A Perfect Day for Bananafish: Who are you, Seymour Glass? - Game Script The "detective.com" team investigates the life and death of Seymour Glass


Background

Debra Holmes is a very famous detective and all-round remarkable woman, and you were extremely happy when she chose you to join her detective team at "detective.com".

But nothing could have prepared you for the strangeness of the Bananafish.

But let's start from the beginning:

Muriel Glass arrived at the offices of "detective.com", three years after her husband committed suicide. With tears in her eyes she told all of you how she still could not understand what really happened back on the beach in Florida, and in their hotel room. Her only memory was waking up and finding her husbands body, Seymour Glass, on her bed.

She was trying to understand what happened, but all the stories about Bananafish and Negro Sambo, the girls on the beach, Sharon and Sybil... Each left her more confused than the last. She felt she did not even know man she was married to.

Muriel asked for your help and she is willing to pay, as much as it will take. Help her understand what happened there in Florida. Were there clues that lead to the tragic ending? Could she have prevented it from happening?

***

At the first team meeting, Debra gave you a copy of the story A Perfect Day for Bananafish.

In preparation for the next meeting you should read it and try to understand what was really going on below the surface. Each one of you on this team is an expert in a particular field.

Your mission is a search mission: Use the internet to search for the missing details related to your field of expertise. At the next meeting you will share it with your colleagues and hopefully together you will be able to put together the puzzle pieces and figure it all.

Mission stages:

1.            Sign up game and get your character. Each character has its own field of expertise.

2.            Read the story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish"

3.            Gather information from the story in order to understand Seymour, in line with the expertise of the character you were assigned to.

4.            Search the internet following the instructions you receive - each in his field if expertise.

5.            On the game day participate in the discussion and share with your colleagues what you have found, according to the instructions you received in the game.

Let’s hope that in a week you can already tell Muriel What you have learned about Seymour, and maybe you can help her understand what really happened to him.

Good luck!

Characters

Genia Geni

Genia's expertise is the collection of family information and history for the benefit of clients of "detectives.com". 

Her talent is collecting details and transforming them into a fascinating story.


Your Task

Dear Genia,

Your job is to gather and collect every bit of information about Seymour's family. This will help to understand his actions in the distant past and also at the Florida hotel. What happened to him in the past? What did Muriel's family accuses him of? Why?

The starting point for your research can be Wikipedia. There you will find details that do not appear in the story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish", but appear in other stories Salinger wrote about the Glass family.

What are the details that you found that also exist in "A Perfect Day for Bananafish"? Which details are not included in the story? Which of these details can help predict Seymour's fate? Write them down and bring the next team meeting (i.e., to the game).

Try to find pictures, videos and music related to your topic...


Resources

Buddy Saul Psychology expert

Buddy Saul is a psychologist. His expertise is in the impact of trauma on family life.


Your Task

When you read the story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" It was clear to you that it included a description of a man suffering from shell shock (PTSD). You need to refresh your knowledge on the subject.

Please read this article and learn more about this phenomenon. Learn what the symptoms are (the indicators of a mental problem) and whether they appeared in Seymour Glass's behavior. Mark them in the story and bring them to the next team meeting (i.e., the game).

You should find additional details about the war that Seymour Glass fought in. Search Google - you will be surprised to see how much information is there. Online there is also information about Seymour Glass from other stories JD Salinger wrote about the character.

Try to find pictures, videos and music that are related to your topic...


Resources

Arti Singer Poetry and literature professor

As a Literature professor, Arti is in charge of the creative side in the work of "detectives.com". She easily identifies motives and explains their role in the story.

Her research focuses on the impact of poetry and literature on a creative soul.


Your Task

Dear Arti,

When you read the story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish", you felt extremely close to Seymour Glass. What a poetic, fragile and different name!

Your mission is to explore the color theme in the story. In order to do it you should check which colors are mentioned in the story and mark their places. Try to understand their role in the story. What can one learn from them about Seymour's distress? Please list them and make notes to bring to the next team meeting (i.e., the game).

Search Google. You would be surprised how much information you can find online on the subject....

Try to find pictures, videos and music that are related to your topic...


Resources

Ben Fishman (Fishy Benjamin) Marine biology expert

Benjamin Fishman is a marine biology expert and a fish lover. When encountering a problem he can often be heard exclaiming "It's fishy!"


Your Task

Dear Ben,

When you read the story " A Perfect Day for Bananafish" you were surprised to read about the peculiar Bananafish. But do they really exist?

Your task is to search Google and find as much information as possible about the image/metaphor of Bananafish, and try to understand why Seymour told Sybil about them. What is the meaning of the strange story he tells? Are there signs of Seymour's distress?

Make notes and bring them to the next team meeting (i.e., the game).

Try to find pictures, videos and music that are related to your topic...


Resources

Valentine Aeon Family therapist

Valentine is a family therapist specializing in marriage crises. She is highly popular and many couples come to her for advice. Not all problems can be solved, but one can always listen and try to understand...


Your Task

Dear Valentine, as soon as you read the story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" you regretted that Muriel and Seymour did not come to you for advice. You could have given them some guidance that might have potentially changed the entire story...

But what's done is done. Your task now is to figure out what happened between them: how and when they got married, what was the nature of their relationship, in what way they were similar and in what way they were different from each other. Try to find any information about them that can be helpful in understanding their relationship.

To do this, search Google in an effort to understand if there were early signs in their relationship that might explain Seymour's distress. You will find details that do not appear in the story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish", but appear in other stories Salinger wrote about the Glass family. Make a notes and bring them to the next team meeting (i.e., the game).

Try to find pictures, videos and music that are related to your topic...


Resources

Scene 1: Who are you, Seymour?


1.

Public Message

Muriel will soon arrive at the "detectives.com" offices to hear what you have found.

After reading the story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" and after each one of you conducted a research in the field of his expertise, it is time to share your findings with the rest of the team and try to put together a complete picture.

Please share with your colleagues who you think Seymour Glass is, based on your research and inquiries.


2.

Private (Shortly After previous message)

Genia Geni:

Dear Genia,

Tell your friend what you have learned about The Glass family. What was Seymour's place in his family? How did the others treat him? What did you learn about him?

Buddy Saul:

Dear Buddy,

Tell everyone what you have learned about Seymour and his mental condition.

Arti Singer:

Dear Arti,

Tell everyone what you have learned about the Seymour through the color motifs.

Ben Fishman (Fishy Benjamin):

Dear Ben,

Tell everyone what you have learned about Seymour through the bananafish story.

Valentine Aeon:

Dear Valentine,

Tell everyone what you have learned about Seymour through his relationship with Muriel.


3.

Public Message (Shortly After previous message)

Dear detectives,
Read what the others have written:
Do the others' research reveal any early signs of Seymour's distress? Is Muriel to blame at all?


4.

Private (a while after previous message)

Genia Geni:

Dear Genia,

Read Valentine's posts and tell the others: Do you think a man like Seymour can live with a woman like Muriel? Please explain.

Buddy Saul:

Dear Buddy,


Read what Ben Fishman wrote about the bananafish story and tell the others: Do you see any connection between this story and Seymour's shell shock?

Arti Singer:

Dear Arti,

Read what Ben Fishman wrote about the bananafish story and tell the others: Do you see a connection between this story and the colors motif?

Ben Fishman (Fishy Benjamin):

Dear Ben,

Read what Arti wrote about the colors motif and tell the others: Do you see a connection between this motif and the bananafish story?

Valentine Aeon:

Dear Valentine,

Read what Buddy wrote about the Seymour's shell shock and tell the others: Do you think Muriel was capable of understanding Seymour? Could she have helped him?

 

 


5.

Public Message (a while after previous message)

Dear Detectives,

The meeting will be over soon and it's time to summarize.

Do you think Muriel could have prevented Seymour's death? Or was his death inevitable?


Vote

Dear detectives,

Now that you are more familiar with Seymour, do you think Muriel should feel some responsibility and/or guilt in relation to his death? Or was his suicide inevitable?



Option 1
Muriel has some responsibility for Seymour’s death.
Option 2
Seymour's death was inevitable. Muriel couldn't have done anything to prevent it.

Ending message for when most people voted for option



Option 1

Most of the team think that Muriel had some responsibility for Seymour's death


Option 2

Most of the team think that Seymour's death was inevitable and it had nothing to do with Muriel.



Discussion Points

1. What social criticism does this story raise through the character of Seymour Glass?

2. What makes Seymour different within his society? How does this society accept this difference and why?

3. Which different parts of American society (or any society) do Muriel and Seymour represent?

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