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” by J.D. Salinger and in the play, Oedipus, by Sophocles, the question “who am I” is answered. Both texts attempt and successfully express mankind’s true nature through the self-discovery of the main and title characters. “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” is a perfect example of how human nature is hidden by those around a person, in this story it is Seymour Glass. The conversions between Muriel, Seymour’s wife, and her mother point out the truths about Seymour’s instability, that he burned family photos, shattered windows, tells Muriel’s grandmother see will die then he assaulted her and totaled Muriel’s parents car, but Muriel makes an effort to lie and cover them. This can be seen through the action

Oedipus spends his life hiding and being hidden from his true nature. He was given away to a different family and never told about his true self. When he tried to avoid his destiny, as told by the oracle, he ended up fulfilling it. Because he was never told about his true family he didn’t know that he was walking into chaos, which would eventually lead to him finding out about his true self. Oedipus’ nature was kept from him by his wife, who was also his mother, Jocasta. She tried to protect their appearances as king and queen. The lie she told and the truths she concealed as well as the denial he showed toward the truth added to the walls surrounding his inner city, or his identity. The people of Thebes knew all along about his true identity, they knew about the king, but Oedipus denied anything they said as it showed who he really was. The only way Oedipus could really understand himself and his true nature was to get rid with his senses that failed and hindered him and became blind. Only a blind man can see the truth one hides within. Oedipus stabbed himself in the eyes to blind himself. The truth is not only hidden in literary works, but also in real