Sybil In Charro

Seymour is contrastingly portrayed as an altruistic man when he unsuccessfully attempts to protect Sybil from the prevalent materialism, which reveals that individuals who try to avoid it struggle to assimilate into society. While Sybil and Seymour converse on the beach, Seymour compliments the “fine [...] blue bathing suit” (7) Sybil is wearing, despite it actually being a “canary-yellow two-piece bathing suit” (6). Seymour, whose “trunks [are] royal blue” (8), is subconsciously projecting his ideal of innocence onto her because Sybil’s innocence is dwindling since she is already literally clothed in materialism — the yellow bathing suit. He does this because in a perfect world a child is regarded as innocent as opposed to adults, like Sybil’s
Here, the kindhearted Seymour disproves how Muriel and her mother portray him. Since Seymour uses the word ‘fool’ to describe himself, he acknowledges how others view him disapprovingly, therefore making it harder to be accepted. While Sybil is still with Seymour, the two decide to go into the ocean, Seymour “pick[s] [Sybil] up and [lays] her down on her stomach on the float” (10). By placing her on the float, Seymour is trying his hardest to protect Sybil from the world of materialism while partially immersing himself, thus sacrificing himself in hopes Sybil will not succumb to the temptations of the manufactured world. Much like a parent shielding their child from harm, he puts a barrier between Sybil and the ocean. This shows his caring personality and how he is trying to safeguard the innocence left in Sybil because when she loses it, she will leave Seymour and anyone else like him. As the two are in the water together, Seymour explains to Sybil what the fictitious bananafish are and how they binge upon bananas until they become too fat to leave the hole and die. Unfortunately, Sybil reports she “just saw [...] a bananafish”