Connections "For Esmé" and "APDFB"

“For Esmé” and “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” share many common themes and symbols and the characters respond in similar ways to their situations.

The effect of war is an important part in both of these stories. In “For Esmé…” the setting take places in Europe very shortly after the war ended whereas the setting for “APDFB” takes place in the United States and has a longer time period after the end of WWII. The two main characters, Sergeant X and Seymour Glass experience significant repercussions from taking par in the war. Effects such as shaking of the hands or decrease in mental stability are evident in the two stories. In the end of “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” Seymour eventually commits suicide whereas Sergeant X believes he can once again become a man with his “faculties intact.”

Both X and Seymour have a relationship with a significantly younger girl. While at the beach, Seymour plays with a girl named Sybil who is about the age of four. Sergeant X had a brief meeting at a tearoom with a young lady about the age of thirteen, named Esmé. Both X and Seymour seemed to be affected greatly by the interaction with these young ladies. Seymour focuses on the innocence that Sybil still possesses, whereas Seymour noticed that Esmé did not enjoy being a child and was filled more corruption than a thirteen-year-old girl should be. Sybil and Seymour seemed to keep in touch with each other by meeting at the beach everyday and also, Esmé wrote a letter to Sergeant X while he was away at war.