Brief Psychoanalysis of A Perfect Day for Bananafish Essay

J. D. Salingers A Perfect Day for Bananafish depicts the psychological struggles of Seymour Glass, a veteran of the Second World War. Through Freudian psychoanalysis, the different aspects of the effects of his fight-damaged psyche on his ability to perform in society become clear. there are several instances during which it becomes obvious that Seymours superego does not function in the same manner as that of the adults around him. It is also evident that his id is the most dominant force for his unusual behavior, but not by the pleasure principle.Rather, it is the childlike innocence that is the facet of his id that is the unproblematic motivation for him to act the way he does. Finally, in the ending, Seymours ego comes to the conclusion that it is simply impossible for him to fit into the materialistic society that has come to be. Thus, it abide be seen that the war and the society that Seymour returns to after the war play equally important roles in stellar(a) up to his sui cide. Seymours dysfunctional superego becomes evident during Muriels conversation with her mother. The mentions of his actions regarding The trees.That business with the window. Those horrible matters he verbalize to Granny about her plans for passing away. What he did with all those lovely pictures from Bermuda. all point to various actions that evince that Seymours sense of right and wrong-which is associated with the superego-does not recognize the distinction between things that are socially bankable and things that are not. Furthermore, it is also implied that this damage to his psychological state stems from the war, which may be a sign of bet on Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).Of course, PTSD was unheard of during this time period, so Seymour remained untreated for it. This defective superego is whence unable to contest the id properly. As a result, Seymours id is given partial freedom and so he acts childishly, making things up and pointing things out that are consid ered foolish. One such example is when he asks Sybil whether Whirly Wood, Connecticut is anywhere near Whirly Wood, Connecticut. In fact, the entirety of his interaction with Sybil is an example of the uncontrolled id.Along with his invented bananafish, this serves to illustrate that his innocence is the primary reason for how he acts. However, this leads to an irreconcilable difference between Seymour and the lay of society, as the rest of society is principally dictated by their superego. This is best portrayed by the events mentioned in passing during Muriels conversation with her mother, and the thing he tells the woman in the elevator I see youre looking at my feet. Whether or not the woman was actually looking at his feet at all is obviously unimportant the picture exchange between Seymour and the unnamed woman serves to depict the rift between Seymour and the rest of the world. This rift last leads Seymours ego, which is tasked with the interaction with external stimuli , to the conclusion that he can no longer coexist with the rest of society. As a result, the only course of action that he can see is that of suicide.Thus, both WWII and the materialism of the society left in WWIIs wake are equally responsible for Seymours death. Had the war not damaged Seymours psyche to the point where his superego could no longer oppose his id, the whole series of events would not have taken place to begin with. Had society not been converted to follow the ideals of materialism, Seymour would not have found that he was unable to fit into society. But because both did what they did, Seymours death became an innate result of the combination of events that culminated here.