A Perfect Day For Bananafish

The characters in A Perfect Day For Banana fish did not have as much in common to those in The Catcher In The Rye than I thought they would.

Holden's mother and Muriel's mother did have a lot in common. They were worriers, and always needed to know if their children were all right. In A Perfect Day For Banana fish, Muriel's mother would not stop asking if she was OK no matter how many times Muriel assured her that she was fine. Holden's mother had good reason to worry more since the incident involving one of her children.

Both stories ended in unexpected ways. In CITR, Holden was depressed and unsure of himself during the whole book. He decided he was never going home. By the end of the story, he saw his sister and decided that he would go home. He was happy, watching his sister.
In A Perfect Day For Banana fish, Seymour seemed like a happy man. Maybe a little self conscious, but happy. He played with the little girl on the beach, and acted as if he already knew her. He held her gently in the water, and made sure she did not fall in. In the end, he took a bullet to his head. I did not see that coming at all. I had liked the story until the end. It was a very surprising ending.