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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 puberty for at least nine years, suggesting that she’s probably around age four or five. Because Sybil is so young, she and Seymour have silly conversations about all things strange (Sybil’s penchant for eating candles) and silly (Seymour’s story about made-up creatures called bananafish). For Seymour, these topics seem to be a welcome reprieve from the psychological trauma he’s struggling with as a WWII vet—and from his wife, Muriel’s, vapid materialism. Sybil’s innocence and playful spirit draw Seymour to her, but their relationship isn’t entirely squeaky clean—Seymour behaves in borderline sexual ways around her, giving her flirtatious compliments and touching her feet and ankles (and even once kissing the arch of her foot). Because Sybil so young, though, she doesn’t grasp the sexual undertones of Seymour’s behavior or feel creeped out by him—when Seymour suddenly kisses her foot in the ocean, she yells “Hey!” in surprise but expresses that she wants to continue playing with him. While Seymour is drawn to Sybil for her innocence, it seems that Sybil is simply delighted to have someone who will listen to her and play along with her—her mother, Mrs. Carpenter, is uninterested in her and finds her annoying. Near the middle of the story, Sybil repeats, “See more glass” to her mother, presumably trying to tell her about her new friend, Seymour Glass. But rather than understand what her daughter is trying to communicate, Mrs. Carpenter essentially tells Sybil to be quiet and leave her alone—one of many instances of failed communication in the story.
Sybil Carpenter Quotes in A Perfect Day for Bananafish
The A Perfect Day for Bananafish quotes below are all either spoken by Sybil Carpenter or refer to Sybil Carpenter. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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A Perfect Day for Bananafish Quotes
“Sharon Lipschutz said you let her sit on the piano seat with you,” Sybil said.
“Sharon Lipschutz said that?”
Sybil nodded vigorously.
[…] “Well,” he said, “you know how those things happen, Sybil. I was sitting there, playing. And you were nowhere in sight. And Shorn Lipschutz came over and sat down next to me. I couldn’t push her off, could I?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, no. No. I couldn’t do that […] I’ll tell you what I did do, though.”
“What?”
“I pretended she was you.”
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“Where do you live, anyway?”
“I don’t know, said Sybil.”
“Sure you know. You must know. Sharon Lipschutz knows where she lives and she’s only three and a half.”
Sybil stopped walking and yanked her hand away from him. She picked up an ordinary beach shell and looked at it with elaborate interest. She threw it down. “Whirly Wood, Connecticut,” she said […].
“Whirly Wood, Connecticut,” said the young man. “Is that anywhere near Whirly Wood, Connecticut, by any chance?”
Sybil looked at him. “That’s where I live,” she said impatiently. “I live in Whirly Wood, Connecticut.” […]
“You have no idea how clear that makes everything,” the young man said.
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“Do you like wax?” Sybil asked.
“Do I like what?” asked the young man.
“Wax.”
“Very much. Don’t you?”
Sybil nodded. “Do you like olives?” she asked.
“Olives—yes. Olives and wax. I never go anyplace without ‘em.”
[…]
“I like to chew candles,” she said finally.
“Who doesn’t?” said the young man […].
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“Their habits are very peculiar. Very peculiar. […] They lead a very tragic life.”
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[…] “I just saw one.”
“Saw what, my love?”
“A bananafish.”
“My God, no!” said the young man. “Did he have any bananas in his mouth?”
“Yes,” Said Sybil. “Six.”
The young man suddenly picked up one of Sybil’s wet feet, which were drooping over the end of the float, and kissed the arch.
“Hey!” said the owner of the foot, turning around.
“Hey, yourself! We’re going in now. You had enough?”
“No!”
“Sorry,” he said, and pushed the float toward shore […].
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Get the entire A Perfect Day for Bananafish LitChart as a printable PDF.
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Sybil Carpenter Character Timeline in A Perfect Day for Bananafish
The timeline below shows where the character Sybil Carpenter appears in A Perfect Day for Bananafish. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
A Perfect Day for Bananafish
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the hotel a little girl named Sybil Carpenter repeats the phrase “See more glass,” much to Mrs. Carpenter’s annoyance. Mrs. Carpenter is...
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Sybil runs purposefully down the beach and makes a beeline for a drooping sandcastle, which she...
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Sybil announces proudly that her father will be arriving the next day and kicks sand in...
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Grabbing hold of both of Sybil’s ankles, Seymour asks Sybil to tell him about herself. Instead, she accuses him of letting...
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Seymour tells Sybil that they can go swimming and look for a bananafish. He sheds his bathrobe, revealing...
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...and if he likes wax and olives (he claims to “never go anyplace without ‘em”), Sybil then asks if he likes Sharon Lipschutz. Seymour admits that he does, explaining that what...
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After a long silence, Sybil announces that she likes to chew candles, to which Seymour responds, “Who doesn’t?” They wade...
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Sybil nervously points out an approaching wave. Seymour clasps her ankles tightly and guides her and...
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