Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to analyse the causes of Seymour’s suicide in Salinger’s “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”. Jerome David Salinger is good at depicting adolescents who suffer from war-related trauma and precocious children, and Seymour is one of his typical characters. Somehow, Seymour’ s suicide still remains mysterious in spite of the existing researches. The present thesis seeks to ascribe it to the conflict between Seymour’s character and the society. Seymour knows he can’t change the materialistic society but to accept it. In fact, he has tried hard to build the connection with people around him but failed — the intelligent, poetic, sensitive and alienated Seymour is doomed to be incompatible with society. Once he adapted himself to society, he would become another bananafish and compel himself to abandon his spiritual pursuit and immerse himself in the secular world. Suicide is not the end of Seymour’s life but a way for him to attain nirvana. Through the analyse of this subject, we can also see Salinger’s attitude towards death and life. 

Keywords: Salinger; suicide; character; society; bananafish

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

1.1 Purpose of the Thesis-1

1.2 A Brief Introduction of “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”-2

1.3 Different Academic Views on the Causes of Seymour's Suicide-2

1.4 My View of Seymour's Suicide -3

2. Seymour's Character-5

2.1 Seymour’s Character as Described in the Narration-5

2.1.1 Intelligent-5

2.1.2 Poetic-6

2.1.3 Alienated-7

2.2 Seymour’s Character as Seen by the People around Him-7

2.2.1 Raving Maniac-8

2.2.2 Sensitive-8

3. The Materialistic Society that Disagrees with Seymour-10

3.1 The Social Background of the Story-10

3.2 Muriel as the Symbol of the Society-10

3.3 Seymour’s Attempt to Adapt to the Society-11

3.3.1 Seymour Wants to Get Salvation through Marriage -11

3.4 Seymour’s Disappointment and Desperation—the Failure of this Attempt -12

3.4.1 It Strengthens Seymour’s Alienation from Society through Marriage  -12

3.4.2 Seymour’s Unwillingness to be a Bananafish-13

4. Conclusion-14

References-16