A Perfect Day For Bananafish (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
A Perfect Day for Bananafish. What a whimsical name for such a serious story. I will be honest, the first pass through this story led me to believe that Seymour was sexually interested in children and as a result decided to kill himself. There were several things that led me to believe that. For one, his interaction with Sybil is definitely flirtatious - he comments on her swimsuit, he asks her to "come closer," tells her she is looking "fine," is constantly touching her feet, the "memory and desire" comment about Sharon Lipschutz, he even asks Sybil what her sign is...literally everything about their interaction led me to believe that Sybil was a girl he was advancing on, not a young child playing on the beach. Her age or even stature isn't mentioned. The only reason you even know Sybil is a young girl is because she uses words like "nairiplane" and talks about tigers from a storybook. Once they both get into the water and Sybil is vulnerably on a raft controlled by Seymour, I felt a definite tension build in the story. Is Seymour going to drown her...or worse? You can even sense it in Sybil's voice: "Not too far out." The tension stops once Seymour takes her back to shore. I saw this little venture as a way Seymour was testing himself. Was he really a pedophile? I think he realized he really was.I honestly don't have a problem with Seymour being a pedophile. I feel bad for him, just as he did. His future was bleak and isolating, filled with unsatisfying sexual experiences. There was no way he could be true to himself with out hurting others and facing extreme social ridicule. So he offed himself. That is MY interpretation of the story. I understand how there can be other interpretations that focus on Seymour's preoccupation with the innocence of childhood and this ideal version of what it means to be a child: untainted and virginal. I can see that too, but I do think it ignores the implied sexual nuances of the story. A friend recommended this short article to me. After reading, to be honest, I was totally confused by three parts of this story. Even though I can figure out that the man and the woman are a couple, I have no idea what their conversation with others means. Wikipedia is a very helpful website supplying with enough information to me and Goodreads, as a perfect stage for sharing different reviews of each readers helps me understand more further between the lines of the article. Right now, I can say I understand what J.D Salinger wanted to describe.Thanks for your recommendation, X.
What do You think about A Perfect Day For Bananafish (2000)?
I love the statement this story is trying to process. It's very powerful.
—ProfessorChess
One of the most famous short stories of all time (and rightfully so)
—lolzkid10
