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Bananafish By J. D. Salinger: Post Traumatic Stress Di

1398 Words6 Pages

Yoni orange
English 10C
Research Paper

Does PTSD actually make a difference in one’s life? In two short stories, “A Perfect Day for a Bananafish” and “For Esme with Love and Squalor”, J.D Salinger displays the devastating effects of life after war, the devastating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on individuals and their relationships, the universal struggle to find purpose in a world marred by the after-effects of war, and the importance of the ability to make connections. Both stories are set against the backdrop of post-World War II America, many soldiers returned from the war with immense psychological damage. In World War II 16 million American soldiers set out for war, 1,230,000 came back with everlasting PTSD (Friedman). …show more content…

In J.D. Salinger's "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," Seymour Glass personifies the difficulties that veterans face when trying to reconnect with others after experiencing the traumatic events of war. Coming from the death camps, Seymour “says he doesn't want a lot of fools looking at his tattoo”. Now, the reader grasps the depth of Seymour's emotional turmoil, recognizing the lingering impact of his traumatic past. (Salinger; Alexander) Another example arises, when a young child presents herself to Seymour at the beach, he then exclaims, “that’s a fine bathing suit you have on” reflecting on how he misses the years before, when he was not plagued with PTSD and guilt. (Salinger; Shuman) Shortly after, Seymour creates a made-up fish to play with the child; the fish is called a Bananafish, the fish eats continuously until it is too fat to move, ultimately dying. This serves as an example of how Seymour becomes a victim of gluttony. Lastly, whilst on an elevator Seymour accuses a woman of staring at his feet, screaming “if you want to look at my feet just say so, but don’t be a damn sneak about it”. When the woman denies this accusation Seymour becomes incandescent and begins thinking of suicide, knowing he cannot persevere in this world any longer. (Alexander; …show more content…

Galens, vol. 17, Gale, 2003, pp. 233-254. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3423100025/GVRL?u=mdk12btdcs&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=17428e38. Accessed 13 May 2023.

Peck, David. “For Esmé — with Love and Squalor.” Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition, Jan. 2004, pp. 1–3. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=103331MSS14529240001116&site=lrc-plus.
Blackstock, Alan, and Adrienne Pilon. “For Esmé — with Love and Squalor.” Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition, Sept. 2006, p. 1. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=103331MSA25149830001513&site=lrc-plus.
Alexander, paul. “For Esme with Love and Squalor .” Ebsco, web.p.ebscohost.com/lrc/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=278b8188-e828-47c9-9f89-bef76c048b62%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9bHJjLXBsdXM%3d#db=lkh&AN=103331RRR11640089900164.
Shuman, Baird. “A Perfect Day for Bananafish.” Ebsco,

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