Connections Between Nine Stories

#1 One connection in all of the stories we have read so far, is the theme of war, mostly because they all take place around World War II.  Bananafish and Uncle Wiggily focus more on the after effects war has on people.  In Bananafish, Seymour struggles with losing his innocence after returning from war.  It was the war that made him impure, leading to his death.  In Uncle Wiggily, Walt was killed in the war, which lead to the majority of Eloise's distress and unhappiness. In Eskimos, the war didn't directly affect any characters negatively.  Instead, the war was mentioned through the conversations and experiences of Ginnie and Franklin.

#2 A second connection within all three novels is the change of each major character.  It seems that in each story, the major characters all came to some kind of realization.  In Bananafish, Seymour realizes that he will never regain the innocent he lost at war, and that Sybil's presence wasn't enough.  This sudden realization causes him to act on his feelings by shooting himself.  In Uncle Wiggily, Eloise, once drunk enough, comes to the realization that she's unhappy with how she treats others, and how she is as a person.  In the beginning of Eskimos, Ginnie is very persistent with Selena, and would not take no for an answer. By the end of the short story, Ginnie's mindset changes completely.  After talking with Franklin and Eric, she realizes that she wants to put aside her grudge, and become friends with Selena again.

#3 A third connection between all three novels is heartache.  In Bananafish, it is not as direct, but one can tell that Seymour and Muriel are not a happy couple.  This is based on how Muriel crosses her legs at the thought of Seymour, and how Seymour refuses to disrobe in front of Muriel, but will in front of a child.  Heartache is a major idea in Uncle Wiggily. Most of what Mary Jane and Eloise talk about is Walt, Eloise's only true love. By the end of the novel, Eloise remains grieving Walt because her love for him is still intact.  In Eskimos, it is unclear, but it seems as though that Franklin and Joan has a previous relationship based on Franklin's interest in her marriage.  Although he continuously calls her a snob, he did write her 8 letters, showing that he cares for her.

#4 A fourth connection I found within the three novels is youth.  In Bananafish, youth is portrayed as innocence, through Sybil.  In Uncle Wiggily, youth is shown through Ramona and her imaginative personality. As for Eskimos, youth is the center of attention.  This is the first novel to have a teenager's point of view, and one gets to see the types of problems that arise in youth.