27 pages • 54 minutes read
J. D. SalingerA Perfect Day for Bananafish
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1948A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Literary Devices
Ellipsis
Ellipsis involves the omission of a word or phrase—sometimes indicated by literal ellipses. The story’s dialogue is frequently elliptical, revealing plot and character through suggestive but incomplete details. This is most obvious in Muriel’s conversation with her mother about Seymour and his troubles. They avoiding coming right out and saying that he may be suicidal or a danger to Muriel: “I told your father you’d probably call last night. But, no, he had to—Are you all right, Muriel? Tell me the truth” (3). Muriel’s mother here breaks off in midsentence without specifying what it is Seymour “had to” do. In fact, she never really says what it is she’s worried about, so the reader must make their own inferences.
As in this case, ellipses can be a way to dance around taboo topics—in this case, mental illness and perhaps the possibility of domestic violence. However, J. D. Salinger’s use of ellipsis also contributes to the story’s detached narrative style, as key events go undescribed and important emotions remain unspoken. In this way, it suggests the ultimate failure of The Search for Meaning and Connection.
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing occurs when an author hints at a later narrative development. Salinger hints at Seymour’s mental illness throughout the story, foreshadowing his eventual suicide. For example, when Seymour is speaking to Sybil, he tells her about the bananafish who die after becoming stuck in their holes. This is a metaphor for Seymour’s own fate, as he cannot transcend the barriers imposed by society and his own mind long enough to form meaningful relationships with others. The conversation Muriel has with her mother serves a similar function, suggesting that Seymour has tried to die by suicide at least once already (by driving Muriel’s father’s car into a tree). Muriel’s mother is afraid he will try to do it again to the point that she made Muriel promise that she wouldn’t let Seymour drive: “He drove? Muriel, you gave me your word of— […] Did he try any of that funny business with the trees?” (3). Two psychologists express concern about Seymour’s health as well, further foreshadowing Seymour’s death.
Irony
Irony involves a gap between expectation or appearance and reality. One of the most prominent examples of irony in the story is the title itself. The phrase “a perfect day” suggests idyllic happiness and contentment, yet the story is marked by a pervasive impression of worry and sadness and culminates in Seymour’s suicide, inviting reflection on whether and why Seymour views death as the best option open to him. Similarly, the use of the word “bananafish” creates a sense of whimsy and playfulness, yet the story explores themes of alienation, isolation, and the devastating effects of war on the human psyche.
Other ironies point to the superficiality of the carefree and joyful atmosphere of the beach and, by extension, postwar America. Much of Seymour and Sybil’s conversation is, on its face, nonsensical, as Seymour playfully makes nonsensical or objectively false statements to amuse Sybil. This irony underscores the sense of tragedy and loss that permeates the story, serving as a commentary on the challenges and difficulties of navigating the complexities of the human experience.
Related Titles
By J. D. Salinger
