Again there is a sense that Seymour wishes to isolate himself from others. It is also noticeable that while he is sitting on the beach, Seymour has chosen a spot that is outside the area reserved for guests of the hotel.
It is possible that Salinger is suggesting that Seymour distances himself from other adults as he is aware of how shallow they may be. The more obvious incident in whereby Salinger explores the difficulties in communicating with others is the fact that Seymour prefers to spend his time away from people (particularly adults), his preference being to sit in the Ocean room of the hotel playing the piano while Muriel sits in the bar. Again this may suggest the difficulties in communicating with others. It may also be significant that Muriel tells her mother that she couldn’t really talk to the psychiatrist in the bar due to the noise. There is a feeling that both are talking at each other rather than with each other. Neither Muriel nor her mother allow each other the opportunity to finish their sentences while they are talking to each other. Muriel’s conversation with her mother on the phone is also important as it is through the conversation that the reader realises that Salinger is also exploring the theme of communication. It may also be significant that Muriel and her mother saw the dress in a shop (Bonwit’s) window, as again this would play on the idea of materialism and it’s importance to Muriel (and her mother). She would appear to be judging people based solely on their physical appearance rather than on their character. This may be significant as it again suggests the importance of appearance to Muriel. It becomes clear to the reader that Muriel does not consider that the psychiatrist’s wife had the appropriate figure to be wearing the dress. While Muriel is talking to her mother she comments on a dress that the psychiatrist’s wife was wearing while Muriel was talking to the psychiatrist in the hotel bar. Salinger may also be exploring the idea or theme of appearance while Muriel is on the phone talking to her mother. It is also possible that by mentioning the Saks blouse and the women’s magazine, Salinger is also delving into the theme of materialism, again something that appears to be important to Muriel. It is quite possible that Salinger is suggesting that Muriel may be more focused on herself (and her appearance) rather than on others (Seymour’s plight) and that she possesses a certain type of shallowness.
Though this may all appear to be insignificant or something Muriel does to simply pass the time while she is waiting for the phone it is more likely that Salinger is highlighting to the reader the importance of appearance or image to Muriel. As Muriel is waiting to use the phone in her hotel bedroom the reader finds that she has spent her time washing her comb and brush, taking a spot out of her skirt and tweezing two freshly surfaced hairs in her mole. Taken from his Nine Stories collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and from the beginning of the story the reader realises that Salinger may be exploring the theme of appearance. Salinger we have the theme of appearance, innocence, materialism and communication.
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