blog #4

A Perfect Day for Bananafish's main character is similar to the character of Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye (both by social recluse J.D. Salinger). Both characters have reached points of regression where they go back to an earlier stage in life and identify with children better than they do adults. Holden is immature and cynical towards society and has a hard time socializing and interacting with adults. After being in the war, Seymour doesn't trust or necessarily care for adults. Holden's best friend is his younger sister Phoebe, similar to how Seymour Glass' best friend is Sybil. After realizing these comparisons I wonder why J.D. Salinger chose to write about characters with such similar qualities.
    The difference between the two is WHY they act the way they do. Their reasonings are completely different. Holden is upset by losing his younger brother, while Seymour is this way because of fighting in the war. After being a part of wars, soldiers experience depression and PTSD. It changes them. Seymour is a perfect example of how you go into the war innocent and unknowing, but you don't come out the same. You see death and horrors every hour of the day and there's no way to deal with seeing so many awful things on a day to day basis. Going through tragedies and obstacles changes who you are, like how Holden and Seymour changed. In both of their cases, their defense mechanism is regression, and its how they cope with things.