A Perfect Day for Bananafish Characters

The protagonist of the story, Seymour Glass is Muriel’s husband who has recently returned from fighting in World War II and has been struggling psychologically ever since. The story alludes to several incidents in… read analysis of Seymour Glass

Seymour’s wife, Muriel, is a materialistic young woman who is indifferent toward her husband’s clear psychological suffering. While Seymour has a poetic sensibility—he loves poetry, literature, and playing piano, for instance—Muriel is the complete… read analysis of Muriel Glass

Sybil Carpenter is a young girl whom Seymour befriends at the resort in Florida. The narrative implies that she’s older than three-and-a-half-year-old Sharon Lipschutz (a fellow resort-goer) but young enough that she won’t go through… read analysis of Sybil Carpenter

Like Muriel’s father, Muriel’s mother is deeply worried about Seymour’s strange and erratic behavior lately, and how it might endanger Muriel. The first several pages of the story are dedicated to Muriel’s… read analysis of Muriel’s Mother

Dr. Sivetski is a psychiatrist whom Muriel’s father consults about Seymour’s increasingly strange and unsettling behaviors after coming home from World War II. The doctor declares that the army shouldn’t have released Seymour… read analysis of Dr. Sivetski

The psychiatrist is a resort guest who asks Muriel if Seymour is sick. The story heavily implies that this is because of Seymour’s strange behavior, but Muriel assumes that the psychiatrist is referring to Seymour’s… read analysis of The Psychiatrist

The psychiatrist’s wife is also vacationing at the resort in Florida where Muriel and Seymour are staying. When discussing her interactions with the psychiatrist to her mother, Muriel is far more interested in… read analysis of The Psychiatrist’s Wife

Sharon Lipschutz is a three-year-old girl who’s staying at the resort. Sybil is jealous that Seymour gives Sharon attention, accusing him of letting her sit on the piano bench with him while he was playing… read analysis of Sharon Lipschutz

Mrs. Carpenter is Sybil’s mother. She is far more interested in talking about fashion with her friend than listening to her daughter talk—though, in her defense, she doesn’t seem to understand that the phrase… read analysis of Mrs. Carpenter