Search For Innocence

A Search for Innocence in “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” In the story, A Perfect Day for Bananafish by J.D. Salinger reflects on the psychological traumas of veterans readjusting to life in America, after World War II. One of the themes that jumped out at me, while reading this short story, was Seymour’s constant search for innocence. Seymour, a veteran who has return home from the army hospital, struggles, psychologically, with readapting to civilian life. This sense of innocence is represented through Seymour's relationship with Sybil, the dialogue between Seymour and Sybil , and Seymour committing suicide. The first point, that I noticed was Seymour’s connection with a young girl, named Sybil. Seymour struggles being torn between adulthood and childhood purity. Traumatized from the war, he finds security in children. Children represent purity and curiosity, compared to the adult world of sin and greed. Seymour shows a stronger relationship with Sybil, than his own wife, Muriel. While playing the in water looking for bananafish, a made-up sea creature who eats
The first, is where the two on are the beach and the young man comments on Sybil’s swimsuit. Seymour states, “That’s a fine bathing suit you have on. If there’s one thing I like, it’s a blue bathing suit.” In reality, Sybil is wearing a yellow swimsuit and Seymour wearing blue swim trunks. I believe Seymour is seeing Sybil as reflection of his own innocence. The next, is where Seymour tends to follow along or agree with whatever statement Sybil says, even if it makes no sense at all. For instance, when Sybil says to Seymour, “‘Do you like olives?’ she asked. ‘Olives--yes. Olives and wax. I never go anyplace without’ em.” This nonsensical dialogue portrays a childish characteristic in him. Seymour acts childlike with Sybil to try and find this air of innocence in