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Overview
American author J. D. Salinger’s short story “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” was first published in The New Yorker in 1948
. It later appeared as the opening story in Salinger’s 1953 collection Nine Stories. The central character is Seymour Glass, a World War II veteran on vacation with his wife, Muriel. The tale’s seemingly mundane conversations and events gradually take on deeper, and eventually tragic, significance. The narrative explores themes of alienation and communication, as Seymour struggles to connect with those around him.Read the full story summary, an in-depth character analysis of Seymour Glass, and explanations of important quotes from “A Perfect Day for Bananafish.”
