According to Dylan, Seymour Glass, the main character in J. D. Salinger’s “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” would surely concur. Seymour’s tale is a familiar one: a soldier comes back from war and discovers he cannot connect with others. Devoid of significant connections, he undergoes a psychological collapse that ultimately leads to his tragic death by suicide.
At first glance, Seymour appears to perfectly fit this prototype. However, in truth, readjusting to life as a civilian only triggers underlying and long-standing psychological problems.
Seymour Glass commits suicide due to his belief that he is fundamentally distinct from others. This belief is exemplified not only by his struggles in sustaining relationships, but also by his story about bananafish. Following his time as a soldier, Seymour finds it disconcerting to connect with individuals his age due to their shallow preoccupations. Mrs. Glass’ statement to her mother serves as an example of what he views as the collectively prevalent concerns of adults: “We were unable to obtain the same room we had prior to the war….”
According to Salinger (9), the people this year are terrible and appear as if they arrived in a truck. Despite her husband’s fragile mental state, Mrs. Glass’ mother believes her daughter is at risk. However, instead of defending her husband’s sanity, Mrs. Glass prioritizes insulting the other vacationers. Even when considering the option of connecting Seymour with a psychiatrist, she cannot resist criticizing the doctor’s wife, describing her as unpleasant and having a prominent hip structure (8).
The entire resort in which Seymour is residing is filled with a sense of emptiness. As a result, he finds it necessary to distance himself from the minuscule community and instead spend his time secluded on the beach, away from the section designated for hotel guests. Being a sensitive person, Seymour feels the urge to shield himself from the harmful criticisms of adults. To achieve this, he consistently wears a bathrobe, refrains from speaking, and maintains a safe distance from others.
He is incredibly sensitive. If a woman looks at the ground when he is around, Seymour angrily accuses her of looking at his supposedly ordinary feet. This upsets her so much that she has to leave the elevator they were in (18). Seymour finds adults troubling not just because they are superficial (a belief he likely held before his military service), but also because they continue to be shallow even after he has been through the terrible and profound realities of war.
Despite experiencing mental instability, Seymour’s surroundings remain oblivious to his condition and carry on with their lives as if nothing has occurred. This common occurrence among veterans alone separates Seymour from other civilians, further amplifying his sense of alienation. In addition to this, his deep-seated belief about the malevolence of superficiality exacerbates his isolation, making it physically impossible for him to relate to individuals of his age group. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that while Seymour distances himself from other adults, it is not their fault but rather his own affliction that fosters his feelings of disconnectedness.
Seymour does not perceive the people around him as completely evil, despite occasionally reacting negatively towards them. He does not hold them responsible for his struggle to form connections. Salinger’s depiction of Seymour’s world is characterized by its allusions to sophistication, refinement, etiquette, and specific locations typically associated with the educated upper-middle class. Superiority is the prevailing mindset, and only a small number of individuals possess sensibilities similar to Seymour’s. Though adults’ remarks are frequently scornful, the inhabitants of Seymour’s world are not truly malevolent; they are simply indifferent.
Mrs. Glass seems uninterested in her husband’s predicament, and some critics believe that Seymour’s suicide is due to a conflict in personalities between the couple (Seed). Nevertheless, Seymour does not aim to retaliate against his wife for conforming to societal expectations. Instead, he sees his demise as an opportunity for her to reconnect with life on a level she comprehends, while also enabling himself to flee from the unbearable physical agony he endures (Miller 564).
Both Mrs. Glass and Seymour view his suicide as a successful outcome, as it liberates Mrs. Glass to lead her carefree life and provides Seymour with an escape. Prior to this drastic decision, Seymour attempts to build connections with young girls, who are the only individuals he can effectively interact with. However, these relationships eventually falter as the children lack the cognitive ability to sustain them.
During a conversation with his young friend Sybil, Seymour explains his reason for spending time with Sharon Lipschutz, despite Sybil’s objections. He discloses that he is attracted to children due to their inherent kindness and lack of meanness. As a result, he distances himself from adult company both emotionally and physically, as none of them meet this qualification at the resort. However, Sybil stands out from other adults as she dislikes mundane conversations about things like handkerchiefs and judges people based on their character rather than their looks (Salinger 15).
Seymour perceives Sybil as an untainted being, unaffected by the world. He places so much trust in her purity that he even removes his bathrobe, his protective barrier, when they spend time together. Seymour shares his thoughts with Sybil openly and casually. Even when he makes enigmatic remarks that reveal his inner turmoil (like when Sybil comments on a float Seymour uses as a headrest and he replies with “it needs more air than I’m willing to admit,” which adults may understand as a sad double meaning), she accepts them without discomfort or anxiety (12).
Their conversation follows the irrational thought process of a child, and Seymour feels most at ease with Sybil. He sees their friendship as perfect. However, Sybil’s innocence is both a gift and a curse to their relationship because she doesn’t comprehend the necessity of her involvement for it to endure. Their farewell is short, and as she runs towards the hotel, there is no remorse in her heart (17). Seymour recognizes that Sybil regards their friendship as insignificant. He comprehends that he is unable to forge a connection with anyone, whether they are innocent or corrupt, because he feels utterly isolated.
The true purpose of Sybil in Seymour’s life is revealed through this realization. Sybil is not there to give him companionship, but rather serves as a reminder that he cannot find a companion and therefore cannot survive. According to James E. Miller, Jr., she does not deflect Seymour from self-destruction, but instead, as a young inverted sibyl, she confirms his deepest intuitions. Unfortunately, due to her naivety, Sybil is unable to prevent Seymour’s suicide.
Despite being unable to perceive any obvious warning signs that more astute individuals might recognize, Sybil views Seymour as a companion and form of amusement, rather than acknowledging his troubled condition. This dynamic between them changes when Seymour becomes aware of Sybil’s detachment while they are on a boat. He kisses the arch of her foot, but she pulls back and regards him with suspicion (Fassano). Her rejection validates his fears; without a physical connection, Seymour gives up all hope for an emotional bond.
Seymour shares his perception of his place in the world and foresees his inevitable downfall, even before realizing the extent of his alienation. His parable concerning bananafish serves as a prime illustration of his perceived detachment, as it signifies his belief in an inherent distinction between himself and the rest of the world. While pushing Sybil out into the ocean, Seymour implores her to be aware of bananafish. In response to her query about their nature, he elucidates, “They lead a highly tragic existence…. They swim into a crevice where there are numerous bananas. Initially, they appear quite ordinary as they swim.”
“But… they behave like pigs. After that, they’re so fat they can’t get out…. They die” (Salinger 15). The bananafish are clearly characterized by their gluttony. Nonetheless, it is uncertain what exactly their gluttony symbolizes, given Seymour’s propensity for speaking enigmatically. One possible interpretation is that the bananafish represent the shallow individuals who surround him. Despite initially appearing “very ordinary-looking” and thus capable of leading what Seymour deems a respectable life, they give in to their excessive indulgence in the material world’s “bananas”—trivial criticism and an overwhelming obsession with trends and fashion—ultimately leading to their own demise.
Seymour’s portrayal of the physical world as a “hole” holds profound importance because he sees it as a means to trap individuals and subject them to dreadful experiences, without any possibility of breaking free. He cannot imagine himself integrating or connecting with anyone in this world, thus opting for suicide rather than a solitary existence. The bananafish may also represent Seymour, who exhibits a different form of excessive desire, as both the parable and the story culminate in fatality.
According to Miller, Seymour can be interpreted as the bananafish who is submerged in the physical world and desperately looking for an escape. Miller argues that Seymour’s heightened awareness of the physicality of life, rather than his excessive indulgence in sensory pleasures, is what turns him into a bananafish. As a result of being overwhelmed by the physical world, Seymour’s senses have been severely damaged, leaving him trapped and ultimately doomed to die (563).
Instead of being surrounded by superficial people, Seymour is incapable of comprehending all that the world has to offer. Everyone else has a spiritual filter that helps them survive in a corrupt place. Because of his fatal flaw, Seymour is destined to perish in this world. Knowing this, he also acknowledges his inevitable demise; he suffers from so-called “banana fever” and must die (Salinger 15). Death is the only way for him to escape the physical world that makes him so susceptible. Given Seymour’s disturbed mental state after the war, suicide becomes a logical response.
Seymour passed away in isolation, never divulging his authentic self to those capable of grasping its significance. Interacting with adults caused him to lash out or endure psychological anguish. The sole individual he positively connected with misconstrued the meaning of friendship and rejected him. As a soldier, he endured immense suffering without solace. Gradually, his isolation deepened until he felt fundamentally distinct from others.
Totally overcome by his emotions, he decides to end his own life. Nevertheless, although feeling disconnected from others rarely drives someone to suicide, the longing for connection and understanding ultimately leads to a deep sense of loneliness. Despite Seymour’s pursuit of truth taking a wrong turn, his experience validates the timeless words of Bob Dylan: The truth was cryptic, exceedingly profound, and untainted; to truly embrace it, one had to burst forth.
