Connection

Salinger created two remarkably similar stories in which the protagonists are corrupted from the horrors of war, yet they become distracted by a pleasantly childish figure. In A Perfect Day For BananaFish, Seymour had met a little girl named Sybil on the beach. Granted, Seymour was very capable of being her father, hence the twenty or so year age difference. His enthusiasm towards her bathing suit, and the kissing of her ankles were two very perverted actions Seymour progressed. Likewise, Sergeant X discovered Esme in a church choir. Her voice stood out to him especially, and her long blonde hair appealed to him as well. While both of these characters found themselves enjoying spending time with younger women, little girls in particular, they were married as well. It seemed as though Sergeant X and Seymour were both lacking passion in their relationships, and Sergeant X certainly found some passion in conversing with Esme in the tearoom. To his surprise, he had coincidently seen Esme at the tearoom after she sang at the church. Unlike Sybil, Esme was the first to coheres with Sergeant X. She seemed very interested in him, especially about the quality of his marriage. In most cases, one would be uncomfortable in talking to a stranger about their love life, but Sergeant X was comfortable, which was surprising. Another re occurrence in the two short stories was the debate of the protagonists being emotionally unstable, which could have been caused by war. Both Seymour and Sergeant X were changed people after their experience in World War II, and the only way in which they found some sort of happiness was in talking to younger females.