"The Perfect Day for Bananafish," by J.D. Salinger, portrays the adult world as materialistic and artificial while glorifying the innocence of the world of a child. The story uses conversations of characters to present this idea, such as Muriel's shallow dialogue with her mother at the beginning of the story. Seymour Glass, the main character of the short story, is a soldier returned from fighting overseas in World War 2, who struggles between living in the adult world while having the innocence of an adolescent. Throughout the story, the adult characters fail to realize Mr. Glass is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and his disconnection with the adult world leads him to commit suicide at the end of the story. Mr. Glass's suicide resembles the incompatibility of the child's world with what Salinger presents to be the superficial world for adults. Ultimately, Salinger's critique of the adult world is flawed because the only insights offered are straw man arguments projected through the characters.
             The story begins with Muriel and her mother discussing Muriel's husband, Seymour Glass, during a phone conversation. Muriel is an extreme representation of the materialistic side of the adult world. When Muriel's Mother telephones her, Muriel being so self-absorbed is less than unenthusiastic about answering the phone, "She was a girl who for a ringing phone dropped exactly nothing. She looked as if her phone had been ringing continually ever since she had reached puberty." Muriel's insensitivity is evident when her mother repeatedly voices concern for Seymour's well-being, but the conversation around Seymour is continually deflected by Muriel, whether in short responses or by trying to change the subject. Muriel 's continual deflection of Seymour's mental health to discuss material goods is Salinger's metaphor for the shallowness of the adult world. Simila...