Later he scared a women off of the elevator, but he was unimportant to her, just some creep who will leave no permanent mark in her life. Being three, she will not remember him later on at all, he will have been an irrelevant antidote in her life even though they seemed to have known each other for at least a few days. To her he was a playmate who no longer wanted to play so no longer mattered. An example is Sybil, who of course did not realize the extent of Seymour’s mental problems, but did leave him on the beach without regret. This traumatized veteran scared away two women who go never thinking of him again, showing how in the glorification of war many struggling veterans are left behind and not given proper mental treatment. Was released early from the “Army hospital” after having done something that showed his PTSD from the war. Salinger, is about a war veteran, named Seymour, who Why is it important that they both left without regret and how does that connect to Billy’s experience seeking mental help?Ī Perfect Bay for Bananafish, by J.D. “The car doors opened and the woman got out without looking back.” (9) “’Goodbye,’ said Sybil, and ran without regret in the direction of the hotel. Again, I am reminded of soldiers like Lazzaro and Weary who fit this analogy. This speaks to the larger idea that war stripes soldiers of their humanity and corrupts them, turning them into killing machines that 'eat as many as seventy-eight bananas' (this specific number he gives leads me to believe that it was a personal experience where someone, or himself, might of killed 78 people). The more 'bananas that you eat' is really the more people that you kill, making you 'behave like pigs', or like a savage. When he says that 'They're very ordinary-looking fish when they swim in', I believe he was talking about how ordinary people are turned into ruthless soldiers and how the war changes people.

I recognizes the same significance in the bananafish story and I think you worded it beautifully and very concise.I really rook an interest to the beginning of the story when Seymour talks about how the bananafish eat bananas.

As shown, PTSD is a major problem and Salinger uses the bananafish to represent these war-struck veterans. In fact, in the United States, “22 Veterans commit suicide every day” (MSRC). This represents how veterans like Seymour and Billy do not have the will to live because they have been so traumatized. Additionally, this passage says “they die” because they get banana fever. This mirrors how the doctors in Slaughterhouse Five declared Billy “crazy” instead of realizing his PTSD. This is shown when Seymour is released early from the “Army hospital”, even though he still struggles from war. The banana fish show how many veterans are negatively affected by war and they need to be treated instead of ignored. This mirrors how Billy creates Tralfamadore as a coping mechanism his horrifying war experience. Seymour creates and believes in the bananafish as an outlet for his PTSD. This is similar to Billy and how he cannot function, using the “Magic Fingers” to go to sleep. He is a veteran who has been extremely traumatized by war, and he cannot function in this post-war society. In the story, Seymour is a veteran who is socially awkward and seen as crazy after returning from the war, just like Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse Five. Salinger, the bananafish represent veterans of war and banana fever is a symbol for PTSD. What does the bananafish and banana fever represent and how does it connect to Billy in Slaughterhouse Five? “The bananafish.Well, I hate to tell you, Sybil. Your comment should be 5-7 sentences long- Use textual evidence as much as possible. Deepen the thinking, add a new idea, disagree, add textual evidence, make a new connection, etc. Ask a question about something that Salinger DOES in his writing, such as: Why do you think Salinger begins his story, a story whose protagonist is Seymour Glass, with a description of Seymour's wife, Muriel? Try to answer your own question. Choose a specific passage and state what you believe to be its significance. Try to answer your own question and pose it to the class to consider. Choose a specific line and ask a genuine question about it. Start with a specific observation and then connect your passage to themes in both works, such as: innocence, PTSD, role of the media, depiction of female characters, glorification of war, hyper-masculinity and war, etc. In your blog post, please consider connections between these two works of literature. In Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, Billy Pilgrim admits himself into a mental hospital for WWII veterans in 1948, right after he proposes to Valencia.

JD Salinger published 'A Perfect Day for Bananafish' in 1948, just after he came back from fighting in WWII.

A perfect day for bananafish symbolism