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A Perfect Day For Bananafish Short Story Essay

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“In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.” – Jose Narosky. Adjusting to society after coming home from serving in the war is not as easy as one may think. Soldiers are often haunted by the horrible memories of war, which can have a great psychological impact on them. This is very relevant in the short stories “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”, by J.D. Salinger and “Home”, by George Saunders. The protagonists, Seymour and Mikey, have returned from serving in the war and are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. They are struggling with being able to adjust back into society, and they both lash out due to the constant stress and pressures of the civilian world. Both short stories “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” and “Home” demonstrate the criticism against the materialistic world, the barriers to effective communication and the elusive search for childhood and home. The short stories, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”, and “Home”, demonstrate criticism of the materialistic world portrayed by the protagonists and others around them. “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” demonstrates society’s materialism through the made-up creatures of Seymour’s imagination, bananafish, and Seymour’s wife, Muriel. First of all, when enlightening his playmate Sybil about bananafish, Seymour explains that “They behave like pigs. Why, I’ve known some bananafish to swim into a banana hole and eat as many as seventy-eight bananas.” (J.D. Salinger). These bananafish represent Seymour’s perspective of the

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